Octo....Octopus HOOOOOLE

[Jenbowes]

Matt and I went to Octopus Hole today, and probably the MOST exciting thing for me was that it was my 10th dive. That's right! I've moved into double digits! I'm VERY excited, which is why the subject line should be sung, when you read it.

We went to the shallow wall and saw tons of stuff, including an octopus crammed under/in a rock. The crabs were probably my favorites on this dive, and there were plenty of them, all different varieties. I'd love to tell you WHICH varieties, but that would mean that I was someone smarter than me and/or that I had a book to reference. Which I DO...but it's at Matt's house, because it's his.

The current on the way back to the beach kind of sucked, but it was no Day Island Wall! Or so I'm told, since I haven't been there yet.

The worst part of Octopus Hole? The "stairs" - and I use that term liberally, in much the same way that I would call a ski-tow rope an "escalator" or a youth hostel a "5-star hotel". There are "stair-like" structures at the top, but then it's lined with rocks, perhaps designed to act as stairs ... perhaps designed to slide you down to the beach. Not UN-FUNCTIONAL, but perilous and difficult. I told Matt I was afraid I was going to pull a Lynne, but apparently she was watching over us from afar, because we didn't.

I'm to tell you that the following pictures were not taken by Matt, but that I took the camera of a dead diver that I found. FYI, I called 911 and THEN DAN, but I hung up before reporting it, once I realized that I could've gotten busted for theft.

The Octopus' eye

A crab that reminds me of Pepe from The Muppets Tonight

The lion

Sea Urchin (the only photo Matt liked from today)

I don't know .... educate me!!

Anyway, a great day, despite the weather, and a great site, despite the Lynne's Lament descent!

[Dusty2]

Glad to see you having such fun.

Pepe is a squat lobster, and the white thingy at the bottom could be either a white sea cumber or a pale sea cumber but since I can only count 8 arms I have to say it's a White and that is a good shot on the urchin

[Jenbowes]

Pepe is a squat lobster,

I should have said "crustacean", instead, so that I didn't look quite as silly. Crab-like? Ah well.

Thanks for the clarification Dusty!

[Tom Nic]

Nice report Jen, and congrats on double digits! Woo Hoo!

[Joshua Smith]

I'm to tell you that the following pictures were not taken by Matt, but that I took the camera of a dead diver that I found. FYI, I called 911 and THEN DAN, but I hung up before reporting it, once I realized that I could've gotten busted for theft.

Actually- it all depends on whether or not said camera was physically attached to the diver by means of a retractor or lanyard of some kind. If so, it's the property of the deceased. If it's merely clutched in their stiff, cold hands, and can be prised free, or lying next to the body, then it's considered marine salvage, and you can help yourself. (Which is the real reason most of us carry cable cutters or shears. Just sayin'.)

[Sounder]

FYI, I called 911 and THEN DAN...

[Jenbowes]

Jenbowes wrote:I'm to tell you that the following pictures were not taken by Matt, but that I took the camera of a dead diver that I found. FYI, I called 911 and THEN DAN, but I hung up before reporting it, once I realized that I could've gotten busted for theft.





Actually- it all depends on whether or not said camera was physically attached to the diver by means of a retractor or lanyard of some kind. If so, it's the property of the deceased. If it's merely clutched in their stiff, cold hands, and can be prised free, or lying next to the body, then it's considered marine salvage, and you can help yourself. (Which is the real reason most of us carry cable cutters or shears. Just sayin'.)

Hmmm...getting me some o' those cable cutters!

Also, thanks to everyone for interacting with my infantile and naive reports - I'm just so excited to be able to put up stuff from my dives, because I'm new. So, how to make "I saw a crab! Which apparently wasn't a crab!" sound interesting to those who saw, recognized, and removed an invasive species, interacted with their 1000th GPO, and successfully maneuvered an intricate cave system in order to photograph the rare and elusive plectonomous squid (that's not a word, by the way, in case you didn't know)?

... I can't!

"I went diving! It was great! I'm still NEW!"

Think of it like your 6 year old bringing home their art from school. My reports and photos should go on the fridge with a magnet.

[Joshua Smith]

Jenbowes wrote:I'm to tell you that the following pictures were not taken by Matt, but that I took the camera of a dead diver that I found. FYI, I called 911 and THEN DAN, but I hung up before reporting it, once I realized that I could've gotten busted for theft.





Actually- it all depends on whether or not said camera was physically attached to the diver by means of a retractor or lanyard of some kind. If so, it's the property of the deceased. If it's merely clutched in their stiff, cold hands, and can be prised free, or lying next to the body, then it's considered marine salvage, and you can help yourself. (Which is the real reason most of us carry cable cutters or shears. Just sayin'.)

Hmmm...getting me some o' those cable cutters!

Also, thanks to everyone for interacting with my infantile and naive reports - I'm just so excited to be able to put up stuff from my dives, because I'm new. So, how to make "I saw a crab! Which apparently wasn't a crab!" sound interesting to those who saw, recognized, and removed an invasive species, interacted with their 1000th GPO, and successfully maneuvered an intricate cave system in order to photograph the rare and elusive plectonomous squid (that's not a word, by the way, in case you didn't know)?

... I can't!

"I went diving! It was great! I'm still NEW!"

Think of it like your 6 year old bringing home their art from school. My reports and photos should go on the fridge with a magnet.

Man- I tried to pin your trip report to the fridge with a magnet, but when I finally founda magnet strong enough to do the job, it did something weird to my laptop.....not to mention the fact that I had to cut my dog out of her collar when the magnet grabbed her rabies tags.....


Jen, even us crusty old barnacles love to read trip reports like yours- your enthusiasm and sense of wonder is very refreshing, and reminds us of our first dives. Please keep posting!

[gcbryan]

And...your crab was a crab. A squat lobster isn't a lobster but rather a crab! A Galathid Crab (not sure about the spelling).

[Jenbowes]

And...your crab was a crab. A squat lobster isn't a lobster but rather a crab! A Galathid Crab (not sure about the spelling).

... I should stop speaking.


Why do they call it a LOBSTER then?

[gcbryan]

And...your crab was a crab. A squat lobster isn't a lobster but rather a crab! A Galathid Crab (not sure about the spelling).

... I should stop speaking.


Why do they call it a LOBSTER then?

It looks a little like one!

[Jenbowes]

And...your crab was a crab. A squat lobster isn't a lobster but rather a crab! A Galathid Crab (not sure about the spelling).

... I should stop speaking.


Why do they call it a LOBSTER then?

It looks a little like one!

Well, I look a little like an overstuffed sausage in my wetsuit, but you wouldn't call me that!

At least, not to my FACE, you don't!!

[kat]

at least you got the right kind of critter, i would have said crawdad


and in my head, your tagline was a mexican soccer whatever it is. caller, stater of plays, exciterer, you know the word i am looking for...

[Jenbowes]

KAT! How go the Honduras trip plans? ;-)

Are you thinking a ref? And what specifically about Mexican Soccer was striking you?

Sockmonkey asked if I was taking it from A Fish Called Wanda, when Kevin Kline drives and yells out "Asss hooooole!"

It's not. I meant it like a sing song or a happy yell. Hmmm. Maybe like the Mexican Soccer Referee! Why not?!

[BASSMAN]

I'm to tell you that the following pictures were not taken by Matt, but that I took the camera of a dead diver that I found. FYI, I called 911 and THEN DAN, but I hung up before reporting it, once I realized that I could've gotten busted for theft.

Quick! Hide the evidence !

Stupid Chainsaw! Won't start underwater!

[Jenbowes]

Stupid Chainsaw! Won't start underwater!

Yeah! And a manual saw rips the snot out of my gear!