Stella Luna Productions

Gary H., Simon G., and I went diving to see if we could run across the Seven Gill that Gary had seen the previous day. While I have the encounter at the end of this short video, it actually happened at the beginning of the dive. I guess I just felt like saving the best for last. ;-)

The Tritonia festiva is a nudibranch that feeds on blue cobalt sponge and is frequently found in red gorgonians. These are Eastern Pacific species.

* The camcorder: Sony HVR-V1U
* The housing: Gates
* The lighting: NiteRider Video Divelights

This is a story about a WWII American Fighter aircraft which is now an underwater wreck off Torrey Pines near La Jolla, CA.

This film is a collaboration of three folks: Steve Gardner, Tim Paige, and myself. Steve Gardner took the still photos in 2004 and provide a comparison to my video of 2007. Tim Paige found a P-38 model created by Robin Gerard and animated it. I took the HD video, wrote and dictated the narration, and produced the video.

The story in the film is important; however, archival and conservation of historical wrecks is key to preservation of artifacts. In fact, no artifacts were taken or damaged in the making of this film.

Broadnose or spotted sevengill shark - Notorynchus cepedianus (1807)

The genus name Notorynchus is derived from the Greek "noton" meaning back and "rhyngchos" meaning snout. flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Gallery/Descript/Sevengill/Sevengill.html

These beautiful creatures have recently begun returning to the waters off San Diego, in both the Point Loma and La Jolla kelp beds. They can be dangerous but much of the time they seem to want to know more about us.

I believe our lights interest them. During the day the encounters can be more subdued since they can see us better. At night they must get very close before they dash off.

The other creatures in this video are inhabitants of rocky reefs and kelp beds.

For a full account of the dive refer to:
vimeo.com/3813419

Scripps Canyon is a shallow submarine canyon in the Pacific Ocean off La Jolla, CA.

It is the best studied of all submarine canyons by virtue of its proximity to Scripps Institution of Oceanography, for which it was named.

The canyon’s shallow tributary valleys head very close to shore in water only 40 feet (12 m) deep, but divers usually start their dive at one of two major sites: (1) South Branch and dive up Sumner Branch, or (2) North Branch. The two sites have very different structure, although both are vertical walls. Where Scripps Canyon joins La Jolla Canyon, at 980 feet, the walls of Scripps Canyon are V-shaped and have a height of approximately 360 feet.

This video was taken on North Branch at a site we call "Cathedral Heights" which is the wall just below "Shepard's Tributary," named in honor of Francis Parker Shepard (10 May 1897—25 April 1985).

Shepard was an American sedimentologist most associated with his studies of submarine canyons and seafloor currents around continental shelves and slopes, especially Scripps Canyon.

The walls of North Branch are as steep as the other branches, but here you will find both vertical and horizontal striations in the walls. It is in these places that you may find swell sharks, moray eels, and many other critters. We call this site "Cathedral Heights" because as you look up from 120 or so feet, spires soar up into the skylight above. Within "Cathedral Heights" is "The Chimney". It is one of those vertical locations wide enough for a diver to get halfway inside and look up to the ceiling about 10 feet above.

Sumner Canyon has tiers of fingers that reach out and repeat as you go deeper. You might try picturing the top half of a mature pine cone still on the tree. Each layer is wider as you go towards the middle, and the individual pieces flare out further.

Citations:
"Francis Parker Shepard." Wikipedia Online. 12 Jul. 2009
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Parker_Shepard

"Scripps Canyon." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2009.
Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 12 Jul. 2009
britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/529996/Scripps-Canyon

"Scripps Canyon, San Diego, California." Eco Dive Center Online. 12 Jul. 2009
ecodivecenter.com/content/scripps-canyon-san-diego-california

"Scripps Canyon." Scubapost Online. Author: ScubaSean 12 Jul. 2009
scubapost.net/divesites/san-diego/dive-sites/scripps-canyon
.