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A combination of light offshore wind and clear skies made for a gorgeous morning at Coal Oil Point. A few surfers were out, but the waves were lackluster. As I contemplated what to do, a sudden light bulb went off in my head reminding me I had snorkel gear in my car. It may have been my only chance to get in the water that day and I didn’t want to go home dry.

At first I thought there wouldn’t be anything but kelp out there, so I expected just a relaxing swim. The water was clear but still lacked visibility when the sand got stirred up. I swam past the whitewash and slowly observed patches of kelp. About 50 yards out, I spotted schools of striped perch finding cover in the kelp. Around the point, surf grass completely covered the sea floor. As a wave passed overhead, the surf grass would drift back and forth, revealing what was hiding underneath for a brief moment before returning to its original position. I got giddy when I saw California spiny lobsters for the first time in the wild. I had a staring contest with a Calico Bass, then drifted with the surf perch through the surf grass. I love it here.

Low tide was a -1.4ft right at sunset and the swell was mellow so I decided spend the afternoon at Maverick’s Beach in Half Moon Bay with some friends. We were lucky enough to get a parking spot despite the large crowds. We started the walk out the point and the tide was already dropping fast, exposing much of the reef. About halfway to the point, anemones and mussels were visible. I tried to find the sea urchins and perhaps do a little taste test of some fresh uni. Right at the edge of the reef was where it was dense packed with starfish, urchins, rock crabs, you name it. Even though we had waders on, it’s important to be mindful of the ocean; a rogue wave landed us in over knee deep water. We couldn’t stay long, as the temperature dropped fast and the howling wind was causing watery eyes.

It was great to see the Ochre star making a comeback. It’s amazing to see the amount of living organisms in an area where it’s know to be chaotic and tumultuous. I wish I had a bit more time and calmer wind to do some macro work, more reason to go back.

Risso’s Dolphins. January 2020

What did I learn from all these past years? Nothing really matters. 

I used to care about the littlest of things, like what brand of shoes I wore, spend vast amounts of money on material items or spend all my mental energy trying to prove to people what’s right or wrong. I look back at the countless hours spent texting on my phone, or watching random videos on my computer, and getting nothing from it (other than worse eyesight). There is no better time to take back control of our lives. For me it’s simple: spend more, if not all, my time doing what I love, seeing the world around me, meeting new people, and learning. If I’m not learning, then it’s not worth my time.

I started to live by a quote said by one of my favorite authors:
“9 out of 10 concerns are unnecessary” – Martin Lindstrøm

Happy New Year.

So much going on in one photo! 
Clupea pallasii showing their love but also providing dinner for Megaptera Novaengliae, Phocidae, and Laridae.