Giant Kelpfish & Garibaldi. November 2020

Casino Point. November 2020

It was another early and cold morning start the next day. Off to Catalina Island via the Catalina Express ferry. I carried about 30 pounds of gear on my back from the dock all the way to Casino Point, my shoulders were ready to give up but my mind said otherwise. The first group of divers were entering the water. There was a bit of texture from the wind waves and current, which was not preferred. The water looked pretty clear, and cold. I started seeing Garibaldi left and right, their bold orange color makes them easy to spot. I frantically set up my camera, put on my weights and fins, and jumped into the blue. Immediately I was mesmerized at all the different variety of fish just one step off the stair entry: Calico Bass, Sheephead, Garibaldi, and Zebra Perch just to name a few. They seemed incredibly fond of humans; only when I got within a foot or two they slowly drifted away. I saw an enormous school of Blacksmith, they surrounded me when I swam toward them. With the rough surface texture, it was very difficult to get a clean over under shot, I’ll have to come back on a calmer day. After about three hours in the water and filling up the memory card, my stomach started to feel uneasy due to the constant back and forth motion of the waves. Staring down at stationary objects while moving really throws off my equilibrium; it was time to get lunch and relax the rest of the afternoon. As I waited at the float for the departure boat, I was treated to a reverse sunset color gradient of pink, lavender, and periwinkle-blue, with the full moon rising over the channel.