Snorkeling at Laguna Beach

It's tough to get away in May with so much going on here on campus, but we managed to get to the ocean one last time this year for a snorkeling trip with Mr. Lawrence.  He took us to Aliso Beach near Laguna, where the waters were warming up and the snorkeling was once again fantastic.

 Jeainny holds a lobster that Mr. Lawrence caught.

 Johnathan diving

 Mr. Lawrence knows all the spots, and this rock next to the beach is a great jumping spot.  Here, Austin launches himself. And then I do.

Snorkeling at Laguna Beach

Though we arrived in Laguna Beach to morning fog and a forecast of low visibility, the weather cleared and the water calmed, yielding a perfect day for snorkeling.  As always, under Mr. Lawrence's expert guidance, the students on the trip had an educational adventure, learning about ecosystems and then seeing them firsthand as Mr. Lawrence explored the depths for creatures to share.  He inspired many of us to dive for our own specimens, and even led a couple of us through an underwater tunnel.  We're lucky to have his experience and encyclopedic knowledge on trips like this -- he literally brings his subject to life.

 Aliso Beach, south of Laguna.

 Mr. Lawrence instructs the group on the basics of snorkeling. Austin really enjoys how he looks in a wetsuit.

 Austin and Kevin with a snail

 Kristin

 The garibaldi is the California state fish, and is only found along the state's coast.

 The wavy-topped turban is only found between Laguna Beach and San Diego.  The cove where we swam has some of the largest in the world.

 Johnathan brought his GoPro for some underwater filming.

Mr. Lawrence wears special gloves for "hunting," and always manages to share his catch with the students on the trip.  Below, a young lobster (no, not quite ready for butter).

 Katie and Kate were a little nervous at first, but they warmed up to it.

 Spotted Damselfish

 Melissa and one of the many sea urchins in the area.

 The urchins have exploded in recent years, depleting the colorful forests of algae (below).

After the snorkel, several students took a leap off a nearby rock.  Cole launches himself here, right through a water spot on the lens (sorry!).

Stand-Up Paddle Boarding and Sea Kayaking at Laguna Beach

Late August means stand-up paddle boarding and sea kayaking at Laguna Beach.  For our traditional first trip of the fall outdoor season, we took to the waters on a hot 90 degree inland day.  Laguna Beach was mild but balmy, with the morning fog still resting on the water when we set off.  Though it burnt off by afternoon, we had a mostly calm and quiet ride in the morning.  

 Most everyone was paddle-boarding for the first time, but it didn't take them long to get the hang of it.

 Max

 Amara doing her best imitation of the sea lions behind her

 Letitia was set on doing her morning yoga.

 Kevin riding bow in the kayak

 Max and Amara continuing the trend toward mindfulness with some morning meditation.  Kind of.

Amara, Chandler, and Letitia's glamour shot

Snorkeling at Laguna Beach

If you could go snorkeling with anyone in the world, you should go snorkeling with Mr. Lawrence.  There aren't many people out there with a combined knowledge of undersea life, courage to dive down and find it, and ability to actually catch it.  On a one-hour snorkeling trip this past weekend, Mr. Lawrence found a sea urchin, several endangered abilones, and caught a lobster and a shark (again!).  We also saw wrasses, leopard sharks, and garibaldis, the state fish of California.  Quite an adventure!

 Danny with a sea urchin

 Anni with an abilone

 Mr. Lawrence shows off the lobster he caught (click to enlarge).

 Justin

 A garibaldi

 Ian uses a strand of kelp to dive down and find an abilone.

 Anni with the horned shark -- it has a sharp "horn" sticking out of its dorsal fin.

Ian

Paddle Boarding and Sea Kayaking at Laguna Beach

The first outdoor trip of the year met with warm, calm, clear waters at Laguna Beach on Sunday.  Water temps were 72 when we set out, encountering little resistance from wind or waves.  Though both picked up over the course of the two-hour outing, they didn't hamper the superb visibility, which allowed us to see garibaldi floating by eight or nine feet under water.  We passed by seal rock, explored a kelp field, and then headed into town for some grub at BJs. 

 Mairin, the only experienced paddle-boarder among us, easily navigated the calm waters.

 Juliana quickly found her sea legs.

 Julia and Justin led us in their sea kayak.

 Dolly in front of some of the multi-million dollar homes of Laguna Beach

 Seal Rock, which we heard and smelled long before seeing the seals, cormorants, and pelicans on it

 Mairin's first attempt to do a head stand.

 If at first...

Webb's inaugural paddle boarding trip was a resounding success.

Sea Kayaking at Laguna Beach

We took advantage of the heat this past weekend to head for Laguna Beach and some sea kayaking in the cool water.  When we first arrived, we dipped our toes in and vowed not to swim in the frigid water.  But once we got our blood pumping with some paddling, a few of us jumped in the crystal clear water.  The water has benefited in recent years from sea kelp that was originally planted by a teacher.  It has flourished, and in the process, helped to cleanse the water of pollutants.  Kelp is the second fastest growing plant on earth, behind bamboo, and can grow up to two feet per day.  We spent some time visiting the ecosystem created by this kelp, catching a glimpse of shrimp, crabs, snails, and garibaldi.  We also visited the sea lions and cormorants at their usual hangout, and then spent the afternoon replenishing ourselves at BJs. 

Jessie and Melissa

Anni and Ian

Mr. Caldwell and his two daughters

Our whole group by sea lion rock.  You can see the kelp around us.

Sea Kayaking at Laguna Beach

Welcome back to the Webb Outdoors! This year's ambitious outdoor program got off to a hot start with a day of sea kayaking at Laguna Beach. We started by paddling out to the islet where dozens of sea lions bask every day. We then raced to a distant buoy, at which point a swim in the ocean seemed like a good way to cool down. On the way back south, we were inspired by some paddle boarders to try standing up in the kayak, which mostly resulted in hilarious falls back into the water. It was the perfect place to be on a 100-degree day. Finally, we ended up in a kelp forest, which has regenerated since a teacher and her students hand-planted it off Laguna Beach about thirteen years ago. Kelp is one of the fastest growing plants on Earth, at about two feet per day. In the kelp forest, we also saw garibaldi swimming below and tiny shrimp floating up into the kayak, both signs of how healthy the water has become. In the end, we headed back to the beach and into town for the now traditional stop at BJs for a pizookie before heading back to Webb.

Juliana and Mairin

Kaitlyn and Lauren. You can see a paddle boarder off in the distance.

Emily and Andrew, with Mr. Ball in the background

Angela and Camille in front of all the sea lions. They can hold their breath for up to 40 minutes. The sea lions, that is -- not Angela and Camille.

Click to enlarge. You can also see pelicans and cormorants on top of the rock.

Xander and Rachel clapped to draw the attention of the sea lions. If we all clapped at the same time, they would put their heads up to see what the commotion was all about.

The group lines up before our race to the buoy.

And then the antics began - Camille and Angela try to stand up in their kayak...

...and failed, much to our delight.

Lauren and Kaitlyn

Mairin and Juliana seemed to have the most success, and even got in a couple paddles.

Mairin also found a crab that our guide was able to catch. It promptly snapped him. I wonder why...

Andrew, Mr. Ball, Lauren, Kaitlyn, Rachel, Emily, Juliana, Mairin, Angela, Camille, Xander, Mr. and Mrs. Potash, before stuffing our bellies at BJs.