7/28/2012 - Merry's 500th Dive

After bad surface conditions two weeks ago and a sinus infection all of last week, it was good to get back in the water today. We celebrated Merry's graduation from Newbie to real diver this morning with her 500th dive. We hoped Hawthorne Reef would give us some interesting finds. Kevin Lee dropped right down next to an Ancula gibbosa, a nudibranch that I've only seen once. Merry got some really nice photos while I shot some mediocre video.
The swells began to pick up, so we headed to the Redondo Barge. Visibility was down quite a bit from our last dive here. We checked out five octopus nests, but none of the eggs are developing. The water was a brisk 51-52° at both sites.
I'm hoping to get in a midweek dive to practice still photography before next week. Merry and I will be making our first warm water trip together in Cozumel. I imagine we'll have better vis there.