One Garibaldi

Planning this trip was not off to a good start. I had to cope with a tremendous amount of uncertainty. Was it going to be foggy? Was it going to be too windy? Forecasts showed a large WNW swell along the northern coast, gale force Santa Ana winds down south, on top of it all, who knew if everything was going to be shut down again? Refreshing the 30 tabs I had open showing reports for each location, it got to the point where I considered just cancelling the whole idea. But there was nothing really to lose. I had to go. There was no way I could have cleared my mind sitting at the computer for the entire holiday weekend. I only wanted one thing, a photo of a Garibaldi. 

With expectations low, I took my snorkeling gear out of the closet and drove down the coast. 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, and soon they surrounded me when I swam toward them. I slowly swam back toward the entry point, where abundance of Calico Bass drifted peacefully right in front of me. 

I remember floating neutrally right underneath the surface, mesmerized by the school of fish in the deep blue color of the Catalina waters, unmatched. The fish were within arms reach, despite my fisheye lens making them seem farther away. 

I’ll remember that moment forever.

This photo titled ‘Calico City’ lives on a 16×24” acrylic in my dining room. It has become one of the photos I can stare at indefinitely.

February 16, 2022 | Free Flow