| United States |
California, Channel Islands Spectre, February 1997, Barry Lipman, Brookfield, CT. "Best coldwater diving I've experienced to date. Spectre: converted oil tender, steelhulled 85 footer with two heads/showers, large galley area, 32 bunk beds below, and a hot tub. Sleep on board if you wish, or stay in hotel. Boat leaves at 8: 00 AM and returns by 5: 00 PM. for a three tank threequarter day trip. Location: Oxnard, Ventura County, 1 hour north of Los Angeles. Water: mid 50's, wet suit OK, dry suit perfect. Vis: 3550 ft. Reservations phone number; (805) 4836612. . . . Dive sites: Anacapa Island. Exciting diving with lots of seals and sea lions in lush kelp forests. Plenty of fish and a great variety of colorful macro life, including many varieties of nudibranchs. Endless photo opportunities. Captain Ted Cumming is very knowledgeable about currents and consistently found sheltered dive sites. Susan kept the galley open all day, rest of crew helpful with gear including cameras. Experienced divers allowed to choose their own profiles. Outstanding diving." Conception, Truth Aquatics, February 1997, Kim Powers, Fremont, CA. "Three dives with concentrated mass of sea lions! They did everything you have ever heard of; Fin biting, snorkel biting, bubble blowing, barking, dive bombing and blindside fly byes! Very exciting for the experienced diver. After the last dive, we snorkeled into the mass on the surface. The sea lions would allow you to slowly approach to within inches before splashing out of the way. vis: 2050 ft. water: 5458 degrees. Diving restrictions enforced were common sense; dive deck closed at 2100. No night dive. We were blown off the island and had to seek shelter!" The Peace, March 1997, Paul E. Vitkus, Reno, NV. "Great trip, visited San Clemente, San Nicholas, Catalina and Santa Barbara. Lots of Garibaldis. Good kelp diving. A limited load trip: only a max of 22 divers as opposed to 34 divers on other routine charters. Friendly, helpful crew. vis; 1540 ft. water: 5457 degrees. Drysuit for myself. No dive restrictions, responsible for your own depths, times and profiles. Diving the Southern Channel Islands leaves your dive sites limited by wind and weather. Not a lot of protection from the Pacific Ocean." Copyright 1998 by DSDL, Inc. publishers of Undercurrent. All rights reserved. No portions of this report may be reproduced in any way, including photocopying and electronic data storage, without prior written permission from the publisher. For more information, contact DSDL, Inc., P.O. Box 1658, Sausalito, CA 94966. |