WESTBURY
10-05-2009, 12:33 AM
A few of my Nor Cal buddys came down for the opener. Lou and Brett brought their boats down and I had mine. I also talked to another couple of friends who were also going to be out there.
Left the Ventura ramp at Westbury time (about noon) and made the run out to Santa Cruz in super flat conditions.
Noticed after about 10 minutes of running how blue the water looked. Got to the island and turned the corner to incredibly clear blue water. temp meter read about 70 degrees. For a brief minute I thought I was in the Bahamas.:thumps:
I could see every little rock and detail in 30 feet of water.
Dropped the hook at a spot that generally has poor visability and jumped in to do a little scouting. True to Urchin Divers report from a few weeks ago, lobster were everywhere! One hole had at least 50 lobster crowded in.
We went to check another spot, and Lou and Brett had anchored up to wait till Midnight. We decided to join them. Had a great dinner with everyone and then hit the rack for a few hours.
After a few hours of diving in the surge/ eel grass, we all had a few lobsters with the exception of our buddy Mike M. who was able to grab a limit.
I asked if anyone wanted to move and I think everyone was tired so they declined.
Woke the next day to greener water and slightly colder. Ran to another location and grabbed a limit of scallops. Around 3 that afternoon, my afternoon nap was rudely awaken with powerful gusts of wind. As the day progressed, swell picked up as did the wind. I made an executive decision to head in, and frankly, I'm glad I did as conditions got even worse. As it was, had a hell of a trip in.:eek:
It's amazing how conditions can change so quickly.
Had a great time with all my good friends, looking forward to doing it again.
Left the Ventura ramp at Westbury time (about noon) and made the run out to Santa Cruz in super flat conditions.
Noticed after about 10 minutes of running how blue the water looked. Got to the island and turned the corner to incredibly clear blue water. temp meter read about 70 degrees. For a brief minute I thought I was in the Bahamas.:thumps:
I could see every little rock and detail in 30 feet of water.
Dropped the hook at a spot that generally has poor visability and jumped in to do a little scouting. True to Urchin Divers report from a few weeks ago, lobster were everywhere! One hole had at least 50 lobster crowded in.
We went to check another spot, and Lou and Brett had anchored up to wait till Midnight. We decided to join them. Had a great dinner with everyone and then hit the rack for a few hours.
After a few hours of diving in the surge/ eel grass, we all had a few lobsters with the exception of our buddy Mike M. who was able to grab a limit.
I asked if anyone wanted to move and I think everyone was tired so they declined.
Woke the next day to greener water and slightly colder. Ran to another location and grabbed a limit of scallops. Around 3 that afternoon, my afternoon nap was rudely awaken with powerful gusts of wind. As the day progressed, swell picked up as did the wind. I made an executive decision to head in, and frankly, I'm glad I did as conditions got even worse. As it was, had a hell of a trip in.:eek:
It's amazing how conditions can change so quickly.
Had a great time with all my good friends, looking forward to doing it again.