Diving the Channel Islands

C

C-Hawk

New member
We dove Anacapa Island at the west end, north side. Starting at 45' we saw several large lobster shells, they molt around this time of year. A wide variety of fish- sheephead, whitefish, calicos, garibaldi, and numerous rock fish. As we started up the wall, we started seeing live lobster at around 25'. The labster were way back in the rocks and hard to reach. A couple came out to investigate the light.
We made two dives. The first had vis at about 35-40' while the second had vis at about 30-35' - the dives were approximately 1/4 mile apart with a small point in between.

This would be a good area to drop some hoopnets when season opens.

Pics added to my album :film
 
Hey Roger,
What's that you are wearing on our body while diving?? Could it be wetsuit?? Haven't used one of those since I moved down here. Water temp today is about 86....
I noticed in your pictures that you are using a side mounted dive ladder. Do you have a swim step? Does the dive ladder work a lot better? Seems like it would be a long way up to the side of the boat.
Craig
 
I am curious about the dive step as well, it looks like what I need for my dive buddies, who makes it?

Great pics by the way.

Knot Fan-C; can you say dry suit! Must be nice!
 
I had the mount fabricated by a friend and bought the dive post from WestMarine. I run twin Honda 40s- so no swimstep.
edit: the mount fits into a fish-on rod holder mounted in side the gunnel.
I have a line attached to the rear cleat with a couple of clips on it. When I come up, I clip it to my BC, remove the BC and it is very easy to go up the ladder and into the boat.

Yes, it's a wetsuit-- a Henderson 7/5 mill- 7 mill in the body and 5 mill in the hood, legs and arms. The temp today was 63f at the surface. Later in the year it will drop to around 55f. It would be nice to have some warmer water.
 
Roger, Beautiful pics! For me a nice little trip down memory lane. I haven't seen a bug underwater since I moved to the Northwest in 78. I used to put in at Gaviota and dove the islands for many yrs back in the early 70s. Also love the mount for the dive ladder. Will have to see about attempting a copy this winter.
Norm
 
Roger,

Been seeing and hearing about many lobsters out and about at Catalina and here in Santa Monica Bay. Major molt going on here, too. I'm trying the middle of the federal breakwater in Long Beach on opening night (11.5 pounder last year) and some of my local artificial reefs for the first week or so. After the TC255 arrives, I'll be spending days at a time at Santa Barbara and San Clemente while the weather lasts. Let me know if you can spring loose for a day or two.

Scaley
 
This looked like the appropriate thread to talk about our first lobster diving experience yesterday, might be of interest to some and might get some helpful pointers from others (hopefully!).

After hoop-netting for 2 years at many, many locations (supposedly prime), my son Miles and I had not seen one single lobster except in a fish market. Late last year (after another disappointing lobster opening day) we decided to become certified PADI divers and we did, Dec 21, 2005. Great moment, lots of fun. We've casual dived all year, mostly at Catalina, read lots of books and talked to others about techniques of catching bugs. In all our diving this year, we had not seen a single lobster underwater, in season or out.

Yesterday, opening day for lobster (at midnight actually), we headed out for the backside of Santa Cruz Island with Roger and his son, John, both experienced in catching bugs, they took us to one of their favorite spots, approx 30 ft of water. Great, our first chance to use our diving skills and maybe, just maybe, we'll see our first bug underwater! That we did, in spades, no shortage of bugs under rocks and even a few in the open, unfortunately there was a huge shortage of experience on our end -- even after all the books and knowledge, until you go out and try to catch one of them, it's mind-boggling.

Another unfortunate situation was that my very first bug spotted was a large one, I'd est 3-4 lbs after my day's experience yesterday. He was under a big rock backed into a shallow hole. I just stared at him and he (or she) at me, big eyes, then I guess with all my flailing around and getting sand in it's area he came out on the sand completely in front of his hole! Wow, like lobster on a platter I thought. I reached down to pick him up, well, that's when I was given a lesson in just how fast a lobster can move, 20 ft in about 1.5 seconds! Also on why he's bigger than most, there's a reason! So off I went chasing him to his next resting spot. Again on the sand in the open...wow again! I looked around for Miles (my buddy), I lost him, drat. I reached down quicker this time, but must have brushed his antennae, off he went again. I continued to look around for Miles, it had been 30 seconds since I lost him, got worried for both of us. I looked again and couldn't find the bug, alas, successful escape. I swam back the way I came (by compass, vis about 10-15 ft), saw bubbles, approached and actually found Miles! We looked some more and caught a few undersized (we knew without measuring), I only had about 200 pounds of air left (at 20 ft down), Miles had 1000 (of course) so up we went.

Roger had bagged 2 but both measured just short, too bad. Roger and his son decided to pack it in about 2pm and went home, he was fighting a cold. Miles and I rested, ate, drank, napped with the heater on (67 deg outside, but with the wetsuit top down the chill goes right through you, didn't want to risk getting cold). We went down again on our second tanks, this time with more determination, better experience (like grab 'behind' the bug not on top!) and a plan to work together on all especially those with back entrances.

Our plan worked, we saw maybe another 15-20 bugs (no shortage), but most were just plain too deep in their holes to reach, large ones too, had to pass them, just stared at them. Then we found another large one, might have been the same one, but don't think so because we were in a different area. He was staring at me, I knew I needed to get behind him, so I tried to swim around to his back, heck he just stared at me and rotated with me. I reached down, off he went before I could even touch him. I found several wedged under rocks, got ahold of 1 antennae, just layed there without trying to pull him out and he worked out a little at a time, then I tried to reach over his back with the other hand to grab him, he jerked and I was holding his antennae then, hmmm. Did this several times with others, just couldn't get both antennae at the same time. That didn't work.

Miles came up with 1 legal bug (barely, it exactly equalled legal length). All in all, we were absolutely thrilled with the whole experience. Met our 1st goal to actually see a lobster, our 2nd goal to actually catch one and other 3rd and very distant goal to bring one or more home! Quite a day indeed, got back 1 1/2 hrs after dark to the marina, we were out 25 miles, moderately rough coming back on quartering seas. Slept VERY well last night.
 
Steve,
Nice write up.

John (my son) and I decided to head back in after one dive. Really wanted to make the second dive, but, as Steve said, I've been fighting a cold.
Saw several bugs, they were deep in the holes. Thought about rigging a bug stick with a piece of netting- naw, can't do that- illigal to use anything but your hands. One hole had 3 - 4 big ones in it. This was a deep hole with 3 exits, I tried to flush them out but I could not reach them--- the biguns know where to hide.
There was also a lot of calico bass in the area, should have had my speargun. They would come right up to your face and check your out.
The two that I brought up were about a 1/16" too short. Passed on several short ones.

We started in 30' of water and went towards the beach, checking rock piles. At about 20' - 16' we found the bugs. Had a good surge going, so it was tough to stay on point.

Steve-- ready for a night dive??? That's when the bugs are crawling, easier to get.

Got to get over this cold!!!!
 
Roger,
Sorry 'bout your son's name (I corrected it), must have had "Steve" on the brain -- we have 4 of us at work that work together, came up with nicknames.

Speaking of 'large' calico's like we saw, 18-22" I'd est, when I let an undersize lobster loose, it swam up instead of down back under a rock, then a large calico went after it and got a leg and kept attacking it. Never thought a fish would go after a lobster, the lobster kept shooting up until it reached the surface, then Miles saw a pelican grab it and it was gone. Hmmm, moral of the story, swim down not up?

Yes, I'm convinced night dives are in our future, Miles isn't, thinks they'll be too much seaweed. Maybe we'll go shopping for a BIG light for each of us and use our small bright one as a backup--that might get him motivated. And the 'crack-lites' for the tanks. He REALLY enjoyed this trip and so did I.
 
Steve,
Yes, they will swim up----- Ya gotta be carefull! Last year Kelly went after one that starting swimming up--- I had to grab his leg to keep him from getting hurt.
Moral-- If they start swimming up, let them go.
 
Fishtales":2iglw86x said:
Steve,
Yes, they will swim up----- Ya gotta be carefull! Last year Kelly went after one that starting swimming up--- I had to grab his leg to keep him from getting hurt.
Moral-- If they start swimming up, let them go.
Click to expand...

Roger-

Must confess total ignorance of

1) diving
2) lobsters
3) killer ocean dwellers

So these killer lobsters are widowmakers when on the swim?

And you're going to swim around in the ocean in the dark of night looking to bag a few? Or be bagged by a few?

Ever see the movie "The Monster from the Black Lagoon" as a kid?

Creepy Stuff!

Please fill me on the Lobster Dine-In/Out! :smilep / :smileo

Joe.
 
I'm still out there in the fog - with Sea Wolf - what happens to a diver who chases an 'up-swimming' bug? Seagull bites? Lobster doo falling on you? Predator fish after lobsters hit divers? John
 
Yes Jim, it was very interesting. Hunting with just your hands has got to be about as primitive as it gets, quite challenging indeed.

Hey, does anybody know whether more lobster hang out on the outside or inside of a breakwater, or equal? I always see lots of boats/divers on the inside, is that because it's a matter of convenience or that's where they are?
 
Steve,

Less surge on the inside of the breakwater.

When you dive, your body is subjected to rather impressive pressure. Because of the weight of water, it takes only 33 feet (10 meters) of water to double the amount of pressure exerted on your body at sea level – one atmosphere, or roughly 14.7 pounds per square inch. When a person is breathing through a tank, he is breathing air that is pressurized to the same level as the surrounding water, so that at 100 feet (30 meters) deep, roughly 60 PSI are compressing the lungs. The deeper a diver goes, the more nitrogen will enter there body as solution, and the longer they will need to take to resurface. By pausing slowly, the diver allows the nitrogen to release from the body slowly, causing little or no experience of the bends or the physical pain and damage they cause – if a diver is forced to rise quickly.
 
Roger, yes it's calmer on the inside of the breakwater, but what about the lobster, I would think they would like the surge and flow better on the outside for more opportunities of bait going by.
 
You'll find the bugs on both sides. Easier for the boats to anchor on the inside. How many boats do you see anchored inside while cleaning fish? (I've seen several) Lots of food for the lobster on the inside.
 
Ahhh yes, so that means as the season wears on a little, we'd have a better chance diving (or hooping) the outside where less tend to go! Now, I wonder if the rest of the world knows this....lol.
 
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