Posted by Jenny__CA on 1/6/06 8:58pm
Msg #86787

Charles,

Guess what? It is foggy here and the town that I was in is worse. I didn't take the pictures, oh well, I'll try it tomorrow.

Reply by Jenny__CA on 1/6/06 8:59pm
Msg #86788

Re: meant Charles_CA n/m

Reply by eXpedN_TX on 1/6/06 9:07pm
Msg #86791

Jenny, what type of camera did you get? n/m

Reply by Jenny__CA on 1/6/06 9:13pm
Msg #86792

Re: Jenny, what type of camera did you get?

I purchased a Kodak Easy Share P850. It has 5.1 mega pixels and 12xIS. Can't wait to start playing with. :-)

Charles gave me good advice on it.

Reply by eXpedN_TX on 1/6/06 9:21pm
Msg #86793

Re: Jenny, what type of camera did you get?

Excellent choice and you are right to listen to Charles. I use the Canon S330 and love it. I bought an underwater case for it and last Sept. took in the ocean in the Bahamas with me. Was great!!! Have fun with your new camera!!!

Reply by Jenny__CA on 1/6/06 9:34pm
Msg #86794

Re: what type of camera did you get?

Thank you, I will. I am taking my girls to the zoo tomorrow just so that I can try it out ( for the girls' fun also :-) )

Reply by eXpedN_TX on 1/6/06 9:44pm
Msg #86795

Re: what type of camera did you get?

Oh that will be great!!! Maybe the fog will clear by then.

Reply by Jenny__CA on 1/6/06 10:08pm
Msg #86797

Re: I'm keeping my fingers crossed. n/m

Reply by Charles_Ca on 1/6/06 10:23pm
Msg #86801

Tell me about your underwater housing

Is it custom or one of the off-the-shelf systems. Is your Canon the EOS. How do you like it? I'm kind of locked into the Nikon system because I've been collecting lenses since 1966 for my Photomic FTN (which I still use on occaision) and they all fit my D70S. But I love to take UW and use a Nikonos (Yes, the ancient sardine can). What do you use for flash. In fact just to make it easy tell me all about it either here or off the site. I'd loike to see some of your UW pix. Do you dive regularly and where?

Reply by eXpedN_TX on 1/6/06 10:36pm
Msg #86805

Re: Tell me about your underwater housing

Custom...I didn't want to take any chances. http://electronicspatron.net/B00006FRTG.html

I'll have to email you more details later because I am getting ready for bed. My favorite place to dive thus far is Catalina Island...yes, I like cold water and especially the Kelp forests. I'm just crazy like that. I dive with a place called Scuba Luv when I am there. They are great! I rent a lot of the equipment because when I travel I travel light and I don't get to dive as often as I would like so I haven't bought all the goodies.

I have to admit that I have yet to dive in Mexico. I hear that it's some of the best diving. I am PADI certified.

- Melissa

Reply by TCMN on 1/6/06 10:42pm
Msg #86807

Re: Tell me about your underwater housing-Melissa

I've went diving in Ixtapa...very cool. Had the BEST dive shop and the owners were probably the nicest I have ever been around. If you ever go, I'll have to get their exact phone number but it was Manuel & his wife and Frederick (from France and I'm not sure how he spelled it)

Reply by Charles_Ca on 1/6/06 10:18pm
Msg #86800

Hi Jenny

Sorry about the fog, it is a real pain this time of year. Cool, the zoo is great for photo ops with kids and animals they are just natural together!! Wait until you start to manipulate them in your computer. I like Irfanview for an editing software, its easy, quite complete and best of all its free (my favorite word)! You can crop, you can resample, you can slice it, dice it and put it on your pizza (oops, I got carried away)!

Anyway enjoy and if I can help don't hesitate to call!

Reply by eXpedN_TX on 1/6/06 10:28pm
Msg #86802

Re: Hi Jenny

Hmmm...I'll have to try Irfanview. I use Ulead Photo Express, PictureGear Studio, and the software that came with my Canon.

Reply by Charles_Ca on 1/6/06 10:46pm
Msg #86809

Corel Graphics Suite is in my opinion one of the best.

I have had Corel for years and always upgrade. The learning curve is quite steep but the results are worth it. Catalina is a great place to dive, also there is an underwater mount on the other side that is just incredible. The other Channel islands are a lot of fun also. Scripps cove in San Diego is another fu place and has the only population of broomtail grouper on the West Coast. I learned to dive in Maine and that is really cold. There are also a number of excellent beach dives in Laguna, Corona del Mar and Newport. Mexico is wonderful, I love Puerto Vallarta and South to Manzanillo and just about everywhere in between. Sopme of my most exciting dives however have been in the South China Sea and in the Caribbean. E-mial me when you can/

Good night!

Reply by christiSocal on 1/7/06 4:16am
Msg #86826

catalina questions?

I have been trying to plan a surprise trip to catalina for my husband in the spring. We'll want to scuba as well as snorkle. We've never done either one. Looking online at catalina, I see two harbors and avalon. Any suggestions on which one would be best? I'm going to check out scuba luv after I'm done here. Thanks! I never know what info I'll get from this site ;-)

Reply by eXpedN_TX on 1/7/06 9:26am
Msg #86840

Re: catalina questions?

I haven't been to the 2 harbor area on the back side, but I'm sure it's as beautiful as Avalon. I usually just take the Catalina Express and dock in Avalon. From there I walk to Scuba Luv and a guy named Jamie (if he's still there), leads the scuba adventure. The first time I went I dove off of Casino Point, but I recommend taking atleast a double dive off of the boat. After swimming aroung at 60 ft. for over an hour I found it real difficult lifting my body back on to the rocks at Casino Point while the waves kept slapping me. I can't begin to tell you how beautiful it is there. It's like a whole new world underwater and the kelp, wildlife, and colors are so exciting. Wish I had my camera with me those times. There are also glass bottom boat rides which is a nice way to relax and still look at all the beautiful coral and fish. I have never spent the night at Catalina because I would always be in the LA area for business so I can't recommend a place to sleep, but there is a lot to see and do so the more time you have the more time you can explore.

Reply by Charles_Ca on 1/7/06 1:50pm
Msg #86875

Re: catalina questions?

You are absolutely right about Avalon. The back side (windward side) can be surgey depending on where you go. One of my favorite areas is the seamount a few miles West of Catalina. The boat does a drift dive and you actually drop down on the peak of an undersea moutain. You should be in good shape because there is a current and the dive can be deeper. One of the biggest thrills is to see large pelagics drifting by. Its incredible!

The dive on Twin Harbors is fun too with the lee side again being a little easier and the windward side more surgey.

Reply by Charles_Ca on 1/7/06 1:36pm
Msg #86871

Re: catalina questions?

Catalina is a great dive destination. I am not familiar with Scuba Luv but obfiously expdnTx is and endorses it. I have no idea of the level of your husband but a fun and enjoyable trip is Avalon. When I used to teach SCUBA at Orange Coast College we used tomake the students do cove surveys which is a great way to share information with others. We used to take all the cove surveys and then combine them in a booklet at the end of the year.

The Avalon area is serviced by a number of dive boats out of San Pedro and becase it is in the lee of the island there is greatly reduced surge on that side. In the winter the plankton bloms are off and without the surge there is less turbidity so that the water approach visibility as good as anywhere. Avlon boasts some fine kelp forests and a couple interesting wrecks on eof which is so close to the CAsino that you can swim out from shore to get to it. Avalon has great places to dine and a couple nice plasces to stay, including Zane Greys forme home and the Wrigley mansion on top ot Mt Ada, great suites with asolutely wonderful veiws of the harbor and a great chef!

If you are taking non-divers with you one of the things that can integrate the dive experience is the glass-bottomed boat ride which takes you to the kelp forests. I enjoy the boat ride to the seal rookery and the night boat ride to see the flying fish (I don't know if they still do that).

Some of the boats have compressors on board and some you need to take extra tanks. Decompression is not a problem and you should be able to get in 3 dives in one day. I look for boats with hot showers: its a real treat after a day of diving for me. For boat dives I like to use a wetsuit with nylon only on one side. When I am doing a boat dive I usually spend more time in the wetsuit and when you get out of the water the evaporation on the outside can actually drop the temperature of the wetsuit considerably. Of course a dry suit is always an option.

If you'd like I can email or send you some more information on the area.

Good diving!

Reply by christi ausherman on 1/8/06 3:13am
Msg #86944

Thanks for the great info and yes, Charles I'd

be very grateful for more info about it. I'm really excited to do this, I've lived in ca all my life and have never been there. I did try to swim there once, in my teens, but that had more to do with a cute lifeguard than really going. LOL . My husbands in pretty good shape and I'm working on me! But I still have a ways to go. I've been looking at the boat dives and I want to go on the glass bottom boat too.
Thanks again!