Bird Rock Dive: Catalina Island

In Advanced Scuba Photo, we have two cameras, the Beast and the Mother of the Beast, Canon Rebel T2is with monster underwater housings, complete with strobes, flashes, macro and wide-angle lenses.

My partner, Ben and I were using the Beast at Bird Rock, a tiny island off Catalina, which is a fantastic dive spot.

I’ll admit, we had already been down several times and I had pretty shoddy pictures.  I wasn’t expecting anything miraculous to come of that dive.

It was the coldest morning of Session 62, the water temperature at the surface was only about 57 degrees.

But once we were down we saw the most amazing things.

The freezing water made for incredible viz, crystal clear.  The first thing I saw was a large snail suctioned onto a piece of bull kelp.

Not 20 feet away, lay a delicate maroon sea star, nestled down between two rocks.

Then there was this very flashy garibaldi that kept swimming in front of the camera.

He even came back around after I’d swum away.

I thought he had the most magnificent eyes I had ever seen.

There was a clam down near the kelp beds, and he was lovely.

I was using the macro lens so I zoomed in very close.

I found my first abalone that day too, chipped but still beautiful.

There was another star hiding in the surf grass with marvelous spotting.

The kelp itself was pretty amazing too.

It was by far the best dive of Session 62.

Featured Artist: Damian McGinty

Look out New Directions, there’s a show stealer star in your midst.

Rory Flanagan, portrayed by Damian McGinty, is an Irish foreign exchange student attending William McKinley High School.

McGinty was born in Derry, Northern Ireland on September 9, 1992 and is a former member of the band Celtic Thunder.

Some 40,000 singers entered the Glee Project for a shot at stardom and McGinty was one of 12 finalists who participated in the summer filler between Glee seasons.  For his final performance he sang “Somewhere Beyond the Sea.”

With his Frank Sinatra-esque voice and captivating stage presence, he co-won the Glee Project and earned himself a 7-episode arc (later extended because of his popularity) on Glee.

I’m not here to talk about how amazing Glee is, how hilarious the plots are blah blah blah.  In this third season, I don’t really think much is going on.  But I will tell you exactly what I think of this new Irish addition.

With clear blue eyes, smooth skin and lots of dark brown hair, he certainly stands out.  McGinty looks quite young for 19, but personally, I think he’s just about the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.

And that accent is killer.

In his debut episode, Pot O’ Gold, he sings Kermit the Frog’s “Bein’ Green.”  I was (very) pleasantly surprised by his silky baritone.

In the latest episode he sang “Blue Christmas,” a tribute to the King.

But I think his best performance so far was at the very end of Pot O’ Gold.  It says a lot about him that they gave a brand new character two solos in one episode.  He dedicated the song “Take Care of Yourself” to his family back in Ireland.

Wow.  That second half where he hits his falsetto is absolutely incredible.  But his voice is just sexy in general, really fabulous.

Back when he was still with Celtic Thunder, he sang a spectacular section of “Amazing Grace.”  I think he did the best job out of all of them.  To view his part, go to 2:10.

STILL think he’s the best.  WHAT.  A.  VOICE!!!

Needless to say I love his voice and stage/screen persona.  If the writers/producers/directors of Glee are smart, they’ll hang on to this Irish supernova of adorable talent with both hands and not let him go till he refuses to stay.

I love you Damian McGinty!