"Sparky" the Lumpsucker

enchantmentdivi · Post by **enchantmentdivi** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 7:32 am

Found a new friend a Redondo last night. I decided to name him "Sparky". His color was most surreal.

Tom Nic · Post by **Tom Nic** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 8:12 am

Awesome!!

Neon Blue Green... just gorgeous. Congrats on a great find!

I guess the 'Dond is still yielding up PSL's... still the best place to find one these days apparently.

WylerBear · Post by **WylerBear** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 8:42 am

NIce photo! And what a great color!

Dusty2 · Post by **Dusty2** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 9:36 am

Don't you guys recognize an easter lumpy when you see one???

WylerBear · Post by **WylerBear** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 9:37 am

Dusty2 wrote:Don't you guys recognize an easter lumpy when you see one???

airsix · Post by **airsix** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 9:40 am

WOW, Jenn. Good work!

Grateful Diver · Post by **Grateful Diver** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 10:11 am

That is so cool, Jenn ... what time were you there? I was there early ... got in the water around 4:35 or so. I also found one (orange) down in the bottle field.

Going back tonight, but I'm not sure my dive buddies will be up for poking around for 20 minutes in the bottle field ... got a CA diver up who will probably prefer a more scenic tour of the dive site.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

enchantmentdivi · Post by **enchantmentdivi** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 10:58 am

Bob--we got in the water around 5:45 pm or so. Sparky was NOT in the bottle field. He was perched on a rock between the dishwasher and the piece of metal that looks like an "X" just below the boat that Pepper is under. Found him at the beginning of the dive on the way down and took some pics. I didn't want to move on but I didn't figure my buddies would appreciate me spending the entire dive with him, so I made a mental note of where he was. I wanted some more time with him on the way back up! He had not moved, so I went straight back to him on the ascent and took some more pics.

I ♥ Sparky!

Tom Nic · Post by **Tom Nic** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 11:06 am

enchantmentdivi wrote: I didn't want to move on but I didn't figure my buddies would appreciate me spending the entire dive with him,

#1 rule about diving with Tom - If I find a Lumpsucker, all bets are off. We are staying with said Lumpy until I run out of battery or disk space. Unless you're dieing or go OOA on me or something, we are LumpySitting for this dive!!

cardiver · Post by **cardiver** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 11:55 am

Tom Nic wrote:
enchantmentdivi wrote: I didn't want to move on but I didn't figure my buddies would appreciate me spending the entire dive with him,
#1 rule about diving with Tom - If I find a Lumpsucker, all bets are off. We are staying with said Lumpy until I run out of battery or disk space. Unless you're dieing or go OOA on me or something, we are LumpySitting for this dive!!

I can vouch for this. When I found one at Sunrise and pointed it out to Tom, he wasn't going to move. Luckily we were on the sand stone ledges in 20 fsw and he could stay as long as he wanted to.

We REALLY need to do that dive again..........

Dusty2 · Post by **Dusty2** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 11:55 am

Grateful Diver wrote:That is so cool, Jenn ... what time were you there? I was there early ... got in the water around 4:35 or so. I also found one (orange) down in the bottle field.

Going back tonight, but I'm not sure my dive buddies will be up for poking around for 20 minutes in the bottle field ... got a CA diver up who will probably prefer a more scenic tour of the dive site.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Bob what time you figure for tonight? I have been thinking about lumpy hunting. Don't want to bore your Cal visitor but at least you can advise me of the conditions out there. The only thing I don't like about Redondo is getting down there and finding the surfs up after driving all the way from Graham. :naka:

Grateful Diver · Post by **Grateful Diver** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 11:59 am

We're meeting at 5 ... me, Lynne, Kirk, and Ben.

Jenn ... thanks for the details on the location. For sure we'll be saying "hi" to Pepper, so perhaps we can look around that area for a bit. Last night I had my 15mm wide angle lens, which was the wrong lens for lumpie pics (I took a few anyway but they didn't come out all that well). Tonight I'll have the standard port (so we'll probably see a six-gill) ...

... Bob

Dusty2 · Post by **Dusty2** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 12:02 pm

Tom Nic wrote:
enchantmentdivi wrote: I didn't want to move on but I didn't figure my buddies would appreciate me spending the entire dive with him,
#1 rule about diving with Tom - If I find a Lumpsucker, all bets are off. We are staying with said Lumpy until I run out of battery or disk space. Unless you're dieing or go OOA on me or something, we are LumpySitting for this dive!!

Jenn's plan sounds like a good one to me. Take a whole bunch of shots move on but remember where to come back to. Should work good for lumpies since they aren't very mobile little guys.

enchantmentdivi · Post by **enchantmentdivi** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 1:08 pm

Dusty2 wrote:
Tom Nic wrote:
enchantmentdivi wrote: I didn't want to move on but I didn't figure my buddies would appreciate me spending the entire dive with him,
#1 rule about diving with Tom - If I find a Lumpsucker, all bets are off. We are staying with said Lumpy until I run out of battery or disk space. Unless you're dieing or go OOA on me or something, we are LumpySitting for this dive!!
Jenn's plan sounds like a good one to me. Take a whole bunch of shots move on but remember where to come back to. Should work good for lumpies since they aren't very mobile little guys.

Had I been geared up for solo diving last night, I would've waved my 2 buddies good-bye!

A few months ago, I found a lumpsucker at Titlow right as I descended in 6-7 ft of water. I watched my 2 buddies swim off without me as I started snapping shots. It only took a moment for me to decide "lumpsucker trumps dive buddies" in that particular case, and I stayed put. It didn't take long for them to realize I wasn't with them, and they came back to find my happily snapping pics. That particular little dude wasn't very cooperative and was flitting around like a bumble bee. So, after about 5 minutes, I moved on with my buddies.

spatman · Post by **spatman** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 1:34 pm

awesome picture, jenn! what an amazing color.

Dusty2 wrote:Don't you guys recognize an easter lumpy when you see one???

no, but i can spot a Passover lumpsucker a mile away!

Grateful Diver · Post by **Grateful Diver** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 2:10 pm

Dusty2 wrote: Jenn's plan sounds like a good one to me. Take a whole bunch of shots move on but remember where to come back to. Should work good for lumpies since they aren't very mobile little guys.

The one I found last evening was quite mobile ... in fact, I was struggling to keep up with the little guy ... he took me on a tour of the bottle field ... never before seen a lumpie move around quite like that, actually ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Tom Nic · Post by **Tom Nic** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 2:33 pm

Dusty2 wrote:
Tom Nic wrote:
enchantmentdivi wrote: I didn't want to move on but I didn't figure my buddies would appreciate me spending the entire dive with him,
#1 rule about diving with Tom - If I find a Lumpsucker, all bets are off. We are staying with said Lumpy until I run out of battery or disk space. Unless you're dieing or go OOA on me or something, we are LumpySitting for this dive!!
Jenn's plan sounds like a good one to me. Take a whole bunch of shots move on but remember where to come back to. Should work good for lumpies since they aren't very mobile little guys.

Even though I don't vary my settings alot I have found that I can take 10 different pictures and come up with 10 VERY different results. I can shoot a half dozen shots and in the end not have one that I would want to print. With a regular critter, no big deal, but with an unusual or somewhat rare critter I now try and take a TON of shots. For instance, when Doug and I found that hot pink little Golf ball of a PSL at Day Island Wall almost 2 plus years ago. I took a grand total of 4 pics. I'm lucky they turned out. I blissfully and eagerly went on with my dive of Day Island Wall - today I would have spent a half hour on that little Lumpy - it's been almost 3 years and I've not seen another one like it. ...but of course I didn't know that then.

Have I mentioned that I LOVE the colors on Sparky?!? He is one pretty Lumpsucker - and with apologies to the Spatmeister, I think an Easter Lumpy is a petty good designation!

Sounder · Post by **Sounder** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 2:41 pm

Yeah, that hot pink lumpie was pretty awesome. Baby Sounder now enjoys one of your 4 pictures in his room hanging beside his crib.

gcbryan · Post by **gcbryan** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 2:56 pm

Grateful Diver wrote:We're meeting at 5 ... me, Lynne, Kirk, and Ben.

Jenn ... thanks for the details on the location. For sure we'll be saying "hi" to Pepper, so perhaps we can look around that area for a bit. Last night I had my 15mm wide angle lens, which was the wrong lens for lumpie pics (I took a few anyway but they didn't come out all that well). Tonight I'll have the standard port (so we'll probably see a six-gill) ...

... Bob

Funny you say that. I used to have a Nikonos and on the dive where I saw my first Sixgill I had the close-up lens attached. All I have to show from that dive is a Sixgill eye!

enchantmentdivi · Post by **enchantmentdivi** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 3:03 pm

Tom Nic wrote:Have I mentioned that I LOVE the colors on Sparky?!?!

Me too! Here's another angle which shows just how bright he was against that dull silt.

WylerBear · Post by **WylerBear** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 3:18 pm

Oh, wow!

airsix · Post by **airsix** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 4:06 pm

WylerBear wrote:Oh, wow!

I'll second that!

Grateful Diver · Post by **Grateful Diver** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 4:27 pm

I LOVE IT! That little lumpie looks like a bathtub toy ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Aquanautchuck · Post by **Aquanautchuck** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 4:42 pm

Grateful Diver wrote:I LOVE IT! That little lumpie looks like a bathtub toy ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Yea, like one of those rubber toy bathtub whales. Way Cool.

Zen Diver · Post by **Zen Diver** » Wed Mar 04, 2009 7:09 pm

Really great shots, and the color is amazing!

Northwest Dive Club

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