What up with this thermocline?

[lobzila]

Did a night dive in the LaJolla Res the other night with my buddy CaptLeo and almost brought my 3/2 mil suit as the surface temp was 71 or so. Good thing I left it at home. Got the inflatable anchored up in reserve and jumped in. Water was 72 on the surface and I was thinking of pulling the hood back on my 7 mil suit until I got about ten feet down, hit the thermocline and the temp dropped to 51 goddamn degrees. WTF? Its the begining of september and water temp at 20 feet is 51 degrees? Global warming my ass.
Poor Leo was in a 3 mil suit and we ended the dive after thirty minutes. Saw tons of bugs in the reserve, but diving at night in the reserve is a lot like hanging in a titty bar with a wad of hundreds, you can grab them, but you cant take them home.
Vis was about twenty feet and pretty surgy throughout the dive.

[SAGE]

For as long as i can remember the water temp always plummets just before lobster season....never fails.
Just out of curiosity, why the night dive in the reserve ? Just look'en at stuff ?
Thanks for the report.

[Gil Marlin]

And what's the address of that Titty Bar where you can grab them???

[skiffhunter]

Originally Posted by Gil Marlin

And what's the address of that Titty Bar where you can grab them???

Soldatna, Alaska (home of the "no penetration" rule). Its amazing what a woman will do for a dollar or how she'll take it from your hand.

[CaptainLeo]

Originally Posted by SAGE

For as long as i can remember the water temp always plummets just before lobster season....never fails.
Just out of curiosity, why the night dive in the reserve ? Just look'en at stuff ?
Thanks for the report.

We were just checking stuff out. Although it was kind of sad being in the water without grabbing something or shooting something. There was actually not a whole lot of life to see except the bugs and a couple of fish. I think I saw one small rockfish and 2 calico bass. Some huge opaleye and a sea lion pup. The water was extremely cold.

[SAGE]

Originally Posted by CaptainLeo

We were just checking stuff out. Although it was kind of sad being in the water without grabbing something or shooting something. There was actually not a whole lot of life to see except the bugs and a couple of fish. I think I saw one small rockfish and 2 calico bass. Some huge opaleye and a sea lion pup. The water was extremely cold.

10-4, cool
It just seems so tortuous to be out there this close to Lobby season and not be able to grab 'em.
But I see now you’re much like me and just like being out there….no matter how cold it is.
Thanks for the comeback.

[CaptainLeo]

Originally Posted by SAGE

10-4, cool
It just seems so tortuous to be out there this close to Lobby season and not be able to grab 'em.
But I see now you’re much like me and just like being out there….no matter how cold it is.
Thanks for the comeback.

Yeah, it kind of sucked. We did some nice ones there, even if it was the season, we wouldn't have taken them being in the reserve. Ed wanted to show me some of the really big ones that are there. It was pretty cool because I have never dove the reserve before the other night. I will be just getting in the water before midnight in a couple weeks to get my bounty that the ocean has to offer.

[jesse]

Hell I tried slingin this morning at wndansea and the water was soo f'n cold, I had to get out after only 5 min or so.( granted I was in boardshorts only.)

[lobzila]

Originally Posted by SAGE

10-4, cool
It just seems so tortuous to be out there this close to Lobby season and not be able to grab 'em.
But I see now you’re much like me and just like being out there….no matter how cold it is.
Thanks for the comeback.

Not really, I am kind of over the whole lobster thing. It only took about twenty years of catching them. I even got stuck working on the opening night and did not really even try to get out of it. First night out wont be until that sunday. I must be getting old.
Try the reserve at night dive, seeing all those bugs like that and some really big bugs is like how I read the diving was here back in the fifties before the commerical guys got real organized.
Before I get flamed by the commerical guys, I realize that the lobster fishery is one of the most stable ones on the coast and very hard work to boot and I have nothing but respect for what they do to make a decent living.
But imagine what the coast would be like if they didn't take any. Dive the reserve one night when there's good vis and see.

[SAGE]

That would be cool to see some pigs even if you couldn't garb 'em. It musta been unreal back in the day.
My dad dove allot a night (free diving) back in the 60-70's and would bring home some real monsters. His best was 17lbs (not shown in the pic) and claims to have found one in O-side that went well over 20lb but couldn't pull it off the rip-rap. He did however, bring home one of it’s legs which was over 24” long !!! Insane. He said it was so big it scared him

[c-goat]

Water temp reported todays was 63...WTF

[lobzila]

Originally Posted by SAGE

That would be cool to see some pigs even if you couldn't garb 'em. It musta been unreal back in the day.
My dad dove allot a night (free diving) back in the 60-70's and would bring home some real monsters. His best was 17lbs (not shown in the pic) and claims to have found one in O-side that went well over 20lb but couldn't pull it off the rip-rap. He did however, bring home one of it’s legs which was over 24” long !!! Insane. He said it was so big it scared him

My personnel best is ten pounds. I like how the phone in the background dates the photograph. We found one in the the reserve the other night that probally ran six pounds and I remember that a lifegaurd let a twelve pounder go there that someone caught at the end of the season last year and Leo and I were looking for that. I am waiting for a new camera lens to show up in the mail and will do this dive again before the season opens and have pictures to post I hope.