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CATALINA ISLAND, GIANT KELP FOREST, CALIFORNIA, USA 35 kilometers (22 miles) off the coast of Los Angeles, Santa Catalina, is one of California’s Channel Islands. Amongst scuba divers, this place is best known for its majestic kelp forests. When ocean temperature is cold, kelps can grow to enormous sizes. But, when water temperature is warm, kelps disappear. So, it is a good idea to check kelp condition before booking a dive trip.  Giant kelps shimmered under the sun just below the calm surface with oxygen bubbles forming all over the kelp blades. Algae collectively produces over 80% of the Earth's oxygen.  Statistics show less than 1% of Americans scuba dive a year and most do it in tropical warm water; therefore, only a tiny number of people have experienced a place like this.  My family loves scuba! On this dive, my daughter, the one in gray fins, was the navigator, making sure we knew our way back to the boat. Since the water is cold, we typically wear 5mm wetsuits to dive in Southern California.  Looking up at the sunlight, penetrating through the dense canopy, North American West Coast Giant Kelp Forests are like nowhere else on Earth!  Garibaldi is California State Marine Fish and they are everywhere. We often found ourselves surrounded by more than a dozen of them.  Not maintaining constant visual contact with buddy, a diver can easily get separated and lost in a place like this. All divers must carry knifes since getting tangled in kelp is dangerous!  Look under rock crevasses and you will find California Spiny Lobsters. They protect kelp forests by preying on sea urchins that feed on kelps.  Reaching up to 30 meters (100 feet) in just over a year, kelp is the fastest growing plant in the ocean.  Three Garibaldis were swimming in their baby kelp garden.  Kelp is secured by HOLDFASTS that lock onto rock on the sea floor. Unlike roots, holdfasts do not absorb nutrients.   Catalina Giant Kelp Forest is a must-see place for scuba lovers. |
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