I came back to Baynes Road on July 27, 2024. Visibility was only 10' with lots of floating bits. I've never been here in the Summer before and today I could see that the entire slope down to about 30' deep was completely covered by kelp. I guess this explains why there isn't much life in the shallower depths here. The kelp acts as a smothering blanket, preventing most invertebrates from feeding and oxygenating.
It was taking me longer than expected to reach the rocky area. I wondered if I was swimming too far North like I did last time. I turned South and soon ran into the reef. It is a low, irregular rocky area that sticks up about 6' high. It was mostly covered with giant barnacles and red urchins. I was hoping to swim out farther and deeper along it, but the current today was too strong for exploring too far from shore. This whole area I visited today averaged about 60' deep. My maximum depth was 67'.
