Kelp Diving in Catalina

Yesterday I went scuba diving in a kelp forest on Catalina Island. The water was cool in the 50s deep and 60s at the surface, so I used a full, thick 1/4" wetsuit including hood and boots and enough weight to get me and my rig down to the bottom, over 25 lbs. Kelp grows from the seafloor to the surface and when you dive you swim through it like walking through a forest on land. Unfortunately, I didn't have my underwater camera housing with me so I couldn't take my own photos on the dive. However, here are some images from my great dive shop's web site that show what my experience was like. The bright orange fish are called Garibaldi, I saw lots of them. I also saw a Moray eel like the one in the photo. It was a once in a lifetime experience. Luckily, I happened upon one of the best scuba diving operators I have ever worked with, Ron Moore, of Ron Moore's Dive Catalina, who made it possible for me to enjoy the dive even though I had only a couple of hours before the ship sailed. Thanks, Ron!

Images copyright Rob Fazio 2012 and used with permission.

Kelp close up