Coastal Santa Barbara, February 15th Lobster SCUBA Dive #2

Attempting to make it to Santa Rosa Island from Santa Barbara, we got denied at the Potato Patch and bailed to the "B" plan. That plan was to make a coastal dive near Port.
Conditions looked great the closer we got. Wind died, the sun was out, and the vis looked good. We dropped the hook in a good looking kelp bed and made some dives.
Dive 1 was good, lots of fish around, saw a lot of short bugs, and I took a scallop. • Coastal Santa Barbara,...
Dive 2 (this video) there was some better structure; so more fish, more scallops, and a lot more lobster. I ended up taking 4 legal bugs and 5 scallops on this dive.
In this video:
Calico (Kelp) Bass: 0:13, 4:29
Rock Scallop: 0:44, 0:51, 1:01, 4:45, 5:03
Sand Bass: 1:19
Olive Rockfish: 1:36
Lingcod guarding a nest: 1:54, 2:36
3 Pound Lobster: 3:17
Swell Sharks: 4:01
Baby Lingcod: 4:25
Sheephead Circling Like Sharks: 4:50
Occupied Lobster Trap: 5:13
Big Rock Crab: 6:00
Cabezon: 6:07
Sweet Bug Grab: 7:45
Sweet Lobster Honeyhole: 8:20
Sheephead and Lobster are throughout the video.
This is the video from Dive number 2. We did 2 dives this day, and the Dive 1 video can be viewed: • Coastal Santa Barbara,...
Enjoy.

[@aharmer1]

This late in the season there are a ton of barely short bugs with missing appendages. I did a Malibu dive last week, and it looked like a leper's convention. That is one of the indicators I use in deciding if a lobster is worth the time it takes to rip from a hole. Missing legs=already been looked at and measured. I am just glad they are hardy and grow back their legs and antennae, within reason.

[@aharmer1]

Talus Carpenter , there is a huge freediving community in Santa Barbara. There is even a club, the Santa Barbara Freedivers club. Around Santa Barbara I almost never scuba dive, most of the life is so shallow and I love having less gear. Feel free to hit me up when you get over here and we can make a dive day.

[@OrangeCountyScuba]

Great video. Glad to see you are still able to find a few legals this late in the season. I went out last week and only saw shorts!

[@OrangeCountyScuba]

Mostly Orange County area, but with the recent closures in 2012, the few remaining hunt areas in OC are getting hard and heavy. I dove at Point Loma early in the season and saw a ton of little bugs. In fact, I posted a video of a lobster honey hole with hundreds of shorts under one rock. Maybe they will grow up for next year's season! Keep your video's coming. I enjoy watching them!

[@s258298]

I loved watching this. and if i don't get my dive licence this year. ??? ill go dive anyway just like allways.

[@standish92k]

That is a really healthy sheephead population. Nice bugs too!

[@aharmer1]

I did not really come across much sandy habitat, and I saw no halibut. Definitely time to start looking though. I guess after lobster closes I can start spending more time focusing on flatties. I do not think I have seen one since October.

[@scubafever282828]

Very Nice Video.... Good Job

[@SinCityScuba]

Thanks for sharing, enjoyed the vid1

[@aharmer1]

Thanks. It was a pretty fun day.

[@aharmer1]

This late in the season definitely involves looking at a ton of shorts, but there are usually a few overlooked. Are you diving mostly around San Diego? I never did well diving around Point Loma as a kid. Lots of commercial pressure there all season long, and there is not much left by the end.

[@jakkstakuna]

Now your in my back yard, I dive santa barbara county, from point conception to malibu. I live in Santa Barbara.

[@aharmer1]

Talus Carpenter Thanks! We were between 35 and 45 feet deep.

[@aharmer1]

Thanks, and be safe :) There are no cops checking licenses here.

[@iamtaliesin]

dude NICE grab at 7:58

[@davidbauer4604]

Yep...Good point ..with the bug missing both antennae at 2:50....hate inexperienced or reckless bug hunters...that's one

[@taluscarpenter4369]

i am moving to santa barbara from Hawaii i spearfish a lot but only free dive. are there many free divers there?

[@taluscarpenter4369]

how deep? sick video man

[@aharmer1]

There are no laws concerning scuba certification is what I was saying. I told him to dive safe, but nobody will be checking up on his diving credentials.

[@jamescassidy1842]

hey man, you still diving? no videos?

[@aharmer1]

Thanks. Skin of my teeth.

[@amoshilel123]

thats a huge as sheaphead

[@davidbauer4604]

....thing cool about your style.....u measure twice and grab n release great....