smcgregor08's Journal

After a few years without logging a dive, my buddy Steve and I went to a crowded La Jolla Shores to see if we could find one of the giant squid which for some reason, are in San Diego.

Unfortunately, my tanks and first stage would not cooperate, so we scrubbed the dive and went snorkeling. Since I did not bring a weight belt (my weights are BCD integrated), I stuffed 15 lbs of soft weight in my wetsuit and we swam out.

I wish I had an underwater housing, because we saw hundreds of shovelheads (see tagged).

When it came time to exit, Steve met the business end of a sting ray and we had to rush to the lifeguard so he could heat his foot. We must have looked strange exiting the water, Steve cursing his bleeding foot, and me with 15 lbs of weight at my crotch.

Diving requires waaaay more planning than we put into it.

The Sea Battle
I was surfing on a down day when I looked way out and saw a dolphin's water spout. I paddled to get closer, but when I sat up to see if it was still around, I noticed a small fish was jumping out of the water repeatedly. After 5 to 10 jumps, I noticed another, larger fish, herding the fish to the surfacing. After ~1 minute of jumping, the little fish looked like it was giving up and the larger fish went for the kill. This is when a tern swooped in and plucked the small fish from the jaws of the larger fish. It didn't end there.

The Air Battle
While trying to gain altitude, the tern was beset by a small gull. A short fight ensued, and the gull won the fish mid-air. The gull then made it 50 meters before a larger gull attacked it and forced it to drop the fish back into the water. That fish had one hell of a day.

Sunday I brought Sheila, Adam, Allysa, and Laura to PQ Canyon Preserve for a run. I grew up in this canyon. So many trails to explore and rocks to climb, it is glorious. I didn't see much today since too many people were on the trail after the holiday, but I have seen kites, deer, foxes, and the list goes on. Check it out!

This Pacific Flyway site exposed me to many species I had never seen. Since I am new to birding, I might need some help identifying these, and others.