After shooting some sunrise photos at Asilomar, none of which really got me all that excited, Kendra and I did our planned dive off South Monastery beach in Carmel. Be sure to check out her sweet shot of a moon jelly in the kelp.

Reports of 100' visibility got us excited, but you may have heard the saying, "the realization rarely exceeds the expectation"...or something like that.

We paddled the kayaks, loaded with SCUBA and camera gear out around the point towards Point Lobos State Reserve. Staying just outside the park, we tied off to some kelp as usual, although it is a bit sparse up top this time of year. Although the visibility was a solid 40-50', it was not 100'.

If you are not a diver, let me just explain, visibility can often dictate ones enjoyment on a dive, and can be one of the first things a diver may ask another diver when evaluating the conditions. I work at dive store, and believe it or not, there are people out there that could care less what they are looking at, they just want warm, clear water, and the ability to blow bubbles at 50 feet.

The devoted, though, care about their surroundings, and let me just say, the California kelp forests are a wondrous environment. I hope this image gives you a sense of what "good vis" looks like, even if it isn't 100'.

Nikon D300
Tokina 10-17mm fisheye @ 10mm
1/80s @ f6.3, ISO 160
Aquatica Housing, Megadome Port
Sea & Sea YS-120 strobes, 1 at full and 1 at half power