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| Date: Thursday night, Jan 28th Location: Main wall, Crap Patch & Lion’s Den Surf: 2-3 ft Viz: 8-10ft After lamenting this long standing dry spell, the team decided a dive was required. Our objective was to survey the Vallecitos area, crap patch and Lion’s den and check for changes due to the last storm. Upon dropping into 31fsw North of the point, we decided to skip the point and check out the crap patch and Lion’s den. The patch offered up some nice sights including several fine nudibranch specimens: Janolus barbarensis, D. picta and T. maculata Also on display was a large number of rock fish; at one point I counted 6 juveniles within 3’ of each other. Nearing the ¾ point of the dive we arrived at the Lion’s Den to find the kelp forest depleted by intact. I counted at least 25 melibe on one of the 3 remaining long kelp strands, all looking a little haggard. On the exit I spied an active juvi Thornback that was a bit camera shy, loads swimmer crabs and more rockfish. No waves on exit. Was a nice ‘get back into the water’ dive. Mike Hallack http://s279.photobucket.com/albums/kk145/SoCalSwami/Diving2010/012810-shores/    |
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9/11/2009 - DiveReport 09-10-09 La Jolla Shores Night Dive
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Location: La Jolla Shores, San Diego ;) Nice conditions in the Vallecitos Kelp Forrest. Viz: 15’+ A special feature to Thursday’s dive was the plethora of Janolus and Lion nudibranchs found in the ever expanding kelp forest surrounding the point.
Box Jellies and a school of juvi bat rays entertained us on the exit. Photo Album: Mike Hallack 
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9/7/2009 - 08-30-09 Pt Loma with friends
| Nothing beats diving with a GREAT set of buddies. While the boat provided plenty of reasons to refer to this trip a a series of 'clusters', in the end, we all had a good time. One piece of new critter behavior I caught was a some 'rough-housing' between a pair of full size Hermissenda crassicornisis. Having only heard of dualing nudi's I was quite fascinated by the whole ordeal. Although slow, the outcome was quite obvious. The guy on the left of of the photos bit the snot out of the guy on the right. No question about it. Even while fleeing, the guy on the left continued to bite his advisary till they victim was out of reach. Apparently they've got a bit of mean streak. Thanks to Spencer and Marla for being outstanding buddies. And Kim and Newell too ;) Mike http://s279.photobucket.com/albums/kk145/SoCalSwami/Diving%202009/083009-ptloma/    |
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9/7/2009 - 09-06-09-LJS; First doubles dive
| The '09 labor day weekend kicking off with a blast Saturday morning with my first ever doubles dive. The first thing that comes to mind about this dive is, "I wish I'd done it sooner!" Diving with a vintage set of 72's was fantastic (1971 born on date). The trim was perfect and the entry/exit were more managable than I expected. This experience was a top 3 new equipment dive for sure (#1 Apeks reg #2 my first camera). It felt so natural I can't wait to do it again (get your mind back on diving for a minute). Thanks to Spencer for the loaner Deep Outdoors double wing. Finally, a small piece of diving history goes along with the tanks. So far, I have learned (yet to be confimed) that the tanks which I purchased from Marianne L. were previously owned by Scuba Sean (aka Sean in Hawaii) and before that Steve Donathan, who is remebered with a plaque on the Yukon, which is maintained in part by Jim Kinane, who almost bought the tanks but I beat him to it. Small world. Here are a few photos from the dive... Edit Note: Got my days confused. Sept 6 was a Sunday. Doh! Mike    |
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8/21/2009 - 08-21-09 LJS after extended dry-out
Pleasant early morning dive around Vallecitos Point. Spotting a lovely teenage D. iris, a large Ocean Whitefish and heard of Zebra gobys. Unfortunately, no large aircraft were spotted during the dive  Surf: 1-2' Viz: 15' Min Temp: 53 deg This was my first dive after getting my drysuit 'upgraded' earlier in the week. I had the legs and sleeves altered, dry zipgloves added and replaced glued neck with zipseal neck. The drygloves are the kind that have an internal dam, and I found them to have a few issues. 1) Glove pressurization on ascent/descent was not simple. I had to tug at internal dam to break seal to get air flow. 2) The 2" section of my wrist that was not covered either by the undergarment or glove liners got cold. So, if anyone has suggestions on some 'best practices' with using the dam drygloves (no pun intended), please let me know. The solution I am contemplating is to cut out the dam and get some glove liners that cover the wrist, but I will wait to hear any suggestions you might have. Mike Photo Album    |
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8/2/2009 - 08-02-09 LJS North Wall; End of an era
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Location: LJS North Wall Date: 8/2/09 Sun Descent: 7am Vis: 20-30' Min Temp: 55 deg Time: 90 minutes Divers: Kim, Newell Conditions Sunday on North Wall were excellent. Great visibility and no current/surge/surf. As many of you know, the doors closed on one of our beloved nitrox supplier this week, and with it, the keys to the deeper regions of our beloved LJS. Our group thought it appropriate to consume our final bottles of 32% on a worthy site, and we were not disappointed. We found great visibility throughout the dive with a brilliant blue hue in the water column. My favorites critters were a teenie-baby tree fish, a lovely two-spotted octopus spread out on a kelp frond in the shallows, and a fragile rainbow star playing peek-a-boo with a scorpion fish. Side Note: my newest toy, a Reefnet Sensus Ultra is proving to be a useful accessory. The dive profile data is a nice feedback on my dive performance plus I don't have to worry about leaving the sensus on my desk attached to my download cable, unlike my wrist mount dive computer. A few pictures logged on photobucket: http://s279.photobucket.com/albums/kk145/SoCalSwami/Diving%202009/080209-shores-am/ Mike Hallack |
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6/24/2009 - 06-24-09 LJS Clear and crisp
| Dive Report for Wed 6-24-09 Time: 6:24 pm Location: Crap Patch / Vallecitos Point Time: 84 min Avg Temp: 54deg Max Depth: 75' Avg Depth: 44' Photos I was joined by my good friends SnL this evening along with a new dive buddy Donovan Lang for a wonderful dive of the shores of La Jolla. I had hoped to see Brian F, but he was a no show. Special thanks to Marla, who had planned on making the dive tonight, and agreed to bring my tanks down from the shop, but could not dive due to ear troubles :( we missed you. After some slight delays, we finally ventured out into the 1-2' surf and kicked out just past the lifeguard tower buoy. Dropping down together into 25fsw, the viz was nice; clear enough in fact to notice SnL were having to equip issues (unfortuntately not all that uncommon these days). After confirming some trouble with Spencer, he indicated he and Laura would try and meet us near the point and waved adios. Continuing on, my new buddy and I ventured forth down the 50' contour, past a painfully obvious thermocline at 30' and into the detritus patch. The water was so clear under the thermocline we could see from one side of the patch to the start of the wall. Had to be 30'+ Coaxing our way through the detritus, we scoped some horn sharks, Lions nudis and some pipe fish. Continuing our way South/West we eventually eased our way up the slope and onto the wall, where I found my best find of the day, a Janolus barbarensis the size of kernal of corn. Along the way out to the point, was bumped into a big male sheephead, a D. iris, and some Cuthona divae. No Cumanotus (rats). To round things out we saw tons of crabs and shrimp and a few bat rays on the exit. Overall a fantastic dive. I just wished SnL and Marla could have been there to see it. Mike Hallack        |
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6/21/2009 - 06-20-09 LJS-Crap Patch
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Date: Sat June 20 Location: LJS - Detritus Patch Vis: 15' Avg Temp: 60deg Surf: 1-2' (larger on second dive)
Buddies: Kim, Neil (first time), Spencer N Laura (here to for to be known as SnL), John A, John L Meeting in the main lot at 7 still offered a few parking spots up front, but was filling up fast. The gang suited up in the morning drizzle after some chit chat and an introduction to our new buddy Neil who drove down from LA. Dropping into ~40' we headed south/east along to 50' contour into the patch. With modest viz, we were treated to some fantastic critters. The Melibes are still around but seem to be declining in numbers; we caught a few ‘in the act’. Also caught in the act were some large sized Navanax. Dive 2 was right back to the same place. This time I was treated to a new nudi for me, Cumanotus (Thanks to Kim for sharing her always great finds). Slug Site ref page for Cumanotus: http://slugsite.us/bow2007/nudwk569.htm Mike Hallack http://www.mydivinglife.com/SoCalSwami Video of Bait ball: http://s279.photobucket.com/albums/kk145/SoCalSwami/Diving%202009/062009%20shores/?action=view¤t=bait_ball.flv
Neil
My first Cumanotus
Lions
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5/25/2009 - 05-25-09 LJS - Secret Garden, well almost...
| Great dive this morning the Marla, and Kerry (Kim & Terry) and my first dive with Steve Gardner. 58 Minutes 105' Max Depth 60' Avg Depth 51 Avg Temp Our original plan was to visit the Secret Gardens due to the supersized low tide (-1.x) but like always, the plan changed slightly once we hit 100' The detritus just North of the SG was littered with Nudies of all kinds, shapes and sizes. Hundreds of Lions, Black dorids and Corombe were everywhere, you couldn't move without seeing a cluster of specimens. Special thanks to Marla for the loaner tank of 32% which made this dive possible. Air just isn't cutting it anymore. Mike Armina californica  Melibe leonia     Polycera atra  Corambe steinbergae laying eggs  |
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5/22/2009 - LJS Back to back days 5-20& & 5-21
| After weeks and weeks of setting dive times with my buddies, only to cancel last minute because conditions sucked has, well, sucked. But enough of that! It finally looks like we've turned a corner and might be heading to better days. Dives on Wed and Thurs were a step in the right direction. Wed Album: http://tinyurl.com/q9kdum Thurs Album: http://tinyurl.com/qthzdh      |
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5/16/2009 - How to fix Broken Links - MDL has a defect when posting links in entry...
| So you say your having trouble with posting links on MyDivingLife. Me too. Links get added as java(void).92432423908 blah and don't work? The only fix I've found is to edit the link after posting. Once posted, edit your entry. In the edit window, Right click on the URL link and a small context menu will appear. Click "Edit Link" Copy the Link name and paste over the crappy URL java(void) junk Save That's it. Not Working: http://www.failblog.org Working: http://www.failblog.org ~Mike |
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5/16/2009 - 05-15-09 Pt Loma Kelp 2 tanks
| Two dives off Pt Loma late Friday afternoon aboard the Marissa. Carl and Brandon working the boat. The first was at Broomtail Reef (40fsw). A site selected by the lone instructor (with one OW student) who required a site less than 40ft. Surge was heavy and the pictures are the proof. none worth posting. The second dive was 7 fathoms and proved to be much more better. An interesting and clearly visible thermocline was present at 75'. Surge was light. Full album on Photobucket: http://s279.photobucket.com/albums/kk145/SoCalSwami/Diving%202009/051509%20Pt%20Loma/ My CA Diving News homage shot showcasing the lovely Marla capturing the moment  (You know. Like this one...)  Hermissenda crassicornias and friend  More Hermi's and friends  Laila cockerelli  Tiny trilineata  |
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4/24/2009 - 04-24-09 LJS Dawn Patrol
| Date: 04-24-09 Location: LJS South Wall Vis: 10-12' (not too bad) Avg Temp: 55 deg Descent: 5:35am Max Depth: 66' Avg Depth: 38' Time: 76 minutes Divers: Scott, Terry, Marla Photo Album: http://tinyurl.com/dhq4wn http://s279.photobucket.com/albums/kk145/SoCalSwami/Diving%202009/042409%20shores%20am/ Conditions have improved nicely since Tuesday. The lack of green haze and overwhelming particulate was a welcomed treat. No waves or currents to speak of. Large quantities of detritus where present on both the beach and the canyon wall. Spotted several Crombe among all the kelp and bryozoa. The usual other critters were also present. Coffee and a few laughs afterward wrapped up a nice morning dive. Mike Hallack http://www.mydivinglife.com/SoCalSwami/     |
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4/22/2009 - 04-21-09 LJS Green Soup Night Dive
| Date: 04/21/09 Site: La Jolla Shores - Crap Patch/Vallecitos Pt Temp: 53 avg Viz: 3' in Shallows / 10' at 90fsw Waves: 1-2' Time: 77 minutes Depth Max: 90fsw Depth Avg: 48fsw Buddies: Kim, Terry than Spencer and Laura http://tinyurl.com/cfh2nu Photos http://s279.photobucket.com/albums/kk145/SoCalSwami/Diving%202009/042109%20shores%20night/? Link Is anybody else having trouble getting web links to post? After hearing some mediocre reports of conditions the day before, the crew decided to give it a go, unfortunately conditions sucked worse than expected. Dropping into 41fsw, I quickly lost sight of everyone. The green muck was reminiscent of the soup I used to have as a lad at the Pea Soup Andersen's in Carlsbad. Thick and green. I didn't like it then, and I don't like it now. yuck  We somehow managed to collect the group back together and head into the canyon. Snapping a few pictures along the way, we quickly found ourselves in 90fsw, straining to see anything through the green-particle-soup. Terry found a lovely Dendronotus sp, Kim found a cute mini-lobster/crab critter, and I found a rice-sized black dorid and an SD dorid laying eggs. Few photos to remeber the event. Mike Hallack http://www.mydivinglife.com/SoCalSwami/     |
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4/7/2009 - 04-07-09 LJS dawn patrol
| Date: 4-7-09 Location: Shores Main Wall Descent:6:01am Max Depth: 21.0 meters (stoopid computer) Bottom Time: 54 min Surf: 2' Viz Shallows: 5-10' Viz Canyon: 15-20' Temp: 11.7 C Divers: Greg S; Bill P & Tracy Photos: http://tinyurl.com/c9nb5d After coming up empty handed looking for Tuesday morning dive buddies, a little surfhopper informed me that Scuba Diving San Diego (Bill Powers' website/group) happened to have a dive scheduled for that exact time. Happy days. After getting some early morning introductions out of the way, we suited up and headed into the water. A fast southernly moving current took us from V street nearly to the boat launch. It lightened up the further we kicked out, but remained present through out much of the dive. Expectations were low due to recent storm activity and bad viz reports, so after dropping into 12meters (darn computer reset to meters without me knowing, bad computer) we were not disappointed to find not-so-nice-viz (5-10'). However, as we finally crested the canyon wall and descended into the chilly depths we were treated to marvelous conditions (15-20') and abundant critters. Starting from the south-side alcove where the large male Sheephead lives, we travelled north, around the point to just shy of the engine block w/chain. A nice 54 minutes of leisure diving. Highlight for me was enjoying the great viz. There was an unusually large amounts of detritus on the shore and shallows during the exit, and consequently on the gear. Thanks Greg for a good dive. http://www.meetup.com/Scuba-Diving-San-Diego Mike Hallack Largest FedEx I've ever seen 4-5"  Smallest FedEx I've ever seen.     D. frondosus with freshly laid eggs.  ID help?   |
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3/29/2009 - 032809 Laguna Beach boat dives
| Mikey Bear and I carpooled up to Dana point to board Dave Hershman's 'Big Deal' for a leisure day of boating 'n diving. Out of the harbor we headed north and found a nice site near Cress Street. The viz was 10' and surge was medium to strong at times. Our second dive site was near the Montage Hotel. Viz was about the same. Although my mission for the day (to capture some shots of a Hopkins Rose) was thwarted, it turned out to be a rather enjoyable day. Thanks to Dave and Mikey.       |
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3/17/2009 - 03-16-09 LJS Monday Night
| Location: Vallecitos Point Descent: 7:25 pm Vis: 10' Depth: 74max / 49avg Temp: 57 avg Time: 67 min Buddys: Terry for about 30 seconds, John Lawton for the whole dive. Spencer and Laura on the swim out. Dive# 132 Photo Album: http://tinyurl.com/d5pydy target=new After fighting some surface chop on the swim out, we dropped into the 57' and proceeded to head in 3 different directions. I'm not sure how it happened, but John and I lost Terry right away. I spent 2-3 minutes holding my hand over my light looking for him, but alas, he was destined to go solo on this night. Continuing on, John and I pressed onward and upward toward the wall catching sight of some stingrays and octos out on the prowl. I did not see the new block and chain, so we must have come up the wall just past it. The first item we saw on the wall was a big fat nobilis, which I really wanted to get a picture of the gill, but alas, my plan was foiled. Further towards the point we found a heart urchin leisurely strolling and looking for a place to crash. I caught a nice series of it digging a new pad. Saw more cool stuff on the way it, like a shrimp eating white string cheese. Nice dive considering the viz was less than stellar. Mike Hallack      |
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3/13/2009 - 03-13-09 LJS South Wall Dawn Patrol
| Location: LJS South Wall Descent: 5:40 am Temp: 54 avg (50min) Vis: 10' Shallows / 20' Canyon Current: None Max Depth: 72' Avg Depth: 45' Time: 84 minutes Buddy: Marla Photo Album: http://tinyurl.com/bfmovb Arriving at the crack of dawn we were greeted by 1-2' waves and a -0.1 low tide (according to my awesome Divebums calendar). The serine kick out from V street entry point was a welcomed change from the wind chop slop found early in the week. Dropping into 23fsw, we headed toward the canyon and found ourselves on top of a rusted lobster cage I'd never seen in 45fsw. Rather than head North, we threw caution to the wind, and headed out along the South wall. In the bitter cold darkness we found a plethora of critters and what looked like another engine block. My highlight was a pair or Janolus barbarensis frolicking in the detritus. After turning the dive and heading for the exit, the rising sun provided a beautiful haze of ambient light that always seems to make these early morning wakeup calls worth while. It was good to see Marla back in the water after an extended dry spell. Thanks for the dive and the cup o' coffee that helped thaw some seriously numb fingers/toes. Mike Hallack http://www.mydivinglife.com/SoCalSwami/       |
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3/10/2009 - LJS night dive 03-09-09
Location: Vallecitos Point
Time: 7pm Time: 74 minutes Max Depth: 76' Avg Depth: 46' Photo Album: http://tinyurl.com/ack3y4 Conditions looked a bit suspicious when we arrived. The sea had some wind chop and short intervals between waves, however, entry proved to be rather easy. Upon dropping into 25fsw, visability couldn't have been more than 8'. Yuck :( But once hit the canyon, it opened up to soldi 20' :) Doto Amyra and my first Coffee Bean Snail were the highlights. Coffee Bean =)  Picta and Maculata Hanging out:  Doto Amyra  Greenling with eggs:  |
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3/6/2009 - LJS night dive 03-05-09 Stubby Squid!
| Location: Vallecitos Point Descent: 7:18pm Vis: 5' shallows / 20' Canyon Depth: 78'max / 48'avg Temp: 54 avg (Colder minimum) Time: 74 min Buddies: Kim, Terry Photo Album: http://tinyurl.com/caxdjc Two new critters for me, a Stubby Squid (Rossia pacifica) and Corambe steinbergae. Canyon viz was clear but chilly. Link to Stubby Info page on The Cephopod Page: http://www.thecephalopodpa ~Mike       |
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Michael Hallack Recent Posts* T'was a 'time to get back in to the water dive' LJS-28Jan-10* DiveReport 09-10-09 La Jolla Shores Night Dive * 08-30-09 Pt Loma with friends * 09-06-09-LJS; First doubles dive * 08-21-09 LJS after extended dry-out Links* MyDivingLife.com* SoCalSwami Blog * View my profile * Archives * My Control Panel RSS
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