Stillwater Sat 4/17

got to SW carmel appx 10.30 am and got in late. we just got on the road a lot later than planned and we took it easy. drive was ok, no problems. i was feeling lazy as well.

i had now speared in over 8 months time and i was feeling it. i headed out of the cove to go left around arrowhead and the swells were big and getting bigger. also some wind. i started the day anchoring out deeper and swimming in to the reefs there looking for ling cod. i snooped on some holes i knew but nobody home, maybe due to surge or something. i dont know. i worked this area for a little while and then when i got back on the yak i tried pulling anchor and it was jammed, darn! i dove down about 40 feet and freed up the anchor, collapsed the spikes and locked them down then went back up to get back on the yak. vis was great, i could see really far and aside form the movement of the surge and swells it was like a giant fishbowl. that was fun.

i worked my way back inside arrowhead pt or stillwater south and cruised oin the whitewater area. i let the movement and wash take me anywhere and i barely fought the water as it threw me between channels, washrocks and shallow spots. i could have napped here it was so nice to just watch everything pass below me and the water was still really clear. i watched perch cruise with the wash and bubbles and just rolled around. really relaxing. i see why seals do it.

i started working further inside the cove along some dropoffs probably 10 ft from the surface and there were so many ab shells and golf balls. i forgot i was looking for fish by now. lots of rockfish and lots of giant sunstars. i did not see a single cabezone this day.

i cruised over a shallow reef and went between the two boulders and sitting in between two large rocks was the head of a ling cod. it had been so long i was surprised i even noticed. i took the one shot and got this 30" ling which was not big but just right. other than this one i did not find anyone home. he was sort of a volunteer.

it was the first ling my daughter had seen as well so maybe later she will remember and we can go spearing together.

overall a really nice day to be in the water if swell and wind does not get you. after getting the ling and cleaning him out i went in and spent some time watching the tritons and other ncka people come in. everyone looked like they were having such a great time. thats what it is all about.

conditions can be really good right now and i would recommend people take a day off or call in sick if they can when the swell is down. carmel is a great place even for those who are new to spearing or snorkeling. its like a giant fish bowl.

 

Right on jgp! We should dive sometime!

Right on jgp! We should dive sometime!

sounds good, i hope to get out more now that the season is open.

while diving SWS i found at the base of a tall kelp stalk the eggs of a swell shark and inside there were small sharks with a yolk sack attached to them as they wiggled wround. these eggs were about 4-5" long and a few were already hatched. the ocean is always showing me new things.

Nice to see you out in the water again John 

Nice to see you out in the water again John 

thanks man! hope i can get out more, cant wait til my daughter takes to it.....

Man i love diving there its calm and clear 90% of the time.I can spend hrs just floating face first in the water watching fish swim by.

while diving SWS i found at the base of a tall kelp stalk the eggs of a swell shark and inside there were small sharks with a yolk sack attached to them as they wiggled wround. these eggs were about 4-5" long and a few were already hatched. the ocean is always showing me new things.

That's awesome!  I think I've seen the eggs before, but never that stage of development.   

Diving can offer so many cool experiences... 




Are these the same sacs?
(old pic, taken back in 2006)

Great report!!!!!

Thank you for sharing...really inspired me to check that place out and to get back into diving as well!!

Thanks again.

Sincerely,

Jim

Congrat on the "voleuteer" Ling    Thanks for the diving report John.

Awesome!