9th Annual Lobster trip dive report for Channel Islands Dive Adventures. The trip was on the Truth on Oct. 12 & 13, 2018, and turned out great!
This was CIDA 9th Annual Bug Fest and it turned out great. I have to say I think the bugs won this round with everyone getting some bugs but not as many as we hoped for. Maybe had we gone to Talcott at Santa Rosa which we could have because of the awesome weather but then scuba diving is already a risky sport without adding the mix of close calls with GW sharks. Yes, the last few years there has been one large GW staying out of the way of divers but this year things have changed some. Now there is more than one hanging out around Talcott and they are getting very close to divers making some scary encounters for some. That is why I figured this was a GOOD reason to change the scenery a little!
The good thing was the weather was AWESOME and some of the flattest and calmest seas I have seen in some time. Last month in the middle of September we had green water and 10’-20’ visibility at most all of Santa Cruz. This time the visibility was at the least 40’ but most was 50’ plus with clear blue water and no surge so getting into shallow areas was like nothing before. Some of the sites I had been to many times before but never seen them as I did on this trip. Just absolutely beautiful even if I only ended up with 3 bugs the entire trip. My favorite dives were at Sea Lion Cove and Palm Park plus Emerald Cove was an excellent night dive. During the night dive I saw something I have never seen before-harbor seals chasing fish and feeding on them.
The dive spots we visited were the West End Wall, East-West Cove, Painted Grotto, Sea Lion Pinnacle, Sea Lion Cove, and Emerald Cove for the night dive on Friday. Saturday we did Diablo Pinnacle, Palm Park, Arch Rock Point, and very west of Cueva.
It was GREAT wetsuit diving! Water temperatures were in the low to mid 60’s and with the awesome visibility we had you wouldn’t think it could get any better but it did. Captain Davey kept the boat moving giving everyone the chance to get plenty of diving in with 5 day and 1-night dive on Saturday and 4-day dives on Sunday making a total of 10 dives you could do.
Anyone who thinks a multi-day trip is not worth the money is crazy! You get so much more quality diving in and for less. Yes, LESS!! 10 dives at $365.00 is $36.50 per dive. Compare that to 3 dives at $125.00 which is $42.00 per dive and it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out the best value. Of course not on all trips we get 10 dives in but usually at least 8 making it $46.00 per dive which is still a great deal.
Next year I am looking at doing Bug Fest at San Nick or SBI so watch for our upcoming 2019 schedule so you can plan in advance.
See our Dive Calendar Page for all our other fun trips.