Beneath The Surface
Whether it's tropical...
or temperate, the reef is truly a magical place!
Deepwater brittlestars, California
Green sea turtle, Kauai
Kelp fish, California
California Channel Islands
Most of my local diving is done at Anacapa and Santa Cruz Islands. Anacapa, at only 12 miles from Channel Islands Harbor (Oxnard), is both close and a very good local due to the No Take Reserve. Covering much of the north side, there are lots of critters and they don't fear you.
Just look at the videos below!
Young harbor seal says howdy to Joe Tezak off Anacapa Island.
Yup. Nothing to see underwater in California!
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Janine's wild dolphin encounter at Rangiroa Atoll.
Janine on night dive in Fakarava with grey reef sharks.
Kelp Forest
Kelps as seen from underwater provide an amazing habitat which can be little appreciated from a topside vantage point. The beach goer wrinkles their nose and scurries by the piles of giant brown algae unceremoniously dumped on the sand by waves.
Just like the grandeur of a redwood forest cannot be gleaned from a truck loaded with chain-sawed logs, these odorous mounds of vegetation belie the vast riches and beauty of the kelp forest beneath its canopy.
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Pretty much only in the No Take Reserves does it look like this.
Fishes I Have Known
Grumpy rockfish
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Roscoe, giant black seabass, Anacapa Island.
Shipwrecks I Have Known
Janine explores the Spirit of America aka Peacock, said to have been a floating bordello, Santa Cruz Is. California
See captions by placing cursor on image lower right corner
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The Desert
There is a beauty and a "cleanliness" to the desert, Redrock, California
It is as vast as a sea with much of its life hidden as well.
The exposed geology is often stunning, Redrock, California.
Life here, like in the ocean, faces extremes, ocotillo.
A veritable cactus garden au natural, Janine and Lucky, Mojave.
Hedgehog cactus in bloom, Mojave.
Dry washes are a key feature of the desert. The descending root of the greesewood plant can be seen in the exposed embankment.
Some plants even take root directly in the wash, and just might have enough time to grow big enough to withstand the next down poor.
Wild burros, Death Valley
Mountain bighorn sheep, Granite Pass
Young jack rabbit, Granite Pass
Roadrunner - beep beep, Sonoran Desert
Our current camping rig - Roofnest Condor XL rooftop tent mounted to a Smittybuilt Scout off-road trailer.