Ruby E, Scooters Fantasy Wreck, and 7 Fathoms on the Marissa
Dive #1: Ruby E
The only way you can get me out of bed at the crack of dawn on a Saturday is to dive. 😀 Saturday morning we took the Marissa out, first stop was the Ruby E. Viz was decent, maybe 15 feet. I was a little worried with how choppy it was on the surface that we would end up with really crappy viz. Once again it was nudibranch central. And again found yet another nudi I have never seen before. After some research I think it is a Rainbow nudi (Dendronotus Iris?). It was pretty cute and chubby 😀 There was some definite surge and current on these dives which is always annoying to take photos in, but I got a few decent ones.
Max Depth: 70 ft
Temp: 53 degrees
Viz – 15 feet
Current: mild
Surge: mild
Bottom Time:Â 37 min
Dive #2: Shooters Fantasy Wreck
I had never heard of this wreck so I was excited to see it. It’s an old fishing barge that was sunk to be apart of wreck ally. It got blown over in a storm and it’s coordinates were lost for quite some time until about 2009 when Tyler Stalter and the crew of the Marissa found it again. It is definitely the definition of a wreck. Compared to the Yukon and Ruby E which are still very much intact, Shooters Fantasy was not. She’s a lot smaller than the other two, but was very interesting to dive and explore the nooks and crannies. Lots of fish here since this wreck isn’t dove very often. And again the current was fun to battle. :/
Max Depth: 67 feet
Temp: 53 degrees
Viz – 15 feet
Current: mild
Surge: mild
Bottom Time:Â 25 min
Dive #3: 7 Fathoms Kelp
Honestly, I could have spent all day here. It was my favorite! The rock formations and the kelp were AMAZING. We just slowly poked along exploring all the ledges while swimming in and out of the kelp. There was a good 15-20 feet viz but the surge was the most noticeable here. So getting pulled all over the place with strings of kelp everywhere proved to be challenging yet hilarious to any onlooker. 😀 And I think my body is telling me to get a drysuit now. Even though the temp was overall a few degrees warmer than what I’m normally diving in, I was FREEZING. With boat dives I don’t start to notice the cold till maybe after the second dive, but today, I was shaking after the first dive. I’m pretty sure my body is telling me it’s done and wants a dry suit STAT. Time to start researching….
Max Depth: 57 ft
Temp: 53 degrees
Viz – 15 feet
Current: mild
Surge: mild
Bottom Time:Â 38 min
Eye Candy: strawberry anemones, tube dwelling anemones, white plumed anemones, spanish shawls, hermissendas crassicornis, rainbow nudibranchs, clown nudibranchs, gobys, rock fish, star fish, red and golden gorgonians, sea cucimber, painted greenlings
Always so interesting and beautiful to see.