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24 cube cold water


moto826

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The coldwater invert selection is...unreal. good luck, there is some good literature out there, but it is limited. There are vendors who will ship species to your door, or you can collect. With the diversity and beauty of the NW Coast, there are some amazing things right in our own backyard. good luck, and post updates!

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Heck yeah!! Then maybe you can send some more my way' date=' been dying to get some other colors , maybe some oranges or something (drooler)[/quote']

 

 

As far as I know, we only have the red variety in the Puget Sound region. I've never seen any other colors up here. The pinks, whites, and oranges are a California thing.....mostly Bay area South.

 

The strawberries (Corynactis sp.) are extremely difficult to collect up here. There are only two spots that I know of that are somewhat accessible by a normal dive boat.....and no strawberries can be found from a shore dive. Both sites are also extreme current spots that require diving experience, timed tides, and perfectly calm weather. I've been trying all summer to get to them with no success for various reasons. I reached them on the last trip...but alas...we couldn't find any on removable rocks (strawberries cannot be removed from the rocks....you have to collect the rock too). This weekend is probably my last chance where the tides allow access......but, it looks like the weather won't cooperate. It's likely that I won't have access again until next summer.

 

Unlike the strawberries in California, ours are extremely hard to get to.

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I wonder how far up the coast line they are found and at what depths?

 

Maybe a trip to southern oregon is in order (naughty)

 

 

It isn't a matter of depth....it's a matter of flow, consistent temperature, and food. This eliminates most of Puget Sound. It also eliminates any shore diving sites. They can be found up and down the Oregon coast....but, it will take a boat on the open ocean....and that means (up here at least) you're tied to the weather (basically summer only). Some folks are under the impression that you can find these in tidepools.....which is not the case.

 

The next issue is a dive boat. It isn't a matter of just chartering a boat. Most dive operators will not take you out if you're collecting. I've had to make private arrangements through dive buddies with access to a boat. I also spend a lot of time on Scuba message boards looking at folk's pictures....which is a great way to find where the critters that we're looking for reside.

 

Off of Port Orford in southern Oregon, there are some submerged sea mounts that have huge fields of them. A decade ago, we could have enlisted the urchin divers on the cheap to bring back crates of them.....but, that industry folded and went to Canada. I did spend some time trying that source with no success.

 

In California, there are some sites (like Monterey Bay) that you can reach them easily without too much trouble (except for collection laws of course).....but, up here....you need a live dive boat, some luck, and a comfort level diving on sites usually listed as "extreme advanced". There are no easy strawberries anywhere north of Monterey Bay that I'm aware exists. If you ever hear of one...let me know, and I'll be there the next day.

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I need to go diving again!

 

Only done warmwater, but I bet I'd be fine in a wetsuit up here...

 

Sorry for the off topic post, but Steve got me motivated.

 

 

You really need a drysuit up here. I've had my gauge read as low as 38 F....basically Titantic water. The vast majority of divers use drysuits up here.

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i need to take a class do you need a specal dive boat steve or jest a boat

as i keep seeing you say you need a dive doat ?

 

 

Any adequately powered boat will do...but, a boat geared towards diving is best. the main difference being that the dive boats have an easy access back onto the boat. It's tough to get back onto a normal boat with all that gear.

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