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Wilson Rock
It’s no wonder I love diving on mountains in the sea. I love earthly mountains. For fun, if I’m not diving I’m knocking about the Sie |
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Author |
: Dale Sheckler |
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Location |
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Santa Rosa
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Date |
: October 08, 2009 |
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We all want to knock 'em dead the opening week of lobster season, perhaps even limiting out a day or two of those first few days. And it is always fun to grab an 8 to 10 pound "bug" or even larger. There are lots of good places to do this but perhaps none better than Talcott Shoal, off Santa Rosa Island. Not only is this spot an excellent location to start off your lobster quest this year, but also it continues to produce throughout the season.
The reasons for Talcott's abundance of lobsters is simple: the bottom profile and the expanse of the area. Talcott Shoal covers an area of several square miles of divable bottom, most in the 20 to 100 foot depth range. The bottom is dominated by a series of ledges parallel to one another about 50 to 100 feet apart, depending on location. The ledges vary in height from just a few inches to upward of 15 feet or more. The taller sections have overhangs, small caves and broken off section with deep gaps. Not only do lobster love this habitat, the bugs are relatively easy to get at. The site is also easy navigated underwater -- follow one ridge out and half way through the dive cross over to the next ridge and follow it back to the boat. One of the keys to being a good lobster hunter is to cover a lot of bottom and Talcott makes that easy using the technique as described above.
But diving here is not all about diving for lobster. Sections of the reef can be exceptionally beautiful. The mini-walls created by the ledges are filled with life. Invertebrate photography can be very good with numerous nudibranchs feeding on hydroids and sponges. Stands of gorgonian, chestnut cowries, anemones and a variety of smaller reef fish also dot the reef with color and activity.
Frequent surgy conditions here can, however, make photography challenging. As for wide-angle photo you might be best to leave that lens aboard the boat. There is kelp is generally thin and visibility averages only 25 to 30 feet.
Talcott Shoal is in a location open to the prevailing weather from the northwest. As such it is not always the best place to dive. Even so charter boats out of Ventura and Santa Barbara plan frequent trips here throughout the season because it is such an excellent producer of lobster.
Dive Spot At A Glance
Location: Large area on the mainland side of the west end of Santa Rosa Island.
Access: Boat only.
Skill Level: Intermediate or better because of currents and surge and sometimes rough surface conditions.
Depths: 20 to 100 feet but most diving done in the 40 to 50 foot range.
Hunting: Very good for lobster. Good also for rock scallops. Some rockfish, big sheephead and an occasional lingcod.
Hazards: Can be quite surgy in shallow.
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