So that's why the call them Kelp Forests

Saturday I did my first cold water dive and it was AWESOME. It's an impressive statement to say that it was well worth submersing my body in 55 degree water for almost an hour to see what I saw on those dives. It was truly incredible. As I sad on the bottom looking up at the kelp I realized why they call it kelp forests. It looks like trees. They are so tall (they were all the way to the surface when I was sitting at 60 feet) and they were everywhere, just like a forest. It was incredible how the light filtered down through them. We had really good visibility and could see 30-40 feet clearly, although you could see the surface if you really looked hard. The bottom of was it's own world of sea stars, and crabs, and huge anemones, and fish. A harbor seal swam right underneath me (I'm talking touching distance underneath me) on the second dive, and we saw squid eggs (which Steve explained to me what they were underwater and I got it - how's that for pictionary!)

I definitely was cold - but I figured I could deal with freezing my butt off as soon as I saw a little bit underwater of what I was going to see. As always the way down to the bottom was the worst with my mask slowly filling with water from an unknown hole (I really need to get a new mask), my ears being annoying with clearing, the water slowly filling in your wetsuit with it's glorious freezingness, and your hoses floating all over the place. Once you get into it though everything comes back and it all seems second nature. I did learn that in cold water diving rather than waiting to run low on air to surface, you surface when you are cold. Steve and I did a 50 minute dive the first time and my feet were numb (it was worth it by the way), and the second dive was 40 minutes (we were a bit colder from the start on that one). In between dives the boat has a hot water hose that you can stick down your wetsuit (truly a glorious experience), hot chocolate and soup in the galley, and with the air being warmer than the water you slowly start to get feeling back in your extremities.

It really was an awesome experience, and I am SO glad that I went! 55 degree water has nothing on kelp beds!

Here we are getting ready to go...

And here are some pics of below for your viewing pleasure (compliments of Matt):