Dive #221 - Rich Torkington's Dive Log
© Copyright 2010 Rich Torkington Mesa, Arizona

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Bottom Time to Date:

190h
33m


Dive Info:

Dive Start:
9:00AM

Bottom Time:
52 minutes

Maximum Depth:
57 feet

Safety Stop:
3 minutes

Beginning Air:
3000 psi

Ending Air:
1000 psi

Weather Conditions:
Overcast 83°F

Surface Conditions:
Swells

Surface Water Temperature:
82°F

Bottom Water Temperature:
78°F

Visibility:
50-60 feet
221
TITLE
* * * *½
July 27,
2005
LOS MORROS NORTE
CABO PULMO NATIONAL MARINE PARK, BAJA CALIFORNIA SUR, MEXICO
DRIFT DIVE
VIDEO
Linda, Ash (DM)
Vista Sea Sport
Buena Vista, BCS
http://vistaseasport.com
Photo
This picture doesn't even come close to
describing the endless flow of bigeye jacks we saw.
Videograph by Rich Torkington in Mexico 2005 
Dive Journal: Under dark skies, we take a bumpy boat ride south today again to the Cabo Pulmo Marine Reserve, but fortunately we are rewarded with warmer waters, good visibility and a pleasant current. This site is near El Bajo (dive #218) and Los Morros means “the noses,” I guess referring to small hills.

At first we see big friendly yellowtail surgeonfish that make stunning video. Then we enter an area Linda dubs “Balloonia,” the mythical place where all balloons go. There are several dozen balloonfish seemingly arranged in an array over a large patch of sea floor, hovering several feet off the bottom. It's possible this is a nesting grounds. We swim around and circle through these fish for quite a while.

As we drift along, we come across a big grouper getting cleaned, and stop to examine him for while. I also find several bulls-eye skates and an interestingly shaped ray and take some video until Ash suggests I’d better move away (from the ray). Ash may have thought it a lesser electric ray, but from later identification I'm thinking this might be a shovelnose guitarfish (below). Comments from readers?

Drifting further still, we finally come across a HUGE HUGE school of big eye jacks! They are descending from the surface in a superhighway of traffic, and the flow seems endless. There is a monsterous school of them on the surface, with a big river of them diving down to the reef, probably to cleaning stations. I keep the video rolling for many minutes, capturing this activity from many angles and magnifications. The sight of so many jacks in one place, and so close, is just outstanding.

This dive is over too soon, but even the safety stop is fun as we careen through the ultra-blue waters in the current. Superb dive – highlighted by the jacks.
Photo
Balloonia
Videograph by Rich Torkington in Mexico 2005 
Photo
A shovelnose guitarfish?
Videograph by Rich Torkington in Mexico 2005 

More
Dive
Info:
Fins:
Mares Avanti Quattro
Computer:
Oceanic Véo 200
Tank:
80 ft3 Al
BCD:
SeaQuest Spectrum 4
Breathing Gas:
Air
Body of Water:
Sea of Cortez
Mask:
U S Divers
Protection:
3mm full wetsuit layered with 2mm shorty
Regulator:
SeaQuest
Spectrum XR2
plus Oceanic
Slimline octopus
Weight:
8 lb
Water Type:
Salt
Video Equipment:
Sony DCR-TRV11 digital handycam in Top Dawg housing