Quest to find the Giant Black Sea Bass

Our quest to find the Giant Black Sea Bass was more of a spur of the moment thought as a trip to Catalina was on the horizon and we needed something to make it feel like an adventure. Searching for this massive and elusive fish would be the perfect quest! After some exhaustive research (a couple of Google searches) I was able to pinpoint the likely location of their summer residence based upon previous divers experience and a quick check of aquaticbnb (the fish version of airbnb). We entered the Avalon Dive Park and made our way down the stairs weaving in and out of snorkelers and divers who either had no clue we were trying to make our way past them or just didn’t care. We finally made a somewhat graceful entry into the water and kicked out to the first buoy.  We descended and paid tribute the the late great Jacque Cousteau by visiting his memorial plaque. After a moment of bubble silence we were chased away by a particularly aggressive Garibaldi (Fact: they will bite you and they do have teeth). We slowly kicked towards the wreck of the SueJac and stayed level with the first reef at around 40-feet. The Giant Kelp is making a comeback but it’s still sparse compared to what it used to be. We were only 10-minutes into the dive when over my right shoulder we spotted a pair of Giant Black Sea Bass. It was almost like they were waiting for us.  Check out the video of our amazing experience with these gentle giants. I apologize in advance for the ridiculous selfie I took with the these noble sea creatures although it’s going to make a good Instagram post.

How can you not love that face! This is actually his happy to see you face.