SF-Jeff's Dive Log

This is a very nice shore diving site. We arrived early enough on a weekday to get parking in one of the few spots right at the entrance on Datura Avenue ($1.50/hour, maximum 4 hours, and the meter accepts credit cards for payment). Surf was somewhat moderate on entry, but got better 50 feet from shore. No perceptible current. Note that all maps we've seen of this site, including the plaque at the entrance, show a series of three buoys on the south side of the pier; those were ripped out by one of the last big storms and never replaced, so don't look for them. There are two square buoys a bit farther to the south at the first reef line which mark the BioRock project for researching and rebuilding coral formations. Remember to stay at least 300 feet from the pier, and a dive flag is a must. It's best to kick out to at least halfway out the length of the pier, which seems longer than it really is, before descending. Although we kicked out to the second reef line, the more interesting life was closer to shore, hiding in the holes of the 'swiss cheese' part of the reef. We saw some rather large lobsters, angel fish, a ray, and assorted other tropical species, as well as soft and hard coral.

Hit the Breakwater this morning. After some morning fog, the sun was out by 10AM and water temp was 53F with about 10 feet vis. Dove the wall at Marker 9 and saw lots of stars, some quarter-size jellies, and bunch of lingcod. Surge picked up around 1PM, but not too much energy.