As far as the eye can see!

This weekend, while working as Divemaster aboard a 2-tank dive boat in Monterey (the same one I've been on for several months now), I heard rumor of 60-80 feet of visibility at a few spots inside the bay. Seeing as how the report came from customers on one of the other boats, I thought to myself, "Yeah right. I'll bet it's 40 feet or so". Now don't get me wrong, 40 feet of horizontal visibility here in Central California is downright awesome, so that wouldn't be anything to complain about. However, I've seen how far off some people can be when it comes to estimating everything from the clarity of the water, to the temperature, so I tend to take most comments with a grain of salt. Regardless, when I heard talk of 80 feet of vis, I asked the captain if it'd be alright for me to dive. I don't often make this request, because I spend 10 or more hours a week underwater and get a little burnt out on getting wet. Man, am I glad I asked!
We dropped the anchor on a pinnacle called Ball Buster, the peak of which is about 50-70 feet (depending on tide). I quickly suited up, hopped in, and headed down the anchor chain.
My first thought was something along the lines of, "Well, looks like they were full of sh*t!". The water was a green haze, but still the visibility looked to be about 20 feet or so, which is just fine for me. Just a few moments later though, I broke through the upper layer and, there before me, was the ENTIRE pinnacle! 75 feet from where the anchor lay, I could not only see the anchor with clarity, but another 30 feet or so beyond! My first thought was that I must have somehow wound up in the tropics, which was quickly followed up by the realization that it was FAR too cold for that! I estimated it to be more than 100 feet of crystal clear visibility if it was an inch. Maybe even 110'.I could read the bloody label on the tank of the diver who had descended ahead of me, and he was on the far side of the pinnacle!
Whenever I dive from a boat upon which I am working, I like to keep it short and quick, so that I don't neglect my duties on board. Thus, I dashed around the pinnacle once or twice, pointed out an octopus to the first diver, and then headed back up to the boat (which was visible from the bottom). I have been training an enthusiastic new guy on the boat to work as deckhand and divemaster, and so when he asked me how it was after I climbed back on board, I said simply, "Get in the water. You won't believe me if I tell you, just get in. Now." He came back with the biggest eyes I've seen on a diver in a long time.
I've never seen, nor even heard of such incredible conditions in California (except perhaps down at the Channel Islands). It's times like these that remind me why I love diving, and the Pacific Ocean, so damned much. Though I try to deny it, my hearing seems to be getting worse these days. This may or may not be a result of diving, but today I was reminded yet again of the need to take full advantage of the time I have underwater, because opportunities like these are rare treasures indeed!