Dive Report 11 September

The good news is that MOST of the stingies are gone; my two students and I only encountered a few minor stings at the very end of our two and one half hour dive, well into the ebb side of the tide in very green water. On the flood side of the tide as the ocean water was coming in, the vis was fifteen to twenty feet and we had no stingies. I saw only one moon jellyfish on the flood tide. On the ebb tide I saw three or four, nothing like the hundreds a week ago. We are seeing only a very few moon jellyfish offshore. My students and I were in doubles so a two and a half hour dive was not a problem. In eighty-six degree water we wore only dive skins; I was very comfortable. We were focused on skill sets and getting used to the feel of the gear so we were not on critter watch. Nevertheless, we did see a beautiful goldspotted eel under the fishing pier and an octopus who resides in a plastic pipe south of the bridge. So the conditions are good again as long as you dive on the flood side of the tide. (EXTRA!EXTRA! The goliath grouper aggregation is going on offshore. We are seeing as many as fifty on the Zion Train wreck series dive.) Get in the water, Ham