(Photo by Ric Sanchez)

2/1 Marine Mammal Survey
Comments: Hogan Transect. 3 Gray Whales, 4 Pacific White Sided Dolphins.  One Gray Whale spent almost an hour hanging out with the boat and a Lag.

2/1 Marine Mammal Survey
Comments: Point Loma Transect. 2 Gray Whales, 2 Tursiops, 4 Delphinus.

1/31 Marine Mammal Survey
Comments: Coronados Transect 1. 1 Gray Whale, 18 Delphinus.

1/30 Marine Mammal Survey
Comments: Point Loma Transect. 1 Gray Whale, 11 Pacific Whitesided Dolphins.

1/29 MLPA Meeting-Los Angeles

1/28 Hatchery Tour
Comments: Tour of Hubb's Research Facility in Carlsbad. 

1/24 Marine Mammal Survey
Comments: La Jolla Transect 1: 5 Gray Whales (1 breach), 3 Pacific Whitesided Dolphins.

1/23 Marine Mammal Survey
Comments: Point Loma Transect. 4 Gray Whales (1 juvenile), 6 Delphinus, 2 Tursiops.

1/22 Turtle Research
Comments: Netted 2 turtles, both about 300lbs.  Our records show that we haven't seen the second turtle since 2006.  He was a large male with a tail about 1.5 feet in length. He was fitted with a transmitter so we'll be able to track his movements in the future.

1/19 Marine Mammal Survey
Comments: Point Loma Transect: 1 Gray Whale, 56 Delphinus.

1/15 Marine Mammal Survey
Comments: Point Loma Transect: 5 Gray Whales, 20 Delphinus, 2 Tursiops.

1/15 Marine Mammal Survey
Comments: Hogan Transect: 1 Gray Whale

1/13 & 1/14 Marine Life Protection Act
Comments: We made a lot of progress and formally adopted our goals and objectives. On the 2nd day we were able to move forward and break into work groups. We began the long process of talking about areas of interest for Marine Protected Areas.

1/11 Marine Mammal Survey
Comments: Point Loma Transect, 5 Gray Whales, 16 Lags, 2 Tursiops.

1/10 Marine Mammal Survey
Comments: 1 Gray Whale, southbond, Point Loma Transect.

1/8 Turtle Research
Comments: Replace 3 Receivers from South San Diego Bay and net turtles. We caught 2 and the 3rd broke through the net.

1/4 Marine Mammal Survey
Comments: Hogan Transect.  3 Gray Whales, 200 Delphinus, 10 Lags.

1/4 Marine Mammal Survey
Comments: Point Loma Transect.  2 Gray Whales, 8 Pacific Whitesided Dolphins.

1/3 Marine Mammal Survey
Comments: La Jolla Transect 1. 1 Gray Whale.

1/3 Marine Mammal Survey
Comments: Point Loma Transect. 6 Tursiops.

1/2 Marine Mammal Survey
Comments: Hogan Transect. 2 Tursiops, and 14 Lags. Also, our first Gray Whale of the season!

12/30 Scientific Diving
Comments: Check underwater receivers near the car carrier terminal in San Diego Bay. These are the receivers that track the movements of the turtles in the Bay.

12/06 Marine Mammal Survey
Comments: La Jolla Transect 1.  9 Lags (Pacific Whitesided dolphins) including 2 juveniles.

12/04 Marine Mammal Survey
Comments: Point Loma Transect.  6 Bottlenose, including 3 juveniles, 22 Short Beaked Common dolphins, and 14 Pacific Whitesided dolphins.  We were able to observe the schools of Common dolphins and Lags combine, then ride the bow of the boat side by side.  Very cool.



12/02 Turtle Netting
Comments: Today we caught our first turtle of the season.  Last year she was just 40lbs, but now she is 79lbs.  That's a lot of growth in one year! The turtles in San Diego Bay have one of the fastest growth rates in the world.  In the photo on the right Carl and Tomo weight the turtle the "old fashioned" way. 

11/28 New Turtle Receivers in San Diego Bay
Comments: Added 7 new receivers in South Bay.     

11/24 Marine Mammal Survey: Coronado Islands Transect 2
Comments: During a 16nm transect we observed 8 Lags (Pac. Whitesided dolphins) south of the islands, then large schools of delphinus most of the way home.  One school of delphinus was estimated at over 1000 individuals.  Total estimated number of delphinus, both large and small schools during the transect was 1738.

11/24 Marine Mammal Survey: Coronado Islands Transect 1
Comments: During Coronados Transect 1 we found 8 delphinus heading south, then further along the transect we found another 300+ delphinus feeding with birds and sea lions.

11/23 Marine Mammal Survey: La Jolla Transect 1
Comments: 4 Lags (Pacific Whitesided dolphins) in the area of the Yukon artificial reef.  The dolphins were surrounded by bait-fish and birds.

11/20 & 11/21 MLPA Meetings-Ventura
Comments: South Coast Regional Stakeholder meetings. Two days of informational presentations and setting goals and objectives for the MLPA process. 
Check out the webcast: http://www.cal-span.org/

11/17 Marine Mammal Survey: Point Loma Transect
Comments: 3 species of dolphin in one transect! We observed 28 delphinus (common dolphins), 30 lags (Pacific whitesided dolphins), 16 Pacific Bottlenose dolphins in the kelp, and another 4 Pacific Bottlenose at the bay entrance on the way home. 

 

11/16 Marine Mammal Survey
Comments: 4 Bottlenose at Mission Bay entrance on the way out was a good sign.  Along the Point Loma transect we located 8 delphinus transitting North.

11/14 Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council Meeting
Comments:  The current CINMS Advisory Council has 7 of its members acting as Regional Stakeholders for the South Coast Marine Life Protection Act Initiative.  I was able to listen to presentations regarding the effetiveness of the MPAs in the CINMS, which have been in place for five years now.  Also there was a very interesting presentation about whale deaths due to ship strikes.  Ships strikes in the Santa Barbara channel account for between 1-6 whale deaths per year.  Check out the LA Times article: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/outposts/2008/11/whale-struck-by.html.


(Photo Courtesy of the LA Times)

11/12 Marine Mammal Survey
Comments: 60 Lags (Pacific Whitesided dolphins) feeding .  We were able spend almost an hour drifting along with them while they fed.  We observed synchronized leaps, spyhopping, tail slaps and more.  There were several juveniles in the mix.  A very intimate experience drifting along in silence with the dolphins.

11/10 MLPA Lectures - Birch Aquarium at Scripps
Comments: Lectures by Brain Baird - Assistant Secretary for Ocean and Coastal Policy for the State of California, and Dr. Russ Moll - Director of the California Sea Grant.



11/7 Environmental Conference Presentation
Comments: Graduate colloquium in Arizona.  We will be presenting on the nesting success of Snowy Plovers and California Least Terns.

11/5 Green Turtle Research   
Comments: The first day of turtle netting for the season!

10/29 Scientific Dives: Green Turtle Research
Replace The remaining South San Diego Bay receivers for turtle research.  Thanks to the SD Harbor Police volunteers for their assistance.

10/28 Wreck Alley Mooring Maintenance
Site: Yukon

10/25 Coronado Islands Marine Mammal Survey
Comments: Pacific Whitesided & Common dolphins.

10/24 Coronado Islands Marine Mammal Survey
Comments: What a day for Marine Mammals!  Species seen today include; Blue Whales (1 adult and 1 juvenile right next to the boat), Bottlenose dolphins, Common dolphins, and Pacific Whitesided dolphins.

10/22 Scientific Dives: Green Turtle Research
Replace South San Diego Bay receivers for turtle research.  Thanks to the SD Harbor Police volunteers for their assistance.

10/20 Scientific Dives: Green Turtle Research
Replace North San Diego Bay receivers for turtle research.  Thanks to the SD Harbor Police volunteers for their assistance.

10/14  Wreck Alley Mooring Maintenance

10/13 Coronado Islands Marine Mammal Survey
Marine Mammals Observed: Blue Whale and delphinus. 



10/9 Tour of NOAA Research Vessel
Comments: A few lucky Pacific Oceanworks people received a tour of the NOAA Research Vessel McArthur II.  The visitors were allowed to check out the entire ship, and see the samples from the deep sea trawls.
 
10/8 2008 ORCAWALE Survey Cortez Bank
Seas: 4-6'
Weather: 10Kt wind
Comments: Lots of wide open smooth water.  Lots of Common dolphins, almost home.

10/7 2008 ORCAWALE Survey San Nicolas Island
Seas: 8'
Weather: 10Kt wind
Comments: Today we passed 's between San Nicolas Island and Santa Barbara Island.  There were alot of Fins today, and even more Common dolphins.

10/6 2008 ORCAWALE Survey
Seas: 8'
Weather: 20Kt wind
Comments: Finally some land!  Today we got to pass through the Santa Barbara Channel and see the Channel Islands.  We saw fin whales and passed through schools of hundreds and hundreds of both short beaked and long beaked common dolphins.  it's nice to be back in my home waters.  You could smell the land from miles away.

10/5 2008 ORCAWALE Survey
Seas: 8'
Weather: 20Kt wind
Comments: Blue Whales, a Humpback, and Risso's dolphins.

10/4 2008 ORCAWALE Survey
Seas: 8'
Weather: 20Kt wind
Comments: Finished our last square of transects and started heading towards Point Conception. Marine Mammals today; Fin whales.

10/1 2008 ORCAWALE Survey still off Monterrey Bay
Seas: 10’
Weather: 25Kt Wind
Comments: OK, it was ugly out here today today, but still your adrenalin gets pumped up.  The nets last night we exciting, kinda like that crab show on TV, but not near as bad.  Definitely some water coming over the back of the ship though, good thing I’m harnessed in…  The bad weather made it difficult to spot whales, but I did see one Blue Whale.  We’re almost done with our grid, we’re on our last square, then straight East to Point Dume, through the Santa Barbara Channel, then zig zags home…

9/30 2008 ORCAWALE Survey 180nm out from Monterrey Bay
Seas: 3’
Weather: 10 Kt. Wind
Comments: OK, well now we found the whales.  I saw over 20 Fin Whales today!  I was invited to go out with the biopsy crew to collect samples.  What a rush, these things are huge!  We were able to get 5 biopsy darts off.  It’s a really big ocean out this far in an inflatable.  We found an inflatable floating on the ocean upside down today.  The Coast Guard is investigating, but I remember hearing of a missing sail boat several weeks ago overdue from Hawaii.   We don't know for sure where this is from but very sobering…

9/29 2008 ORCAWALE Survey Here Whaley Whaley….
Seas 8’
Weather: 25kt. Wind
Comments: Here we go again, the weather picked up today.
Only a few Whale sightings, but we got a lot of krill in the net tonight.   I was called up to the bow in the middle onf the night, which is OK because I work until3:00am every day.  A group of people were watching dolphins ride the bow glowing from the bioluminescence.  Thanks for giving me the heads up guys, I never would have seen it!

9/28 NEWS…
Captain Carl has just been notified that he was chosen to be a member of the Regional Stakeholder Group for the California Marine Life Protection Act (http://www.dfg.ca.gov/mlpa/southcoast.asp ).  He will be working with the Scientific Advisory Team, the California Blue Ribbon Task Force, the Department of Fish & Game, and other members of the Regional Stakeholder Group to create a plan for the Marine Protected Areas of the South Coast Region of California, from Point Conception and the Northern Channel Islands south to the Mexican Border.  This will be a two year project.

9/28 2008 ORCAWALE Survey Still 200 miles off of Santa Cruz
Seas- 3-5’
Weather: 8 Kt wind, overcast
Comments:  Big news today.  I’ve been counting whales on this trip for what, a week and a half, but today I got my first sighting that was all my own.  It was a Fin Whale and everybody was excited that I was finally “official” and “on the board”.  Then about 20 minutes later I did it again, another Fin Whale!  Two sightings in a two-hour shift!  We also saw Northern Fur Seals, Streakers (striped dolphins), and tons of delphinus (common dolphins).  I would personally estimate 300-400 delphinus.  It was awesome.  The biopsy crew got a chance to get some samples right from the bow.  After the dolphins left we came across a Ziphius, or Cuvier’s Beaked Whale.  Last night on the tows we got a strange critter aboard.

9/27 2008 ORCAWALE Survey 100-200 miles off of Santa Cruz
Seas: 6-8’
Weather 20+ Kt wind
Comments:  We are doing box shaped transects in the same area.  It is so far off the shelf that life is pretty sparse.  We did spot a mother and calf fin whale today.  In the deep trawl net we caught a couple of snipe eels, a spook fish, and a loose-jaw fish.  The Loose jaw fish ids one of the few fish to use a red bioluminescent light.  Most animals use a blue light, and cannot see a red light.  This gives the loose-jaw fish an advantage in hunting and recognizing other loose-jaw fish.  Pretty sneaky.

9/25 2008 ORCAWALE Survey 200nm off of Santa Cruz
Seas: 5-7’
Weather: 25 Kt wind, Small Craft Advisory
Comments:  Well another night off of the shelf.  The pickings aren’t much out here, kinda like a desert.  We did get a Snipe Eel tonight.  He is a deep-sea eel that has a long pointy beak for nabbing small fish.  The picture shows me standing next to the IKMT trawl net.  During the day we saw 2 Sperm Whales and some more delphinus.  One of the coolest things we saw today was a Wandering Albatross.  They get up to a 10’ wingspan, and weigh up to 26lbs.  Now that’s a big bird.

9/24 2008 ORCAWALE Survey 200nm off of San Francisco
Seas: 3-5’
Weather: 5’ Swells,
Comments: Tonight we trawled at 240m and 500m depths like usual, but we brought in something strange.  It was a squid that nobody could identify.  Cool yet creepy looking (check out the photo above).  Today we saw a large male sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) and Delphinus (Common Dolphins).  The specific name for Sperm Whales is macrocephalus, which means “big head”…

9/23 2008 ORCAWALE Survey
Quote from Captain Carl's E-mail about his 3:30 AM night shift.
"I survived doing the trawl net in 8' seas and 25Kt wind and small craft advisory. 
Anyway, I just got off of my shift with the trawl net and look what we caught.  The picture above is a mesopelagic squid (which simply means that it lives mid-ocean, but really deep).  We caught it at about 500m (around 1500') deep.  We also caught another dragonfish and some hatchet fish."

9/212008 ORCAWALE Survey Field Report-Still off Eureka
Seas: 3'
Wind: 5-10 Kt
Weather: Sunny, but with Mares Tails & Mackeral Scales
(you remember the old sailor's song from the sea)
Comments: Last nights trawls included a bunch of krill and lantern fish.  We also squid-jigged, collecting squid for a researcher in New Mexico.  We'll get squid every night until we get home. The day was eventful, we spent over an hour trying to get a biopsy sample from two uncooperative Fin whales.  Today the Dall's porpoise came so close the started riding the bow.  They were so fast I couldn't get a picture.  Dall's porpoises are considered to be the fastest porpoise and have clocked at over 30 KTs.   We start heading south tonight finally.  We have been working in an area that had to be skipped last time because of bad weather.  It looks like we'll get our research done, then head southwest to an are about 300 miles offshore of Santa Cruz.  From there we will spend two more weeks zig zagging down the coast, zig past Point Conception, through the Santa Barbara Channel down to San Pedro, then zag back up to Ventura, then zig across to San Nicolas Island, zag over to Cortez
Bank...you get the picture, ending up in San Diego.

9/20 2008 ORCAWALE Survey Field Report - 100 Miles off of Eureka
Seas: 3-5'
Wind: 5-10 Kt
Weather: Sunny
Comments: Another beautiful day at sea.  Unusual for this time of year.  The bad weather hasn't arrived yet, it is supposed to be here Monday night now.  Today we saw a Fin whale, 2 Blue Whales, and 10 or so Dall's Porpoises.  Tonight we caught a very unusual (at least to me) fish, it's a deep sea Viperfish (see photo).  It looks just like the little aliens in the movie Alien.  Check out the teeth!

9/19 2008 ORCAWALE Survey Field Report - 200 Miles Offshore of Cape Mendocino
Seas: 5'
Wind: 15Kt
Weather: Fog/Pouring Rain
Comments: Well our sunny flat weather has officially turned.  Saturday is supposed to be worse weather with 7' swells, and a High pressure system moving in for Sunday with no-telling what will be in store.  San Diego sure sound nice about now.  This section of the transect had to be skipped during previous trips because of the conditions.  Fog hampered efforts to locate whales today, but we did see some more Dall's Porpoises and Fur Seals.  It poured rain tonight while we did the IKMT trawl.  Our net went to 240 meters deep, and in addition to the regular catch we caught a Deep Sea Dragonfish.  Cool!


(Dr. Andre Sunstov-Scripps Institution of Oceanography)

9/18/08 2008 ORCAWALE Survey Field Report
Location: 100-200 Miles West of Cape Mendocino
Seas: 3-4’
Wind: 15Kt
Weather: Mares tails, changes coming, sunny for now…
Comments: We started out the day 150 miles from land.  I am really
impressed with the Marine Mammal Observers.  They are really Pros,
and I have to push myself to keep up with their sightings.  This
morning I spotted a group of Baird's Beaked Whales.  One of the
researchers told me how lucky I was.  These small whales are so
elusive that we could go 10 years without seeing any more.
Marine Mammals Observed:
Baird's Beaked Whales
Fin Whales
Elephant Seals
Fur seals



09/17/08 2008 ORCAWALE Survey Field Report
Location: Point Reyes, Drake’s Bay, and Farallon Islands
Seas: Calm
Wind: 0-5Kt
Weather: Clear/Sunny
Comments: After a slight delay, we left San Francisco aboard the NOAA research vessel McArthur II.  We started our transects at Drakes Bay, near Point Reyes, just North of San Francisco.  We began our first watch and found Harbor Porpoises and the most Humpback whales I've ever seen (I counted over 40 humpbacks). A couple of the Humpbacks even breached for us.  In addition to observing marine mammals, my onboard duties will be working on oceanographic research.  I will assist in deploying a midwater trawl at night to collect deep water fish and invertebrate specimens.  The marine mammal observers use 25X "big eye" binoculars that take a little training to use, but they tell you which direction the whales sighted are in relation to the ship and at what distance the whales are.
Marine Mammals Observed:
Harbor Porpoises
Elephant Seals
Sea Lions
Humpback Whales

7/2/ Mooring Maintenance
Sites: Yukon & El Rey

6/24 Marine Protected Areas Meeting - Oxnard

6/22/08 Marine Mammal Counts - Coronado Islands
Transect 1: 200 delphinus
Transect 2: 18 grampus

6/19/08
Mooring Repair
Dive Site: Yukon
Vis: 25-30’
Temp: 52 degrees

5/8 San Diego Bay Green Turtle Netting

5/5 Mooring Maintenance
Site: Yukon Tower

5/2 San Diego Bay Green Turtle Netting

4/30 Scientific Dives
Replace receivers in South Bay.

4/29 Scientific Dives
replace receivers in South Bay.

4/15 SCIENTIFIC DIVES
Dive Sites: North San Diego Bay
Vis: 2'
Temp: 65 degrees
Swells: 0'
Comments: Diving in North San Diego Bay to change out receivers for our green sea turtle study.  Also collected samples of sediment and eel grass with San Diego State University researcher Lisa.  She’s doing a study of potential contaminants within the Bay.  We found our lost receiver from the week before.  It apparently was caught by a fisherman and dragged to a different area.  Lots and lots of search patterns later we found it, and a dead fish attached (yuck!).

4/17 HAPPY BIRTHDAY KEELIN!
Two of our favorite people, Justine and MJ from DiveTickets.com, had their first baby today.  Congratulations!

4/18 QUARTERLY AIR ANALYSIS
The air from the compressor aboard the Marissa passed with flying colors!  Our air easily met the requirements for CGA Grade E breathing air for diving.  All air from air compressors used for diving should be tested quarterly.  Our test results are available for divers to view, and we challenge all other dive boats in San Diego to post their test results onboard.  We all deserve clean air!

4/19 YUKON & RUBY E Mooring Maintenance
Dive Site: Yukon
Vis: 15'
Temp: 49 degrees
Swells: 3'

Dive Site: Ruby-E
Vis: 20'
Temp: 50 degrees
Swells: 3'

 
(a navanax is slimy)

4/22 EARTH DAY ON THE OCEAN ODYSSEY
 Comments: I was lucky to tag along with a class from Point Loma Nazarene University to the San Diego County Office of Education Floating Lab aboard the Ocean Odyssey.  During the program students get to participate in a plankton lab, water testing for nitrates and phosphates, sediment sampling, vertebrate and invertebrate identification, bioluminescence, lab, and physical oceanography.  The Ocean Odyssey is owned by our good friends the Grivettos, who also own the Horizon (http://horizoncharters.com/) .   The Floating Lab is a great program that has been supported by the Grivettos for 25+ years.  Thanks to Dr. Fulcher, Dr. Cummings, Dr. Mooring, and our own Divemaster Lora (she’s the assistant instructor for the PLNU biology class) from PLNU for inviting me along.

Happy Earth Day,
Captain Carl

4/23 GRANT AWARDED FOR NEW RESEARCH STUDY
I am very excited to announce that we were just awarded a grant to for a research study on the Yukon!  We will be testing for bioaccumulation of contaminants in the rock fish and flat fish on and near the wreck.  Our study is being funded by the PADI Foundation (http://padifoundation.org/), a non-profit organization that sponsors scientific research.  Our study will be performd in affiliation with Dr. Ed Parnell of Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

4/25 TURTLE ROUND UP
It’s getting near the end of the season for turtlin’.  We only caught one today, a male weighing in at 270lbs.  This lucky turtle gets to wear $5500.00 worth of high-tech electronics.  These are transmitters that stay on the turtle for up to a year when they are shed.  The transmitter on the left is an ultrasonic radio transmitter, and the one on the right is a satellite transmitter.  Another thing you can tell from the photo is that this is a male turtle.  Males have extra-long tails…  This is just one of the 60-100 resident turtles that live in San Diego Bay. 

2/15/08 Turtle Netting – San Diego Bay
Research Site: South SD Bay
4 Turtles caught, weighed tagged and released; 400+lbs, 300+ lbs, 200ishlbs & 20+lbs.

1/30/08 Turtle Netting - San Diego Bay
Research Site: South SD Bay
Comments: Netted 1 turtle @ 320lbs. Big Boy!
 
1/29/08 Marine Mammal Stranding Network
Dolphin Stranding
Stranding Site: Carlsbad
Species: Delphinus (Common Dolphin)
Comments: Cause of Stranding: Unknown
 
1/22/08 Quarterly Report to the San Diego Unified Port Authority
Update on Green Turtle Research to Environmental Commitee.
 
1/20/08 Coronado Islands-Whales & Dolphins & Pinnipeds
Marine Science Education & Marine Mammal Observation
Comments: Lots and lots of Common Dolphins (Delphinus) on transect 1 and 2. Also we saw the same juvenile Humpback whale as a month ago (same identifying fluke marks).  What they heck is he/she doing here?  At Lobster shack the Sea Lions and Harbor seals had fun with the kids. Thanks to our friends at Moon Valley H.S. in Arizona for coming out for a weekend of learning & diving!
 
1/17/08 Wreck Alley Mooring Repair
Dive Site: Ruby-E...again
Vis: 20
Temp: 53 degrees
Swells: Mixed, 2-3'
Comments: One of the large fishing boats hit the mooring and cut it off.  Oh, well at least we have fun diving. Dive Site: El Rey
Vis: 20
Temp: 53 degrees
Swells: 2-3'
Comments: Re-attached the mooring in the correct location. Thanks to Jay Schwartz for help today.
 
1/15/08 Turtle Dives - San Diego Bay
Sites: South SD Bay
Vis: 0-
Temp: 60+ degrees
Swells: Mixed, 2'
Comments: Recovered one of our “lost” receivers. There’s nothing like doing search patterns in 0-Vis to make you appreciate diving in the ocean.
 
1/10/08 Turtle Netting - San Diego Bay
Research Site: South SD Bay
Comments: Captured two turtles (one male & one female) over 300lbs each. The male didn’t want to go quietly and tried to bite my leg. Don’t they know we’re the “good guys”? We brought them into the boat and back to our base camp where they were measured/weighed and tagged.
 
1/9 Ruby-E Mooring Repair
Dive Site: Ruby-E
Vis: 20+
Temp: 52 degrees
Swells: Mixed, 3'
Comments: Mooring repair, again, repaired old-style moorings. Hopefully the winter storms will mellow out.
 
1/8/08 Turtle Dives - San Diego Bay
Dive Sites: South SD Bay
Vis: 0-
Temp: 60+ degrees
Swells:
Comments: Two underwater receivers missing, but recovered 6 others.  Data downloaded shows movements/habitat use of South Bay by turtles.  Of the 8 recovered receivers in South Bay we have “hits” on 6 units. Pretty cool.
 
1/4/08 Repair Moorings Wreck Alley
Dive Site: Ruby-E
Vis: 20+  
Temp: 56 degrees
Swells: 2-3'
Comments: Old-style moorings broke from the high swells.  Replaced with the last of the old-style moorings. Someone had tried to repair the mooring themselves and tied the mooring line through a thin section of the bridge wall.  This was tearing a hole in the wall of the Ruby.  Old chain-style moorings will only be a temporary fix.
 
1/3/08 Turtle Dives - San Diego Bay
Dive Sites: South SD Bay
Vis: Kinda like hot cocoa, but doesn't taste as good.
Temp: 60+ degrees
Swells: 0
Comments: Recovered 3 underwater receivers in the far southern portion of South Bay.
 
12/17/07 Turtle Research - SD Bay
Site: San Diego South Bay
Comments: Caught 4 turtles! They ranged in weight from a little fella to a HUGE female. Weights: #1= 41lbs, #2= 248lbs, #3= 308lbs, and #4= 508lbs! 3 of the turtles were tagged for our study.
 
11/27/07 Turtling in the Bay
Location: San Diego Bay
Vis: 0+
Comments: Our first day of netting Green Turtles for the season. We captured 2 turtles; one a re-capture, and the other a newcomer. After being netted, the turtles are weighed, measured, and fitted with transmitters that allow us to track their movements through the Bay.  It is a very positive sign to find young newcomers in the Bay.
In the photo above, a scientist is affixing the new transmitter. The transmitter will be shed as the turtle grows and naturally exfoliates layers of its shell. The transmitters can send valuable information for up to a year. This project is done in collaboration with the Unified Port of San Diego, and under the NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center endangered species permit #1591. No turtles are harmed by the process, but my back still hurts!

11/23/07 Coronado Islands: Dolphins & Whales & Boobies, Oh My!
Dive Site: Keyhole
Vis: 65+
Temp: 60 degrees
Swells: 1-2'
Dive Site: Lobster Shack
Vis: 80'
Temp: 63 degrees
Swells: 1-2'
Dive Site: Lois' Crack
Vis: 50'
Temp: 60 degrees
Swells: 1-2'
Comments: This has got to be one of the flatest/calmest days I've seen at the Coronados. On the way we spotted 2 Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins, and near the islands we found a baby/juvenile Humpback Whale! All this and we hadn't even reached the islands yet... The vis at the islands was great and everybody enjoyed the dives.  We were fortunate to be on-hand for Brandon’s 100th dive (he's only 11 years old).  We were there for Brandon's 50th dive a year ago (10 years old and diving a dry suit!). During the surface intervals some of the divers snorkeled and photographed the Sea Lions at Lobster Shack. The Sea Lions were everywhere, and it's that time of year when they are in the mood to play. After the dives, we headed South to look for more whales.  We spotted 3 Fin Whales, and a handful of Common Dolphins. Oh yeah, at our secret bird spot we were able to show the divers some Brown Boobies that had chicks.  The chicks look like a dandelion, and are almost the size of the parents, pretty cool...
Marine Mammal Re-Cap:
Humpback Whale: 1
Fin Whales: 3
Common Dolphins: 4
Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins: 2
Sea Lions: 64
Harbor Seals: 8
 
11/13/07 Scientific Dives with NOAA
Dive Site: North San Diego Bay
Vis: 0'
Temp: 65
Swells: 0'
Comments: Replaced Submersible Underwater Receivers that track the movement of the tagged Green Turtles. Turtle movements are tracked to study their habitat use and foraging behavior. Turtle netting begins November 29th.
11/10/07 Conference
Thanks for the patience with the dive conditions blog. I've been out of California for a conference.
10/28/07 Coronado Islands
Dive Site: Keyhole
Vis: 65'
Temp: 58
Swells: 2'
Dive Site: Lobster Shack
Vis: 70'
Temp: 58 degrees
Swells: 2'
Dive Site: Lois' Crack
Vis: 40'
Temp: 58 degrees
Swells: 2'
Comments: We coounted Common dolphins on transect 1 on the way to the islands.   The wind picked up at Keyhole but the vis was great.  The purple coral is alive and well at Keyhole, but the current was kickin'. Lobster shack had the usual great vis. Divers at Lobster Shack saw; Sea Lions, Finescale Trigger Fish, Moray Eels, and a HUGE school of bait fish that was so thick they couldn't see the surface because of all the fish! On transect 2 we observed a small pod of Pacific White-sided dolphins.
 
10/14/07 Coronado Islands 
Comments: On the way to the islands we started out finding a Mola, then a mixed pod of 300-400 Common Dolphins and Pacific White Sided Dolphins. They hung around with us for about half an hour.  On the way home we did our usual trek on transect 2 to observe whales. Anita put in an order to find Risso's Dolphins, and (I'd like to think it was skill and not luck) we found a pod of 23. They hung around us for about a half an hour, then we continued. We didn't see any baleen whales, but we did find a mega-pod of Common Dolphins to finish out the day.  I love the Coronados! 
 
Marine Mammal Counts:
Risso's Dolphins: 23
Pacific White Sided & Common Dolphins
AM: Best Estimate 300-400
Common Dolphins PM: 800-1000
Sea Lions: 21
Harbor Seals: 6
Elephant Seals: 2
 
9/30 Coronado Islands
Comments: Tons of Common Dolphins on the way home.  The sea was calm and glassy as we watched the sunset on the way home.
 
9/29 Coronado Islands & Blue Whale
Comments: Another beautiful day at the islands and diving was great! In addition to a HUGE pod of Common Dolphins, we found a juvenile Blue Whale.  Sometimes Blue Whales will get curious and come to the boat.  This whale actually circled the boat 8 times and swam under the boat twice!  It was a juvenile and looked like he wanted to play. We shut of the engines and enjoyed the show!  On his way leaving he finished the show by giving us the fluke. This was unusual also.  Blue Whales don't normally fluke, unless the boat operator approaches too fast. Since we were sitting still, I'm assuming the juvenile was just playing/showing off.  Either way it was a great show!
 
9/28 Wreck Alley Mooring Repair
Dive Site: Yukon
Vis: 35'
Temp: 54 degrees
Swells: 2-3'
Dive Site: El Rey
Vis: 30'
Temp: 55 degrees
Swells: 2-3'
Dive Site: Ruby-E
Vis: 30'
Temp: 55 degrees
Swells: 2-3'
Comments: Replaced the missing mooring on the Ruby-E bow. Good dives.
 
9/26/07 Coronado Islands
Marine Science Education and Cetacean Counts
Dive Site: La Mesa
Vis: 50'
Temp: 60 degrees
Swells: 2-3'
Comments: Another great group of Marine Science students from Aquatic Adventures.  At La Mesa the kids were joined by friendly Harbor seals as well as some Sea Lions with their pups. In the evening on the way home we ran across a Mega-Pod of common dolphins. Dolphins are thought to gather in Mega-Pods to socialize and then break up into smaller pods to feed.  The cool thing about having built in sonar is that the dolphins have the advantage hunting at night. The Mega-Pod was huge and stretched for over a mile in each direction.  The kids loved it!
 
9/14/07 Coronado Islands
Comments: A beautiful day at the islands, and we were the only boat there!  We found 3 separate pods of Common dolphins on transect 1, and hundreds and hundreds on transect 2.  On transect 2 we also observed 4 Fin whales.  Fin whales a very shy and we always give them plenty of space, and we turn off the engines and generator.  Only one of the Fin whales wanted to hang out with us, and he swam close by the boat for over a half an hour.  I finally had to make the call to leave so we could get home before dark.
 
9/8/07 Wreck Alley / El Rey Mooring
Dive Site: Ruby-E
Vis: 25'
Temp: 55 degrees
Swells: 2-3'
Dive Site: El Rey
Vis: 30'
Temp: 56 degrees
Swells: 2-3'
Comments: New mooring on the El Rey. Thanks to volunteer MJ from DiveTickets.com.
 
8/28/07 Wreck Alley Mooring Maintenance
Dive Site: Yukon
Vis: 35'
Temp: 58 degrees
Swells: 2'
Comments: Another great day of vis on the Yukon.  Thanks to volunteers Rod & Rick from: the Dive Shack in El Cajon
 
8/26/07 Coronado Islands
Risso’s Dolphins & a Whale
Comments: There were Sea Lions at Lobster Shack to swim with, and we saw two separate pods of Risso Dolphins on transect 2. The weather turned later so we couldn't check out the whale. It was either a Blue Whale or Fin Whale.  Oh well, maybe next week.
 
8/18/07 Coronado Islands & Blue Whale 
Comments: We found Dolphins on both transect 1 & 2.  We found one Blue Whale on transect 2, which spent about a half-hour with us.  It made us late getting back to the dock, but it was worth the time and fuel.  The Blue Whale came so close to the boat that we were sprayed by the mist from its spout!  How can you put a price on an experience like that! 
 
Marine Mammal Observations:
300+ Common Dolphins in AM, plus 34 more in PM
8 Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins
1 Blue Whale 
 
Bird Observations (oh, I almost forgot)
Oyster Catchers
Brown Boobies
Blue-Footed Boobies
Cormorants
Petrels
and more...
All this from one day at the Coronados!
 
8/14/07 Wrinklebutt's Journeys
Turtle Research: San Diego Bay
Wrinklebutt, the largest Green Turtle ever documented continues to live the good life in South San Diego Bay. The yellow lines show her tracks around the bay.  Ignore the lines that show her going onto dry land.  I'm sure at well over 550lbs she doesn't go for hikes very often. For more information about our local turtles check out: SW Fisheries Marine Turtle Research Group.  These are some of the best experts in their field, and we are proud to be a part of this project.
 
8/13/07 Pelagic Bird Observation
Research Site: Coronado Escarpment (outer banks)
Swells: 3'
Comments: Charter for a Marine Researcher from SDSU.  We were able to observe and record many pelagic birds.  I like birds and all, but I'm not the bird expert so I was more excited about the Mola (ocean sunfish) and the Blue whale.  I splashed my toes in the water to attract the Mola (which worked), then remembered that this is also where we do shark diving. Hmm.. bad idea.

Birds Observed:
Fulmar
Pink Footed Shearwater
Sooty Shearwater (possible sighting)
Elegant Terns
Forsters Terns (and juvenile)
lots of gulls and Brown pelicans

8/10/07 Coronado Islands
Marine Science Education & Cetacean Observation
Dive Site: Middle Grounds
Vis: 40'+
Temp: 60 degrees
Swells: 2'
Comments: Marine Science educational charter with our friends from Aquatic Adventures.  Marine Mammals Observed: 300+ Common Dolphins as well as lots of Harbor seals and Sea Lions that swam with the kids. Science is fun!
See you on our next charter in September!
 
8/8/07 Research
Research Site: Coronado Escarpment (outer banks)
Swells: 2-3'
Comments: Charter for a Marine Researcher from SDSU.  She was watching birds while we counted marine mammals.
Marine Mammals Observed:
Blue Whales - 3
Common Dolphins - 37
Pacific Striped Dolphins - 300-400
Risso’s Dolphins
Pod #1- 3 individuals
Pod #2- 5 individuals

8/4/07 Mooring Maintenance
Dive Site: Yukon
Comments: Replaced the signalling mast mooring on the Yukon.
Dive Site: Ruby-E
Comments: Replaced the stern mooring on the Ruby-E.
 
8/3/07 Coronado Islands
Dive Site: Middle Grounds
Vis: 40'+
Temp: 60 degrees
Swells: 2-3'
Comments: Marine Science educational charter with our friends from Aquatic Adventures. 
 
6/25/07 Scientific Diving with NOAA
Collecting Samples/Retrieving Equipment
Today we took a group of scientists to collect samples of potential food sources that may be used by the turtles. The scientists are using stable isotope analysis to determine exactly what the turtles are eating, and why they tend to be so large (the largest is over 500 lbs, and several are over 400 lbs). We are attempting to retrieve recording equipment that was missing. There's nothing like doing search patterns in 3 feet of visibility to get your adrenalin pumping. Just another day in the office...
 
6/14/07 Turtle Array
Proposed array of Submersible Ultrasonic Receivers (SURs). We will be placing the new SURs this week (red dots). The SURs will be able to track the movements of the turtles as the forage in San Diego Bay, and as they enter or leave the bay.
 
6/8/07 Injured Tern
Here's a picture of Lora trying to remove a fishing hook from the mouth of an Elegant Tern. The bird will be sent to Project Wildlife for rehabilitation.
 
6/6/07 Wreck Alley
Dive Site: Yukon
Vis: 35'+
Temp: 52 degrees
Swells: 3'
Comments: Mooring Maintenance and Fish Counts for the artificial reef study.
 
6/3/07 Tern Update
Endangered California Least Tern
Location: North Beach South
Nests: 837
Chicks: 32 so far

5/31/07 Turtles from Space
Latest Satellite Image of Green Turtle Movements in San Diego Bay
Our latest information:
The white dots in South Bay indicate the positions of the turtles when they surfaced to breathe.

When the turtle comes to the surface a GPS signal is sent. This signal downloads information about the turtles depth of dive, length of dive, water temperature, and the position of the turtle. This information is sent to the Argos science satellite array, and back down to us.

Science is cool!
 
5/25/07 Wreck Alley Mooring Maintenance
Dive Site: Yukon
Vis: 25'+
Temp: 53 degrees
Swells: 2-3'
Comments: Mooring Maintenance and Fish Counts. Bay Pipe fish on safety stop, he looked nervous like he shouldn't be here.
Dive Site: Ruby-E
Vis: 20'
Temp: 51 degrees
Swells: 2-3'
Comments: Mooring Maintenance, Nudibranchs everywhere.
 
5/24/07 The Terns Are Back
First Day of Least Tern Monitoring 2007
Location: Camp Pendleton
Site: North Beach South
Total Nests: 359
New Nests: 132
Adult Terns: 700+
Plover Chicks: 5
Comments: Sunny AM, cloudy and cool PM.
 
5/23/07 Turtle BBQ
Night Time Turtle Round-Up
No, we didn't BBQ the turtles what were you thinking?  Our last two trips to net Green Turtles for our study came up turtle-less.  We couldn't let the netting season end that way so we tried netting them at night.  Less than 30 minutes after setting the net we got our first turtle, a juvenile around 45lbs.
Then, like clockwork we caught two more turtles during the next hour. The second turtle was a repeat named "Papi" who weighed in at around 300lbs., then a new capture, a male that weighed in at 322lbs.
After measuring and taking samples from the turtles, we attached GPS and Ultrasonic tags for the study.  Coming soon we will have a real-time website to follow the movements of the turtles.  After all the work was done (midnite) we all enjoyed a BBQ and night under the stars.  Thanks to all the people who took time out of their busy evening to make this happen; Dr. Jeff (El Jefe), Lauren, Marielle, Garrett (PLNU), Lora (PLNU), and Lisa (SDSU).
 
5/22/07 Marine Science Education
San Diego County Office of Education Marine Science Floating Lab aboard the Horizon.  The folks at the Horizon have been running this program for over 20 years and do a great job.  Thanks for letting us teach from time to time.
Subjects Taught:
Fish and Invertebrate Identification
Physical Oceanography Lab
Marine Mammal Identification
Bird Identification
Plankton Lab (my favorite)

Kids Taught: 33
Adults Taught: 6
Total amount of people that learned something new (and had fun): 39

Comments: Our last class for the season. See you in December!
 
5/18/07 Los Coronados Islands
Dive Site: Keyhole
Vis: 60'+
Temp: 55 degrees
Swells: Flat/Glassy
Comments: Beautiful, clear, dark blue water today! While a few of the divers were on their way back to the boat a thresher shark cruised right up to the boat then slowly swam away. Very cool! Divers found the overhanging wall and Purple Hydrocoral and went on the adventure ride through the keyhole.
Dive Site: Lobster Shack
Vis: 40'
Temp: 55 degrees
Swells: Flat/Little Beeze
Comments: Trigger fish abound. Sea lions seem to have moved to the other side of the island like they do whenever the weather is nice.  There where 22 Harbor seals that came out to play.
Dive Site: Lois' Crack
Vis: 30'
Temp: 53degrees
Swells: 1-2'
Comments: Nice way to finish the day. 3 different types of Boobies, including babies. 
Thar Be Whales! (OK, at least dolphins)
Comments: Before we started transect 2 we swung by Seal cove to check out the elephant seals, then on to look for whales & dolphins.  No Fin or Blue whales yet, but they aren't normally here until summer/fall. Along transect 2, at our  "secret spot" we found 600+ Common dolphins which played with us as we idled along for over an hour.  A few times we shut off the engines and just floated along with the dolphins.  It was so quiet you could actually hear the dolphins.  We finally had to leave, but a large group of the dolphins followed us riding our stern and bow wakes. Later we went to another area known for Risso dolphins and sure enough they were there.   I love it when nature is predictable.  Rissos remind me of small Beluga whales, but gray/white and have a dorsal fin. We observed the Risso’s from a discreet distance until they became curious about us and came to the boat.  It’s pretty cool to see and hang out with these animals from 10 feet away.  We didn't linger with the Risso’s too long because they are very shy, in fact they are so shy that many people don't even know these animals live in our area.  Days like this remind you of why we work on the ocean.  I love my job.