2001-2005 M/V Rapture
made weekly
trips to Santa Catalina Island for church youth retreats during the summer and
marine science classes during the school year. The ship also traveled to
Hawaii every winter for several months. We collected or
photographed marine life to create and conduct ecology and observation lab sessions.
All specimens were maintained alive in a custom seawater holding tank and
returned to the reef in good health.
Diving and snorkeling from the ship
was fun
and a variety of habitats could be explored at each location in addition to many
other popular dive sites accessible with four Zodiac inflatables.
Water temperature ranged from 52 degrees in winter to near 70 degrees in late
summer but a thermocline was usually present near 80 feet where it dropped to the
high-40's. Visibility was normally 35 feet but varied greatly with sea
state and bottom composition. Currents were moderate and very similar to
Hawaii.
Garibaldi & Kelp
Garibaldi & Kelp
Garibaldi & Sea Star
Keoki & Kelp Rockfish
Anacapa
Sea Lions at Santa Barbara
Island
Yuko at the Sea Fan Grotto, Catalina
The highlight of diving here
was the Giant
Kelp forest. The effect of sunlight streaming through the forest canopy
was
awesome and the many species associated with kelp were interesting and fun to
photograph. Rapture's dive team conducted a live video night
dive on the first evening of a trip. Guests watched and learned about the
nocturnal community found right below the ship in real-time. Selected
animals were collected and placed in the touch-tank for closer observation.
This gives everyone a chance to learn about and appreciate
the ocean and its inhabitants.