12/20/2011 Mount Chamberlin aboard Phil Sammet's RIB by John Heimann

[jheimann]

12/20/2011 Mount Chamberlin aboard Phil Sammet's RIB by John Heimann -- [View in Reports Page]

Bottom Team:	Nick Radov, John Heimann
Visibility:	30' - 60'	Time:	5:05 PM
Temp:	54F - 54F	Surge:	3'
Scooter:	Halcyon T16	Burn Time:	0:20
Max Depth:	245FSW	Avg Depth:	180FSW
Bottom Time:	0:30	Total Time:	1:41
Bottom Gases:	15/55	Deco Gases:	EAN50,O2
Backgas Config:	Double LP104	Deco Tanks:	AL40,AL80
Deco Profile:	2s to 80 7,5,5,5,5,25,6 up
Nick and I both had full sets of 104s with 15/55 that we needed to use, and a vacation day set aside on which to use them, so we chartered Phil's RIB and set out for a day of midweek diving. Conditions weren't looking great when we left the launch ramp at Whaler's, but when we got around Yankee Pt. the east wind had subsided (blocked by the ridge?) so surface conditions were pretty nice. We dropped down on a pinnacle that I believe is the southwest side of Mt. Chamberlain, reaching the end of the anchor at about 160'. We dropped down the wall to about 220 and scootered downslope around some boulders to 245', turned, and headed back up a chute which led to the top of the pinnacle at 135'. Between 200' and 160' we saw several species of rockfish, a huge lingcod, lots of corynactus, elephant ear sponges, and gorgonia, and best of all, none of the barnacles that have been afflicting the shallower reefs in the past year. And best of all for me - my new Halcyon scooter performed flawlessly, without a single drop of water inside after the dive. ;^)