Much has been written about the beauty of the tropics in virtually every diving and travel magazine. These articles describe the warm crystal clear azure waters, coral reefs, drop-offs, mantas, sharks, white sandy beaches, coconut lined coast, orchid resorts and of course, the hospitable people that makes the tropics like a slice of paradise.
Interestingly, the diving travel market seems to have focused on people living in cold weather countries over those living in the warm tropics. But then again, how many people from the tropics would really want to dive in the cold waters of California?
A Common Ocean
Diving on both sides of the Pacific Ocean presents a very unique experience. To be candid about it, it is but an exhilarating experience that every diver should try.
Most notable are the differences in water temperature. In California coast, the water temperature averages 15º C, requiring a diver to at least wear a hooded 7mm wetsuit, whereas in the Philippines, the 32º C water allows you to dive with just a swimsuit.
Similar to the Coriolis effect in the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean’s water moves in a clockwise direction above the equator called the Northern Pacific Gyre and counter-clockwise in the southern hemisphere. The Northern Pacific Gyre is further divided into four ocean currents: the Northern Pacific Current (north), California Current (east), North Equatorial Current (south) and the Kuroshio or Japan Current (west).
The warm water coming from the Philippines circulates upwards to the eastern side of Taiwan. It moves further up to the eastern coast of Japan meeting the sub-arctic current flowing down from Russia’s part of the Bering Sea. Still cold, it moves eastward towards southern British Columbia where it flows down along the California coast to the warmer water of southern Baja. The current then turns westward, aided by the trade winds it travels above the southern hemisphere moving towards the islands of the Philippines before it meets the Japan Current once again. Located in the same latitude, Japan’s coral reefs and California’s hydrocorals are given life by warm water.
Many species of fish in these regions have pelagic larvae. This gives them enough time to disperse in distant areas before they settle to become territorial adults. Turtles, sharks and tunas may spend periods of time in reefs between long migrations. Eventually, the Pacific Ocean gets replenished with a myriad of similar yet distinct species. Some of the more common species found in the Pacific include the garfish, anchovies, sardines, sprats, scads, mackerel, tunas, rainbow runners, fusiliers, barracudas, needlefish, snappers, emperors, groupers, lobsters, crabs, squid, octopus, cuttlefish, reef sharks, sea cucumbers and turtles.
The marine flora & fauna in each area is what makes a dive destination unique. Distinct in the California coast is its kelp forest. Other than the mounds where it anchors its roots, the kelp doubles as an enormous living shelter aiding the population of numerous invertebrates and fishes. With these canopies absent in the tropics, mangroves, sea grass and coral reefs act as its major sanctuaries teeming with marine life.
Northern California
Diving in California is just as exciting as diving in the Far East. Local scuba shops and clubs provide the best ways to dive in the Golden state. Getting to Northern California’s north coast dive areas via the scenic coastal Highway 1 or through the old quaint towns of Sonoma is gratifying in itself. Dive areas extend from Fort Ross all the way up to Mendocino County, where beautifully forested state parks like Stillwater Cove, Salt Point, Van Damme and Russian Gulch extend their natural treasures in their coastal waters. This is where the
highly sought after red abalone and the commercially harvested red and purple sea urchins abound. Bullhead kelps are quite abundant in the area, the preferred food of the urchins. This kelp is anchored by a hold fast or roots that clings on the bottom, a single stipe or trunk with a large pneumatocyst or gas filled float where the 30-64 blades grow from. This kelp can grow up to 35 meters tall, have a 12-14 month
life span and is the only kelp that drops spores in order to replace itself.
Most good sites are adjacent to rocky cliffs. They are accessible through nearby beaches or rocky paths, by kayak or small boat.
Heading down the southern coast will lead you to Monterey Peninsula where a submarine canyon reaches a depth of 3,050 meters. The canyon provides rich nutrients to the diverse array of marine life inhabiting or migrating in the area. Thus, most species of marine algae, fish, invertebrates and mammals found along the California Coast can be seen here. Several dive sites line Monterey’s coast from its Breakwater all around up to Carmel Bay’s famous Whaler’s & Bluefish Coves in Pt. Lobos State Reserve. This site is a real to life living aquarium showcasing Northern California’s diverse marine species.
Most of Monterey’s dive areas are accessed by beach entry or through chartered boats that visit Carmel’s infamous Pinnacles. This area takes its name from the two areas with vertical granite outcroppings covered with invertebrates in depths of 6 to over 30 meters. Visibility is usually quite good for photography.
Some of Northern California’s spectacles include: Bull-head kelp forests, the harborseals,
otters, surf perch, greenlings, lingcods, blue rockfishes, hydrocorals,
red coralline algaes, sculpins, cabezone, crabs, rays, leopard sharks,
flat fishes, red abalones, brilliant colored anemones, and sea hares.
And of course, what dive wouldn’t be complete without other friendly
divers in the area?
Southern California
The diving sites in Southern California line Malibu, Redondo, Long, and Laguna Beaches. Accesses by boat are the Channel Islands: eight islands that showcase their landscape and most importantly the beautiful Giant kelp or brown algae which grow to 60 meters in length, invertebrates, garibaldis, California seal lions, harbor seals, huge lobsters, halibut chestnut cowries and scallops, as well as the rare California purple hydrocorals. Not to be considered last are San Diego’s Scripps and La Jolla Canyons, which sink to 490 and 275 meters, respectively. Accessible directly from the beach or by boat, the adjoined Canyons abruptly steep down more than 60 meters. Wall crevices house varied marine life with outcropping Gorgonians. Several species of Nudibranch’s populate this area, too. La Jolla is known as the breeding venue for rockfishes and the California squids whose elongated eggs crazily feed sharks, crustaceans, halibut, skates and other bottom feeders.
Saving the Pacific Ocean
California’s preservation efforts have proven that without such action most of its marine flora & fauna would have gone extinct decades ago. Even though California’s dive areas do not have adjacent nor nearby resort facilities, public awareness efforts, with the strict law enforcement by the Department of Fish and Game in safeguarding the marine environment have helped preserve the population of fishes and most marine species in the area and they are not easily spooked when encountering these alien divers.
By contrast, although such efforts are being replicated in the Philippines and in other Asian countries, coastal communities in the region still generally live along the poverty line and are highly dependent on fishing. With limited funds in addition to the vast archipelago, strict enforcement is difficult or close-to-impossible. Thus blasting, cyanide and illegal commercial fishing still persist in the Western Pacific. Even fishing vessels from neighboring countries drop their nets past international waters.
However, the rapid increase of local divers, dive resorts, conservation organizations, awareness of the media and government has contributed if only sparingly to the elevation of awareness in respecting the marine ecosystem. International diver training agencies have included in their course outline conservation considerations while diving. Dive resorts have promoted the conservation of their reef frontages and outlying sites and employed the communities surrounding them, giving some form of consistency to communal education on environment, alternative livelihood, monitoring and enforcement, a win-win situation.
On a much much larger scale, the world has yet to find a solution in replacing or properly disposing plastic. With the vast oceans interconnected, the Pacific Ocean continuous to carry with its currents our plastic refuse forming an enormous floating garbage pool in the eastern part of the Northern gyre twice as big as the state of Texas. These plastics in time photo-degrade into microscopic bits that are mistaken as food by fishes plying the area. If they survive this feast, we would be feasting on the same fish soon.
The Pacific Ocean is one body of water that truly offers wonderful treasures for everyone to protect and appreciate. It is inherent upon us to help save our seas in any way we can.
Whichever part of the world you come from, diving on both sides of the Pacific should be part of everyone’s dive log.
Interestingly, the diving travel market seems to have focused on people living in cold weather countries over those living in the warm tropics. But then again, how many people from the tropics would really want to dive in the cold waters of California?
A Common Ocean
Most notable are the differences in water temperature. In California coast, the water temperature averages 15º C, requiring a diver to at least wear a hooded 7mm wetsuit, whereas in the Philippines, the 32º C water allows you to dive with just a swimsuit.
Similar to the Coriolis effect in the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean’s water moves in a clockwise direction above the equator called the Northern Pacific Gyre and counter-clockwise in the southern hemisphere. The Northern Pacific Gyre is further divided into four ocean currents: the Northern Pacific Current (north), California Current (east), North Equatorial Current (south) and the Kuroshio or Japan Current (west).
The warm water coming from the Philippines circulates upwards to the eastern side of Taiwan. It moves further up to the eastern coast of Japan meeting the sub-arctic current flowing down from Russia’s part of the Bering Sea. Still cold, it moves eastward towards southern British Columbia where it flows down along the California coast to the warmer water of southern Baja. The current then turns westward, aided by the trade winds it travels above the southern hemisphere moving towards the islands of the Philippines before it meets the Japan Current once again. Located in the same latitude, Japan’s coral reefs and California’s hydrocorals are given life by warm water.
Many species of fish in these regions have pelagic larvae. This gives them enough time to disperse in distant areas before they settle to become territorial adults. Turtles, sharks and tunas may spend periods of time in reefs between long migrations. Eventually, the Pacific Ocean gets replenished with a myriad of similar yet distinct species. Some of the more common species found in the Pacific include the garfish, anchovies, sardines, sprats, scads, mackerel, tunas, rainbow runners, fusiliers, barracudas, needlefish, snappers, emperors, groupers, lobsters, crabs, squid, octopus, cuttlefish, reef sharks, sea cucumbers and turtles.
The marine flora & fauna in each area is what makes a dive destination unique. Distinct in the California coast is its kelp forest. Other than the mounds where it anchors its roots, the kelp doubles as an enormous living shelter aiding the population of numerous invertebrates and fishes. With these canopies absent in the tropics, mangroves, sea grass and coral reefs act as its major sanctuaries teeming with marine life.
Northern California
Diving in California is just as exciting as diving in the Far East. Local scuba shops and clubs provide the best ways to dive in the Golden state. Getting to Northern California’s north coast dive areas via the scenic coastal Highway 1 or through the old quaint towns of Sonoma is gratifying in itself. Dive areas extend from Fort Ross all the way up to Mendocino County, where beautifully forested state parks like Stillwater Cove, Salt Point, Van Damme and Russian Gulch extend their natural treasures in their coastal waters. This is where the highly sought after red abalone and the commercially harvested red and purple sea urchins abound. Bullhead kelps are quite abundant in the area, the preferred food of the urchins. This kelp is anchored by a hold fast or roots that clings on the bottom, a single stipe or trunk with a large pneumatocyst or gas filled float where the 30-64 blades grow from. This kelp can grow up to 35 meters tall, have a 12-14 month
life span and is the only kelp that drops spores in order to replace itself.
Most good sites are adjacent to rocky cliffs. They are accessible through nearby beaches or rocky paths, by kayak or small boat.
Southern California
The diving sites in Southern California line Malibu, Redondo, Long, and Laguna Beaches. Accesses by boat are the Channel Islands: eight islands that showcase their landscape and most importantly the beautiful Giant kelp or brown algae which grow to 60 meters in length, invertebrates, garibaldis, California seal lions, harbor seals, huge lobsters, halibut chestnut cowries and scallops, as well as the rare California purple hydrocorals. Not to be considered last are San Diego’s Scripps and La Jolla Canyons, which sink to 490 and 275 meters, respectively. Accessible directly from the beach or by boat, the adjoined Canyons abruptly steep down more than 60 meters. Wall crevices house varied marine life with outcropping Gorgonians. Several species of Nudibranch’s populate this area, too. La Jolla is known as the breeding venue for rockfishes and the California squids whose elongated eggs crazily feed sharks, crustaceans, halibut, skates and other bottom feeders.
Saving the Pacific Ocean
California’s preservation efforts have proven that without such action most of its marine flora & fauna would have gone extinct decades ago. Even though California’s dive areas do not have adjacent nor nearby resort facilities, public awareness efforts, with the strict law enforcement by the Department of Fish and Game in safeguarding the marine environment have helped preserve the population of fishes and most marine species in the area and they are not easily spooked when encountering these alien divers.
By contrast, although such efforts are being replicated in the Philippines and in other Asian countries, coastal communities in the region still generally live along the poverty line and are highly dependent on fishing. With limited funds in addition to the vast archipelago, strict enforcement is difficult or close-to-impossible. Thus blasting, cyanide and illegal commercial fishing still persist in the Western Pacific. Even fishing vessels from neighboring countries drop their nets past international waters.
However, the rapid increase of local divers, dive resorts, conservation organizations, awareness of the media and government has contributed if only sparingly to the elevation of awareness in respecting the marine ecosystem. International diver training agencies have included in their course outline conservation considerations while diving. Dive resorts have promoted the conservation of their reef frontages and outlying sites and employed the communities surrounding them, giving some form of consistency to communal education on environment, alternative livelihood, monitoring and enforcement, a win-win situation.
The Pacific Ocean is one body of water that truly offers wonderful treasures for everyone to protect and appreciate. It is inherent upon us to help save our seas in any way we can.
Whichever part of the world you come from, diving on both sides of the Pacific should be part of everyone’s dive log.
