I managed to hop on a boat on last minute, even though the swell forecast did not look too good. The swells did indeed render most of Anacapa Island undivable. However, was remained was absolutely specular. Water temperatures in the low 70’s and visibility of over 50 ft makes this almost a caribbean dive.

The warm water does have an effect on wildlife on the islands. No nudibranchs, which normally are abundant. And it seems the number of fish has declined some as well. The other peculiarity is that most areas that used to be barren are now covered in seagrass and kelp.

As for the photos, oh well. I have so many macro photos, that I chose a mid-wide angle lens for this dive hoping to take some landscapes. If I knew how good the water would be, I would have used the wide angle lens. Conditions were so good in fact, that I managed to take my first ever underwater panorama by stitching 3 images together.