Boat or Shore diving in Monterey?

[billt4sf]

Hi there.

We are novice divers, 25 or so dives each, until now all in warm waters and we have dived twice now in Monterey. We got closed out a couple more times due to poor visibility or poor conditions. These two dives we did at the Breakwater, one was terrible visibility and we resolved never to go again in such poor conditions. My wife was really freezing when we finished. Frankly I don't see what more we can do in terms of equipment to keep warm.

We want to dive more in Monterey, but the combination of poor conditions and being cold is making me wonder whether a boat dive (though more expensive) is a better idea. Can they find better conditions by virtue of being able to try different spots? Is there any chance I can keep warm during surface intervals? Are the ins and outs much easier, like in warm water? Can novice divers like us benefit from the extra cost ?

Thanks,

Bill

 

[KRL1973]

Hi Bill,

Welcome.
Opinions may vary, but I don't advise monterey boat dives as an answer to your concerns. As someone getting used to diving local waters I would stick with shore diving and only when you are comfortable with that try some boat dives. My experience with boat dives locally is very different from warm water destinations. Much more "do-it-yourself" here so if you don't know what you're doing you can get in to trouble. IF you do a boat dive anyway, hire a divemaster to assist and watch out for you, but expect the water to be just as cold or colder and the vis to be just as bad unless you go deep (which you shouldn't given your experience level).

As for keeping warm. My tricks:
1. Have a good fitting wetsuit
2. Have a gallon of hot water in a cooler (keeps heat in too) in your car that you pour over your head and down the collar of your wetsuit after you get out to take the chill off (rinses salt and other undersireables away as well)
3. Have a thermous of hot beverage or soup to drink down and warm your core up
4. Have something to put on between dives that blocks the wind and put on a thick stocking hat on after taking your hood off

Yes, it is all a pain in the ass but once you get a really nice dive here you'll see why so many people put up with all of it (This time of year is the worst for visability, late Summer and Fall are usually much better)

Stick it out

hope that helps

 

[TSandM]

From what I have read, the waters around Monterey have been very cold this spring, with temperatures down in the mid forties. This is not unknown there, but that's awfully cold water for wetsuit divers.

What can you do to be warmer? Well, in a word, drysuits. It is very difficult to dive water that cold in a wetsuit and be warm. A dry suit, a good hood, dry gloves, and a thick, solid undergarment, allows one to be comfortable during such diving.

I can remember going out to do a dive with a friend at Pt. Lobos. As we were getting ready, some photographers from Backscatter (which is in Monterey) were preparing their rebreathers (warm air) for an exercise in time-lapse photography. They got in before us. We went out and swam much further than they did, hunted cool critters, and when we came back, they were gone. We saw them in the parking lot, and they said they aborted because they were too cold. Water was 43 degrees. Claudette and I were fine, and we had done an hour's dive.

You CAN be warm and comfortable and happy in cold water. But it does take the right equipment. And the diving, once you get out of the bay itself, is as good as anything I have seen in the world.

 

[griffon]

Boat dives have a few advantages in that entry/exit can be easier and there is less surface swim.
As far as vis goes... It's a crap shoot no matter what, that said Carmel and other areas are some times more easily accessed via boat. Offten vis will be much better around the point... Except for when it isn't .

In defense of break water though, and lovers and other high traffic sites... You won't find a better support area and resource pool . It is also pretty shielded so if you are not there the same time as fifty OW classes it can have decent vis. South side along the pipe is usually less crowded....

Thermal wise... Some of the boats will have hot shows or run Hot lines that can help... Also warm drinks... But bottom line if the core temp is taking to big of hit nothing will help much. Make sure suits are apropreate and well fitted, very snug. On average a comfortable wetsuit is to big . 7mm, maybe a under vest with hood, or a otter bay 12mm hood.. Not sure if it's just at depth or surface interval that is biting you guys. Hot drinks help.

You can learn about dry suite diving too. If cold is a big problem that is one way to tackle it head on. Not cheap though.

Check out chucks page and learn to take a stab at finding good days, needed for boats too.

Monterey Sea Conditions at a Glance

Most of the local boats rock

Monterey SCUBA Diving Charter Boats

It's easy to get frustrated, don't, this area has some incredible diving, and while it's different then tropical diving it's in no way inferior. When you get good here you will also get more out of warm water trips.

Another great resource is the ancient yahoo group ba_diving group.

A boat trip won't be a silver bullet for the challenges, but there is also no reason not to hitch a ride and see how it works for you.

Luck

 

[eelnoraa]

If cold is your concern, boat dive can only make it worse. You are diving deeper with boats. During SI, boats are moving to another dive site, plus usual off shore wind, the cold is very hard to bare in wetsuit. Hot shower and drink help, but the ultimate solution is a drysuit (which really isn't as expansive as it looks if you look around).

Vis wise, you have a better chance with a boat, but mainly becuase you are diving deeper.

 

[Ouvea]

Hi Bill:

What type of exposure protection were you using? Honestly, it's difficult to do multiple dives in Monterey using wet/semi-dry suits unless you have a high tolerance to cold. After over a decade of diving cold, I finally bought a dry-suits and can dive multiple times in one day in relative comfort (yeah we still get cold with a dry-suit but not freezing/popsicle).

You're better off doing shore dives instead of diving off a boat. On shore, you can get in your car and use the heater if it really gets cold and you can take off your wetsuit. It's a difficult thing to do on a boat, given the limited space and unstable platform. In addition, you have to deal with the wind chill factor from the moving boat and from the wind out in the open. If want to do multiple dives in one day using wetsuits, you have to drink hot liquids/food. You must wear something to keep you warm during your surface interval. It's a good idea to take off the wetsuit as it leaves you chilled. Your primary concern is to minimize heat loss and regain some of the core temperature that you have lost.

Perhaps, it's just my misfortune but conditions have not been very favorable this year. We haven't experienced consistently good visibility for a long time, even during the fall and winter months when the plankton bloom does not take effect. Not to say that it's always pea soup as we all have dived where visibility matches that of warmer waters.

 

[cmburch]

A hooded vest may be the cheapest solution along with drinking plenty of liquids and peeing during the dive. More weight will be needed to offset the extra buoyancy though.

Boats allow for deeper dives. It gets colder at depth. Boats can go south. Much better conditions at Carmel River SB (for AOW with experienced divers) and Pebble Beach, Stillwater Cove. Vis 25-40' currently.

We have called off dives before and swam back in at Carmel River SB due to poor conditions such as visibility. We have never called off a dive in Monterey. If Monterey is calm, we always head south.

May be best to sign-up for an AOW course around Monterey/Carmel if you have not taken one yet.

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

From what I have read, the waters around Monterey have been very cold this spring, with temperatures down in the mid forties. This is not unknown there, but that's awfully cold water for wetsuit divers.

We see 44F almost every spring.

 

[billt4sf]

Thanks all for your comments and great ideas! I guess we'll keep trying with shore dives. We enjoy getting in the water, even if we don't see much -- but we need to see each other. We have been using dive guides each time and we'll continue doing so. We'll also try some of those warming-up ideas like a hot "shower" and a thermos.

We have done an AOW course but there's nothing "advanced" about our diving whatsoever. (I think the course is mis-named, but that's another thread entirely.)

I have talked to a fair number of people about Monterey diving -- some say it's great, some say "forget it, too cold". I hope at some point that we begin to truly ENJOY the diving here!

- Bill

 

[TSandM]

Bill, there is diving in the Monterey area that is as good as diving gets. It's a little more offshore, out of the mouth of Whaler's Cove at Lobos, and off Carmel River beach, and on the pinnacles just south of Monterey Bay. The water IS cold, though, which is why a lot of people who dive there regularly wear dry suits.

I really think you would enjoy hooking up with a buddy or guide and diving Pt. Lobos. It's much more colorful and interesting than the Breakwater.