Decorated Warbonnet Skyline Dive
Posted: Sat Oct 31, 2020 8:59 am
Back in August I met my friend in Anacortes for her first Skyline visit. I was planning on a short dive along the start of the wall with my HP80 since this would have been her first advanced current dive. Unfortunately she forgot her fins and had to bail. Luckily I had my bigger tank and pony with me so I rushed to change tanks and swim out as fast as I could before the current switched. When I got to the kelp the slack was just starting so I dropped down and swam out along the 70ft contour until I started finding crimson anemones. They were all holding cooperative candy stripe shrimp posing like Hansel and Zoolander. I spent all of slack yelling commands at them through my reg (seriously.... 
) until the water started moving again. On the way back there were clown dorids laying egg ribbons to investigate as the current kept building. Near the the start of the wall there is a tall vertical fissure that has a bunch of octo debris, so as I was drifting back past it I grabbed a rock to try one more search for the den. I was looking in a hole when something off to the side caught my attention. I thought it was the strangest looking wolf eel ever since there are a few juveniles in the area that are regularly out swimming. It took me a minute to process that it was a full sized adult decorated warbonnet sunning itself on the side of the fissure. There was a bit of excitement and flailing around as my camera light wasn't in position and the current was starting to rip. I was able to get a few photos even though I was at this point holding on for all I was worth while flapping like a flag in the wind. Finally my air was a bit low and I couldn't hold on any longer so I let go and was quickly blown back to the shallows. When I got back to my truck I was ridiculously excited and went to grab my cellphone to text everyone about my unbelievable encounter. Unfortunately I am stupid and before the dive when we were unsuccessfully looking for the missing fins I put my phone in my outside drysuit pocket and forgot about it..... 
Good thing I also didn't have insurance on my phone too...... 
Anyways, pictures....
) until the water started moving again. On the way back there were clown dorids laying egg ribbons to investigate as the current kept building. Near the the start of the wall there is a tall vertical fissure that has a bunch of octo debris, so as I was drifting back past it I grabbed a rock to try one more search for the den. I was looking in a hole when something off to the side caught my attention. I thought it was the strangest looking wolf eel ever since there are a few juveniles in the area that are regularly out swimming. It took me a minute to process that it was a full sized adult decorated warbonnet sunning itself on the side of the fissure. There was a bit of excitement and flailing around as my camera light wasn't in position and the current was starting to rip. I was able to get a few photos even though I was at this point holding on for all I was worth while flapping like a flag in the wind. Finally my air was a bit low and I couldn't hold on any longer so I let go and was quickly blown back to the shallows. When I got back to my truck I was ridiculously excited and went to grab my cellphone to text everyone about my unbelievable encounter. Unfortunately I am stupid and before the dive when we were unsuccessfully looking for the missing fins I put my phone in my outside drysuit pocket and forgot about it..... Good thing I also didn't have insurance on my phone too...... Anyways, pictures....
