US divers - maybe more local diving due to the CV?

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If U.S. divers could cross the closed border into Canada then the closed one into Nunavut they'd be safe. As of April 3 the territory was one of the last places on Earth with no confirmed cases. The ocean ice may be out by late July. Don't forget the sunscreen & parka.
 
Now you make me want to dive CA even more. How is diving in Southern CA different from northern CA or are they close?
Southern California has more sunshiny days and the water is about 10-15 degrees warmer on average depending on location. Catalina island water can get into the 70’s sometimes while areas that are exposed to the offshore current can remain in the 50’s and low 60’s year around. Probably the best diving in SoCal is out at the Channel Islands which is accessible by charter boat. There is some shore diving along the mainland but many of them involve long hikes and there is also a lot of privatized waterfront in Southern California. The underwater terrain along the mainland tends to be sandy beaches and very gradual depth changes with finger reefs and shelf rock/ ledges. They have some great giant kelp forests because the water is calmer for longer portions of the year.
Norcal pretty much starts at Monterey, which is a little jewel when it comes to underwater terrain and marine life. They have day charter boats and the topside attractions are abundant. The scale of underwater drama is more in Monterey than in Southern California and the marine life is slightly different. The water is colder in Monterey than SoCal and hovers in the 50 degree range year around. The Monterey Peninsula is a tourist hot spot, but also upscale. I was born and raised there.
Then the next section of diving would start about Sonoma County north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Fort Ross State Park is where we have designated the restart of interesting rocky terrain diving, even though I have dived many sites south of there but I’m also an explorer and freak when it comes to diving obscure and offbeat places so you can’t always go by what I say because I’ll make a dive out of anything.
Sonoma and Mendocino Counties which border each other, Mendocino being north, are Norcal’s gems.
Both Counties are going to be a DIY type atmosphere. Bring all your stuff, plan on doing your own shore diving, or hook up with a local, rent a kayak, bring your lunch. The payoff is about 100 miles of untouched beauty. The underwater terrain is incredible but the water is cold. It’s about as cold or sometimes colder than Monterey because of close proximity to the deep offshore current that carries ice cold Alaskan water south along the coast. I’ve dived in water as cold as 42 degrees in spring time when the winds crank up. This also why California underwater life is so abundant is because of that ice cold water with lots of nutrients. Northern California is king when it comes to radical rocky underwater terrain, ridges, pinnacles, cracks, huge school bus size boulders, sheer walls, etc. and much of this is right up to shore. There is also a lot of shore diving. The highway goes right along the coast and there are many places to pull off and gear up with a short walk to the shoreline. Some places you can drive right up and park at the beach, and right offshore will be places to find 100’ or deeper just doing a shore dive. The ocean swell is generally bigger in Norcal because it’s mostly directly exposed to the open Pacific Ocean. However there are many secluded protected coves that are calm.
A lot of people use kayaks here because it gives us more range. We can wheel the kayak from the car to the beach fairly easily because of good access whereas boat launches are far and few between. The coast is so rocky that putting in launches is difficult.
If we had charter boats here they would leave from Bodega Bay to the south (Sonoma County), or there might be possibilities in Point Arena (Mendocino County) and the best possibility would be Fort Bragg (Mendocino County).
Some of the places I’ve dived in both these counties is simply incredible.
I don’t travel to dive because a) I don’t have the time or money and a non diving wife, and b) I’m afraid I’ll be disappointed like I have been the few times I have gone to warm water.
I’ve gotten used to diving in cold water and it doesn’t bother me. I dive wet.
 
@markmud

Gilboa and White Star are open now. I've got FB friends who are diving those two quarries currently (within the past week). I've been invited to go dive, but I haven't because of the distance (5-6 hours, including time difference), which means I'd have to do one night in hotel. Not good for my (laid off) finances. If they were within a 3 hour drive, I'd be diving.

My local quarry should have opened yesterday. I'm itching to get in the water.
 
At no point in this thread was it about whether people could afford to dive a particular "exotic" place or not. It was a thread asking what each of our own plans and preferences were. The original question was targeted at vacation divers with specific reference to international travel and what alternatives we would consider, if any. Given the context of this thread, I'm now also responsible for the potential hurt feelings of people who can't afford to travel internationally because they are participating in a thread about international travel?



I started replying in the thread by answering @Marie13 's question honestly.





Someone apparently thought my answer was incredulous, stated that there was great diving near me so I offered some honest thoughts on what diving I thought was great, which clearly differed from their idea (and others) of great. Am I supposed to apologize for that? That's ridiculous. It's not for me, but have at it if it's for you. I didn't put down anyone for their decision to dive it or their lifelong dream to dive it, or if they love it and regularly dive it, I didn't in any way suggest that they were wrong or challenge their opinions and experiences, which is what it feels like people have been trying to communicate to me. I didn't even reference anyone else's post about what they like or don't like. In fact, if you have dived the coral triangle and hated it and stated this, that's your prerogative. It's no skin off my back. I answered the question as I read the OP's post and then responded to a few replies directed at me. It's one thing if I made a statement about not liking my local or California diving or even the Caribbean if I haven't dived it at all or have barely dived it to get a good representation of what it's like. That is not the case. My filter set is relative to other places that I have dived and I have developed a personal preference.

Someone else then said that I haven't been looking in the right places.





Even better...Are you saying you haven’t dived either Indo/coral triangle or the local diving/CA diving I’m referencing and are telling me my experiences and opinions of both after having dived these regions are invalid/wrong or can’t be shared only if I feel a particular way?

Clearly, these people disagree. Fine.

There are clearly people who can't grasp and understand that there are other people that do not enjoying the same type of diving that they themselves enjoy so much and are taking it personally. Should I apologize and just say that I like a place based on what the majority opinion and experience of a place is? When did this thread only allow posts that only express love for local/CA or even Caribbean diving and shunned anything else but?

While I have my own thoughts on local/CA and Caribbean diving, I've not dived Florida and @Trailboss123 suggested I try it and I'm willing to do this, especially if he says it's better than the Caribbean. I'm open to his suggestion because I know we have both dived in the same place overseas and we both liked it so I at least have that as a litmus test. He understands my filter set from a "relative" standpoint. I'm not going to write Florida off and develop an opinion of a dive destination until I have had the chance to dive it. I'm also not going to scoff at someone for saying they prefer FL diving to CA/local diving if I did happen to love local/CA diving but have never dived FL myself. "I don't know what I don't know."

I'm not sure how much a trip to FL would cost as it hasn't been on my radar. Does anyone have any estimates on what it would be for guided boat dives and how many days would you suggest in order to see the highlights? I think @Dan has a trip there soon. What months are best?

When it comes to affording something for myself, it doesn't come down to how much I make but at the end of the day, it's how much I spend and save. My "vice" is dive travel. I budget most other aspects of my life in favor of it (mostly by accident) as I value experiences more. I hardly go out to eat, I don't go out drinking or partying, I don't spend much at all on typical "girl" things like jewelry, clothing, cosmetics, hair/skin/nails. I always brew coffee at home. It isn't a burden or a painful task for me to do; it comes natural to me because I don't feel like any of those things that many other people spend their money on are really sacrifices to me when I don't have the strong desire to spend it in that way anyway.

For what it's worth, I'm also not sure what you would deem exotic but in the context of the original post and vacation diving...A week long jaunt to dive Cozumel costs me more than flying somewhere over the Pacific that is "exotic" and I even get way more dives in for the same price or less assuming the resorts are similar. (Controversial opinion coming: Plus, I find the diving better and I enjoy it more.) The flight costs are pretty much the same from California ($650-$700) and once I land, food + lodging + diving is cheaper, especially when broken down on a per-tank basis. As an example, a week of diving in the Philippines that is considered on the higher end/expensive side ran me $1,200 with private transfers, 3 really good meals per day, lodging, nitrox, and guided boat dives (4 divers to 1 guide ratio) 5 times a day (4 day, 1 night). Less than $2K...On a per tank cost basis with all costs considered, that's really darn good.
Jesus! Lady
All I was trying to do was give you a friendly ribbing about checking out Norcal since you ‘might’ consider Tahoe for crawdads.
I totally misread that one.
Instead I/we get an analytical tirade about...whatever we got...you lost me already. It really doesn’t matter.
I’ll be glad to talk to anyone who wants more in depth info on my area.

One of these days I’d love to get to the Great Lakes too @Marie13 I think it would be super fun.
 
If anything, I’m likely to do less local diving than usual. Many fill stations could be closed for MA shore diving, NY with the thousand islands is on lockdown, RI arrests out of state visitors who don’t quarantine. Lucks gloomy all around at the moment.
 
If anything, I’m likely to do less local diving than usual. Many fill stations could be closed for MA shore diving, NY with the thousand islands is on lockdown, RI arrests out of state visitors who don’t quarantine. Lucks gloomy all around at the moment.

This question concerned AFTER the lockdowns are over. :facepalm:
 
Southern California has more sunshiny days and the water is about 10-15 degrees warmer on average depending on location. Catalina island water can get into the 70’s sometimes while areas that are exposed to the offshore current can remain in the 50’s and low 60’s year around. Probably the best diving in SoCal is out at the Channel Islands which is accessible by charter boat. There is some shore diving along the mainland but many of them involve long hikes and there is also a lot of privatized waterfront in Southern California. The underwater terrain along the mainland tends to be sandy beaches and very gradual depth changes with finger reefs and shelf rock/ ledges. They have some great giant kelp forests because the water is calmer for longer portions of the year.
Norcal pretty much starts at Monterey, which is a little jewel when it comes to underwater terrain and marine life. They have day charter boats and the topside attractions are abundant. The scale of underwater drama is more in Monterey than in Southern California and the marine life is slightly different. The water is colder in Monterey than SoCal and hovers in the 50 degree range year around. The Monterey Peninsula is a tourist hot spot, but also upscale. I was born and raised there.
Then the next section of diving would start about Sonoma County north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Fort Ross State Park is where we have designated the restart of interesting rocky terrain diving, even though I have dived many sites south of there but I’m also an explorer and freak when it comes to diving obscure and offbeat places so you can’t always go by what I say because I’ll make a dive out of anything.
Sonoma and Mendocino Counties which border each other, Mendocino being north, are Norcal’s gems.
Both Counties are going to be a DIY type atmosphere. Bring all your stuff, plan on doing your own shore diving, or hook up with a local, rent a kayak, bring your lunch. The payoff is about 100 miles of untouched beauty. The underwater terrain is incredible but the water is cold. It’s about as cold or sometimes colder than Monterey because of close proximity to the deep offshore current that carries ice cold Alaskan water south along the coast. I’ve dived in water as cold as 42 degrees in spring time when the winds crank up. This also why California underwater life is so abundant is because of that ice cold water with lots of nutrients. Northern California is king when it comes to radical rocky underwater terrain, ridges, pinnacles, cracks, huge school bus size boulders, sheer walls, etc. and much of this is right up to shore. There is also a lot of shore diving. The highway goes right along the coast and there are many places to pull off and gear up with a short walk to the shoreline. Some places you can drive right up and park at the beach, and right offshore will be places to find 100’ or deeper just doing a shore dive. The ocean swell is generally bigger in Norcal because it’s mostly directly exposed to the open Pacific Ocean. However there are many secluded protected coves that are calm.
A lot of people use kayaks here because it gives us more range. We can wheel the kayak from the car to the beach fairly easily because of good access whereas boat launches are far and few between. The coast is so rocky that putting in launches is difficult.
If we had charter boats here they would leave from Bodega Bay to the south (Sonoma County), or there might be possibilities in Point Arena (Mendocino County) and the best possibility would be Fort Bragg (Mendocino County).
Some of the places I’ve dived in both these counties is simply incredible.
I don’t travel to dive because a) I don’t have the time or money and a non diving wife, and b) I’m afraid I’ll be disappointed like I have been the few times I have gone to warm water.
I’ve gotten used to diving in cold water and it doesn’t bother me. I dive wet.


Sounds so beautiful indeed.
 
So far, 94 of my 137 dives (or 69%) have been local, so while I'm not a vacation-only diver, I could certainly increase the proportion of local diving I do. Currently I'm not diving at all; I'm trying to do my part to flatten the curve. But there will probably come a time when I feel the risks of local diving are justified but the risks of flying aren't. I might then also consider driving up to northern California now that I have a drysuit. If there comes a time when I feel the risks of flying within the US are justified but international travel is too risky or is not allowed, I could see myself checking out Florida, North Carolina, maybe the Great Lakes. Actually, I could see myself doing that regardless, but maybe sooner than I would otherwise if international travel is off the table for a while.

I also note that only 23 of my local dives (or 24%) were shore dives from local beaches. A plurality (44, or 47%) were from local day boats, mostly to the Channel Islands, while the remaining 27 (29%) were at Casino Point on Catalina Island. As @drbill has pointed out, it's not really a beach dive (especially for me, since I have to take a ferry to get there). Part of the discrepancy is due to the logistical ease of doing repetitive dives from boats or Casino Point. I own a complete set of gear including one tank. For a single shore dive, I have to make one trip to the dive shop anytime after my last dive to fill my tank. But to do 2 or 3 dives in one day, I'd have to rent extra tanks, which means two trips to the dive shop that have to be the day before and the day after-- and Friday rush hour traffic in LA is something I prefer to avoid. I also get pretty tired schlepping everything with all the weight I need for a 7mm or drysuit down the beach and back to my car twice in one morning. Multiple dives from a boat are much easier. The local day boats I take usually offer 3 dives and refill your tank so you only need one. I've found if I ask nicely, they'll fill it again after the last dive too, so I'm ready to go the next morning (I tip extra.) Similarly, at Casino Point, it's a short walk from the handy stairs leading out of the dive park to the fill station, so I can easily do a couple dives in a day. If you break it down by number of days dived vs. number of dives, out of 51 days of local dives, 16 were boat days (31%), 22 were beach days (43%), and 13 were Casino Point days (25%; I'm aware that only adds up to 99% due to rounding down.) Dive boats and the ferry to Catalina tend to be crowded; I imagine I'll return to beach diving first. On the other hand, I'm working on getting solo certified, and I feel more comfortable solo diving from a boat or Casino Point to start, so I don't see myself delaying those dives more than I feel I must. I'm still not especially worried about myself; I just want to do right by those who are most vulnerable.

TL;DR I was already diving locally but will almost certainly do more once I start again.
 
Just checked the local boat's schedule. Now the first scheduled charters aren't until May 16. I've got a PM charter that day with my local dive club (Chicago Scuba Meetup). Usually the boats would go out beginning second half of April or so, depending on weather and if there were enough people to run the boat (4 min).

Correction: date is May 16, not May 14.
 

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