Big Sur 6-Day Liveaboard out of Monterey.

[Akimbo]

For the benefit of readers that only know California from TV and movies: The seas North and south of Point Conception, where the state makes a significant bend to the southeast, are like two different oceans. The sea states, surface and marine topography, water temperature, and marine life all noticeably change.

Notice that there are no decent harbors, and barely any protected anchorages, between Morro Bay and Monterey — about a 125 miles/200KM. The continental shelf is very wide in the south and rapidly drops to the abyss in the north. South of Ragged Point, shore diving is fairly accessible but sheer cliffs begin to the north. Rain runoff can muck up visibility in hours and it can change from pancake to sea-state terrible just as fast. All that said, the diving can be the best I have ever seen in the rare cases when conditions are right.

The drive from Carmel to Morro Bay on Highway 1 is a must-see for anyone who has the time. It might even be worth a day to see Hearst Castle.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Tell us how you really feel

Sounds like it wasn't as much the dive conditions as the boat being exposed to the open ocean? Was there ever a sheltered spot?

No. The swells were huge leading up to the trip. I was hoping Truth Aquatics would cancel but they didn't. My buddy said he was airborne several times during the first night.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

The drive from Carmel to Morro Bay on Highway 1 is a must-see for anyone who has the time. It might even be worth a day to see Hearst Castle.

That drive is just breathtaking. I've done it several times as a day trip while vacationing in Carmel.

 

[Akimbo]

That drive is just breathtaking. I've done it several times as a day trip while vacationing in Carmel.

I usually travel south on Highway 1 for the best view and safest pull-offs and return on Highway 101.

For other readers:
The drive south can take the better part of the day if you make stops for soaking in the majesty and lunch. Highway 1 is a narrow two lanes cut into the very steep coastal mountains. Don't leave Monterey without a full tank of fuel, bring a camera, and one of those tourist maps with the sites marked. Don't expect cell coverage or seeing your transmission in high gear.

If you come by air, fly into San Jose unless you are planning to visit San Francisco. That part of the drive can be awful... not LA awful but close. Rent a car and drive to Santa Cruz and travel Highway 1 to the Monterey Peninsula that is also an amazing place to see.

Edit: The trip by boat is equally amazing, but make sure you have a good depth sounder and GPS overlay for navigation. This part of the coast is treacherous. Read a book on the Honda Point disaster before going.

 

[Divin'Papaw]

I usually travel south on Highway 1 for the best view and safest pull-offs and return on Highway 101.

For other readers:
The drive south can take the better part of the day if you make a stops for soaking in the majesty and lunch. Highway 1 is a narrow two lanes cut into the very steep coastal mountains. Don't leave Monterey without a full tank of fuel, bring a camera, and one of those tourist maps with the sites marked. Don't expect cell coverage or getting seeing your transmission in high gear.

If you come by air, fly into San Jose unless you are planning to visit San Francisco. That part of the drive can be awful... not LA awful but close. Rent a car and drive to Santa Cruz and travel Highway 1 to the Monterey Peninsula that is also an amazing place to see.

Edit: The trip by boat is equally amazing, but make sure you have a good depth sounder and GPS overlay for navigation. This part of the coast is treacherous. Read a book on the Honda Point disaster before going.

We stay in the Carmel Highlands and look out over Point Lobos. We've done that multiple times. It is one of our favorite places to visit. And yes ... we always fly into San Jose!

 

[Shasta_man]

That area from Carmel South including Big Sur is a beautiful but rugged area and highway 1 has nice views but is also twisty as described. You wouldn't want to travel a long way on the coast unless you are particularly interested in that type of drive. It's one of those roads where you drive for a while and it's only been two miles.

San Jose is the way to come in. Unless you want to stay in San Francisco and want the big city experience, coming into and stay in San Jose, or immediately adjacent City, is the way to go. A note there are major commute times in the city as everybody flows either into the city or through the city. The heaviest times like any large city, 6 a.m. to 10 a.m., and then again from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.. the commute directions are Northbound in the morning and southbound in the afternoon. Outside of those times, traffic is pretty good, much better than Los Angeles, though it gets heavier the further north you go from San Jose. Going through San Jose and Northbound during the commute times will encounter multiple traffic jam zones

 

[Shasta_man]

By the way, rain runoff would impact water clarity. Unfortunately/ fortunately, rain isn't a problem because we aren't getting any despite desperately needing it. December was pretty good, but then like last year we are getting zip in our actual rainy season.