As always this will take a bit to plow through all the pictures, I'll do the story at the same time and maybe that way I will get that done also.

We left Boston airport at 5:00PM (so we worked that day also) and got into LAX at 8:30PM. The sun chased us across the country but won in the end.



We got the rental car and cruised south on the 405, only one minor side excursion (I always wanted to know how far the freeway goes up Rt59, 3-4 miles, so you do not have to look). We got to Cynde's around 10:30. We only talked for a bit and everyone headed of to bed.

The next morning, up early, Art and myself even earlier (stinking right coast time). We caught breakfast on the run and went down to Dana Point to get the ferry. One hour later we pulled into Avalon.

We off loaded all the stuff from the ferry and caught a cab to the dive shop. There they loaded all the stuff in a truck and took it back to the ferry dock. We walked around town for a short time then we boarded the King Neptune.



There was 5 divers on the boat, the fifth person was Dr Bill a resident Marine Biologist. Tough trip. We cruised up the coast and they dropped us on a pinnacle. Almost immediately we saw this.



and it's eggs.

Lobster

Keep em coming Cecil! Great pics so far....I'm still a kelp virgin myself...maybe this year???

Cecil, love the pictures and your story. More please!

OK where were we, oh yes the pinnacle dive. In most every crack in the rock there was a moray and cocktails of cleaner shrimp.





Also lots of lobsters.



Garibaldi cruise around checking every thing out.


Cynde UW.

These little guys were everywhere.


All good things must end and we got out and pulled the anchor. We then ate lunch and cruise down the coast to our second dive. Here we dropped down into the sand. On landing Dr. Bill motioned for me to look at something on the bottom.



Hard to make out but it was a 5' Angel Shark buried in the sand. Art just missed landing on it's head by a foot or so when he landed. I yanked him away and showed him what he missed.

We then swam over to the kelp reef. We ran into this guy right away.



Talk about ugly down to an art form.



Here's a little Kelp bass


and a little anemone.

Awesome!!!!! Sounds like you had a fantastic time.

Cecil, great pics! On the Angel Shark, we had never seen one before either, I thought maybe it was a shovelnose guitarfish, but the fin was a tad different and it has spots.

Those sheep crabs were BIG too...and you're right about U-G-L-Y...a face only a mother could love...lol! We had a couple good dives this last weekend and I found some different eggs I need Dr. Bill to ID for me. Again, it was a pleasure to have you and Art

Oh, and can you please post the pic instructions? My adobe photoshop elements arrived and is installed, now I just need to figure out what to do!

Cynde, Cynde, Cynde if you went not out playing on Tuffy and stayed up to date on BT (where are your priorities), you would know that I already posted those.

Busted, Cynde got busted!!!

Nice pic's Cecil.

Cecil, I'm glad you had a good trip to our end of the continent. I do love Catalina.

Cynde, the Channel Islands are the only place I've seen angel sharks, and I've seen them several times. Now I have to go look up their range...

Cecil, thanks...lol! I really need to get my new script for my mask, I can't see well, so I open my eyes big thinking I can see more, but I always seem to have that dear in the headlights look!

CB, by the way, I was talking to Dr. Bill about "bull kelp" and he laughed at me...what we have down here is "Elk Kelp" it looks a lot like bull. It doesn't grow to the surface...so whoever told me that it was bull kelp years ago was full of bull! lol!

(Message edited by cyndelee on May 29, 2007)

Still on the second dive. One of the little gobies.



Another sheep crab.


After the dive we went back to Avalon, unloaded the boat and checked the bags at the ferry. One interesting point is we both tipped the boat crew/DM and I am willing to bet they made more that day than when they take a bunch of newbies out that they have to have to babysit/save every other day. The moral here is to always tip your crew.

After all that we retired to a most excellent Mexican restaurant for wogga wogga and appetizers. We caught the 7:00PM ferry back to the real world.





Back to Cynde's for some snacks and weiner dog love.

The next morning, Art and myself were up early (stinking right coast time) and off we went to Laguna Beach. Cynde and Michael drove but only Art and myself were willing to dive, We got some air and lead (lots with many questions/amazement, I take 38 and Art takes 40#'s). Down the hill to Shaw's Cove where we suited up and headed out.

When we got out a bit, I noticed a lady on the surface waiting for us. Turns out she heard our story up at the dive shop and offered to guide us. Having been a practicing dive slut, what could I say but sure, cool.

Down we went in the sand and swam over to the wall. There was some serious red tide action with almost no visibility at greater than 20'. At depth it was a little better. These are two of the first thing we saw.

Starfish


A Sea Hare


Scorpion Fish

Possibly a favorite. All for tonight.

Very nice! Thanks for sharing...and I'm looking forward to more.

Cecil, that is the smallest, cutest sea hare. I love them. Do you have any variety on the other coast?

No nothing like that (Sea Hares). Just lots of lobsters and crabs, very little in the slug family. Only an occasional nudibranch in the spring.

Great pics Cecil, brings a smile to my face Oh, and Geezela says she loves you and misses you...

Those kellet whelks you and Art saw were mating, and they were all over the park. The eggs we saw on Sunday (that were covering most every rock in one area) are whelk eggs. Amazing a little whelk can produce so many eggs!

And I miss Geezela also.

Tonight's batch, still from Shaw's Cove. We pretty much saw Sea Cucumbers on every dive and quite a few of them.



Anemone.



Speaking of Whelks, here's some Whelk LOVE.



What it produces.



Another Anemone



This is an idea of the visibility (or lack there of).



After exiting we got to lug everything back to the car. Let me tell you 1000 steps is got nothing on this place. Imagine twice as many steps and twice as much crap to carry. We survived without an MI.

Till tomorrow (I sure would like to get this done before I start generating more in Barbados, needle needle).

Yea, Cecil had to stop after a few steps and have a ciggarette...lol! Oh, and don't forget about four times the WEIGHT...two weight belts...you still owe Tom an explaination ;-)

Last batch. After diving Shaw's Cove we went to downtown Laguna Beach and went to a fo fo pizza place. Art and myself got the meat lovers and Cynde and Michael got the twigs and bark pizza. Most excellent pizza. We went back to the house and rinsed the gear and hung it to dry. After some rest we headed back down the hill for the mighty Tuffy.





We headed out though the gazzilion boats in the marina and went to the next beach down for the Thunderbirds where we drank white merlot and spam appetizers .



The we cruised back to the marina and Cynde and Michael make us a a great dinner. Something about food on a boat just tastes better.



Back to the house and some rest. The next morning Michael made us some great Eggs Benedict (although I'm not sure about that green stuff, must be a left coast thing). We finished packing and said good-bye to the children.

Puntka


Angel (a loaner for the weekend)


Buttercup


MoMo


and my left coast girlfriend, Geezala.

Don't tell Sue.

The trip home went well with two weird things happening. The first was about this weird company we rented the car from. You would think a rental car company would include a map where to return the car to, NOT. It's also on a strange side street not near anything. Fortunately my sense of direction took us straight there, unfortunately before stopping for gas. Now we figured we used at least 6 gallons of gas, well they charged us a whole $18 for gas. We could not buy it for that amount much less be penalized, very weird.

The flight went well and the only hitch was my car's battery was dead and we needed to get a jump which a passing couple gave us.

What a great trip. All credit and kudos go to Cynde and Michael for opening their home and their lives for a few days to some right coast internet strangers. Well we are not strangers anymore.

THANK YOU CYNDE AND MICHAEL!!!!

Cecil, it was a pleasure meeting you and Art in person, and sharing some good times

Somehow I missed the Eggs Bededict picture.

I'm HUNGRY! LOL! Cecil, I think you need to put a link to this thread somewhere...It's sort of burried now