December 31st. For the last dive of 2020 I visit the Keystone Jetty, which is still being affected by the dredging of the ferry landing. Because the work continues even on this day before the New Year Eve celebrations begin, This required the long swim from the old wharf to the jetty and back. Which means limited time on the jetty. Because of the overcast and the silt in water, my wide angle attempts to capture the scene there were not too successful. I did not find any Lingcod nests, nor any large females ready to lay their eggs, just few of the smaller Lingcod males. Not large schools of rockfish, but the limited visibility might be the reason. I did see plenty of Striped surfperch. Many, many Northern Kelp crabs. And the annual gathering of Wrinkled dogwinkle snails is in full swing, starting to lay eggs which soon will cover the places they occupy now. After I finished my dive, the Queen of Keystone Pat arrived to visit her realm, testing her new drysuit which finally arrived. It was good to see my friends, Mike as always, helping Pat and providing good conversation partner to me.
The break in weather was welcomed, since the beginning of the new year looks like will be rainy and very windy. I hope that the dredging will end soon and the impact will be minimal.
