Redondo - Feb 09

[Grateful Diver]

I did two dives yesterday ... one nice, long solo dive late morning, and an early evening dive with Sekmet (Laura). First dive I started at the aquarium, went down and spent some time in the bottle field, made my way across to the south beach, and putzed around in the shallows for a while ... 84 minutes. Saw lots of small octos and a few other cool critters.

And of course, the point of the evening dive was lumpsuckers ... and we were not disappointed.

Here's a few pics ...

Tiny red on walkabout ...



This one thought he was hiding ... but sea schmutz doesn't have eyes ...



Ratfish angles in for a landing ...



Flaps down ...



On to the night dive ... this poor little fellow lost his rudder ...



Ruby lips ...



... this one's got a worm eating into his brain ...



Showy snailfish ...



A lovely mottled lumpie ...



And a small crab that definitely didn't want its picture taken ...



Somehow I just never get tired of diving this place ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

[LCF]

I would have joined you guys for the night dive, but five hours out in the cold wind was all I had in me!

[Gdog]

Dang it! Bob, we went in behind you, looked and looked, but nary a lumpsucker.
Spotted a big stubby squid perched on a bottle tho. Figures that I left the camera home on that dive.

[Dusty2]

Very nice shots Bob

[sekhmet]

This was a really magical dive for me and thanks Bob for putting up with my fumbling as I am learning how to take better shots with my camera (fins up and belly down!)... My 201st dive and I see 7 lumpies in beautiful colors and teeny octos and a marbled snailfish and I actually got some good shots... And I got to hang out with Bob which was priceless...

[LeslieH]

What's "eating into his brain" isn't a worm. Those coils are the egg cases of a parasitic copepod. Yuck!