So this is winter again. However, here in Southern California, winter is not like in Oslo or Mineapolis. In winter, we have the best diving conditions of the year! Of course the water can be chilly at times, but the visibility is usually extraordinary. In Catalina, a few miles off the coast of Los Angeles County, a short ferry ride from Newport Beach or a peaceful journeyy aboard the Magician, the clarity of the waters can be awesome. And this year it was!

I went to Catalina on two trips, the first with the peeps of South Orange County Dive Club for DUI's "dog day" when hundreds of shivering wetsuit divers come to experience the "comfort" of a dry suit. I did dog day a couple of years ago in a steel tank in San Diego and hated it. But I got a dry suit a few years later anyway. But this time, my dry suit was being repaired and I was diving wet. And I was shivering.

The dive site was of course the Dive Park. The visibility was in the 50ft range. Sometimes better, sometimes worse. I could almost made the three wrecks at 60ft just in front of the steps.

The pinnacle of the dives was undoubtedly me spotting a big badass octopus that decided to "attack" me! Usually, they stay in their hole, but this one was kind of "no-fear" look at me I'm going to rip your glove off and eat it for breakfast! Amazing.

Oh and on the way in and back, I won the rummy game. It was the first time in 10 years I played cards, I still can count...

The second trip was on the Magician dive boat, a sure value when it comes to Catalina diving. I did four dives, I must admit I was shivering at the end of the last one... I adopted a layer approach and ended up diving with my brand new 7mm wetsuit and added a 7mm shorty on top... Old school.

The conditions were great for pictures, so great that I overexposed most of my kelp shots. Oh well.

I ended up shooting video instead, I love the sunlight playing in the kelp forest canopy.