Beach Diving Monterey - Recommended sites?

[saf1]

Happy Thursday - so close to Friday (yeah!).

Going to be heading up to Monterey here shortly to spend a day checking out dive sites and then following up with a couple dives the day after. I figured it would be a good idea to ask first if there are any areas that may be better than others.

I've used the web site provided by Chuck, I believe that is it, to get a punch list started The site has been a great help so far - Thanks Chuck.

We have dove at breakwater before. Certs, skills refreash, and new gear dial in. Also dove off the Cypress Sea - but I have not done a lot of beach diving around there - thus the questions. Not afraid to kick out a bit but depending on the weather it seems typically to get better vis you have to kick out a bit and drop down a bit deeper.

Areas so far we are going to visit during the day:

Breakwater
Del Monte Beach
Lover's Point
McAbee Beach
Otter Cove
Pt. Pinos
San Carlos Beach

Pt. Lobos and Monastery are out. We will visit to check it out but Lobos appears to be booked and we have not dove Monastery before. So we will hold off.

Thanks in advance

 

[jmani]

Breakwater
Del Monte Beach
Lover's Point
McAbee Beach
Otter Cove
Pt. Pinos
San Carlos Beach

Thanks in advance

Breakwater - Always a great dive, go late in the afternoon when all the students are done and the sea lions are playing.

Del Monte Beach - Dull and boring. Sandy bottom with nothing but starfish.

Lovers Point - All time favorite beach dive in monterey. Can't beat the stair entry/exit. I have never dove here with out harbor seals or an otter to play with.

Never dove the other 3 places you mention.

If I had my choice, I would do a few dives at Lover's in the morning, have some pizza for lunch and move to Breakwater for a few afternoon, or dusk dives. I like to head out about 45 minutes before sunset and cruise the wall for fishes, octopuses and the Sea Lions.

p.s. Monastery is one of the best...but dont even think about it if you see waves from the road. If you havnt dove there I would look for a guide for the first time.

 

[saf1]

Thanks for the information. My brother in law was really keen on checking out Lovers Point. When he reads this it may move to the top of the list - lol.

On Monastery - after following a lot of the threads here we will hold off. We are going to stopy by though and check it out on the surface as well as see the work everyone is doing to make it safer. However, it is a no dive for us

 

[dannobee]

If you're going on a Friday, chances are that you can get into Point Lobos without reservations.

Breakwater-everyone knows where it is and what to expect. There are other dive sites there like the barge and metridium fields.

Del Monte-all sand. There's a sailboat and an amtracks there to dive, but still pretty boring.

Lovers-there are actually THREE dive sites there. Lover's cove, Lover's 2 (where you'll sometimes see surfers), and Lover's 3, which is an exposed site straight out from Borg's Motel. Lover's 3 is the best site, IMHO, but is an exposed site.

McAbee-nice little beginner's site with harbor seals and some fish. Parking and changing are sometimes a hassle.

Otter Cove-near Lover's 3, but harder entry and just as exposed.

Point Pinos-every time I've tried to dive it, it was blown out. VERY exposed site and rarely diveable.

San Carlos beach-see Breakwater above.

If it's really flat, try Coral Street and kick out to the kelp patch to the right. Very nice dive site. Parking is free.

Any of the Carmel sites would be more advanced, and the further south you go, the harder it is to get near the water (read-cliffs and poison oak).

 

[marcus8]

You've got a good list there. Otter and Coral St. are similar and very pleasant. They are pretty shallow and I always seem to see some interesting life around there. Love swimming amongst those big rocks there. Saw a very cool Thornback Ray chilling in the sand some months back at Otter. Lover's is good and I seem to find a new area to explore there every time I dive it.

One site that isn't on your list is the Metridium Fields near the Breakwater. Same entry and exit. You mentioned not being bothered by a long kickout and catching some depth. In that case, you can see some amazing metridium covered rocks out there around 45'-60'. I always seem to see some amazing nudis as well. Not sure if the squid eggs are around these days but that seems a popular spot for them in season. You might just get buzzed by a seal/sea lion as well. Because of the depth, viz always seems much better than the Breakwater itself most days. Navigation to them is tricky though so it might be better to try to find someone to go with for the first time who's got some experience. It's a very long kickout on surface, or really probably a scooter ride underwater. People seem to vary in how they like to dive it. I like to drop right on top of them so I'm on the surface a LONG time which gets tiring. Then I'll start heading towards the beach when I hit 1000psi. If interested, perhaps someone here can chime in with a web site that explains the navigation. Otherwise, ping me and I'll type out some instructions.

 

[mobeeno]

Monterey Shore Diving is a GREAT DVD to watch and have.

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

Del Monte-all sand. There's a sailboat and an amtracks there to dive, but still pretty boring.

Point Pinos-every time I've tried to dive it, it was blown out. VERY exposed site and rarely diveable.

There's only one amtrack at Del Monte (unless you know something I don't).

Pt. Pinos is a boat dive. Nice sites offshore, but not diveable 9 days out of 10.

 

[mobeeno]

I dove Pt. Pinos once. Monterey Express took us there. Now I realize that it was a treat. Capt. Tim did mention that it is rarely divable.

 

[dannobee]

There's only one amtrack at Del Monte (unless you know something I don't).

Pt. Pinos is a boat dive. Nice sites offshore, but not diveable 9 days out of 10.

Yes, one amtrack. There is a big stainless anchor (yacht size) near the sailboat. If I find it again, I'm bringing a lift bag and taking it home.

Point Pinos can be done as a shore dive, but hasn't been diveable any time I've been there, and I certainly wouldn't recommend it to a less than advanced/extreme diver because of the potential for very strong currents and high surf.