Bodega Bay Diving?

[Clammy]

Hi, I have a friend who is newly certified and will be visiting Bodega Bay. She has inquired about the diving there. I have no idea since the furthest north I've dove in CA is Monterey Bay and well Tahoe. I may try to go up and join her for some dives. Can anyone tell me about the diving in Bodega Bay? Good spots, easy spots, meet up groups, etc?

Thank you!!

 

[Peter_C]

Bodega Bay would be extreme drift diving. There are people who do it, but typically they are hunting. You also have lots of overhead boat traffic. Oh and typically bad vis.

Better off to head North past Jenner, then up the coast a little further to dive sites like Fort Ross, Gerstle, Still Water Cove, etc.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I agree with Peter.
Bodega Bay is not really known as any sort of dive place. Is dirty, muddy, lot's of sand, lot's of sharks, no shore entry spots to speak of. It's more of a commercial boat harbor.

Drive north to at least Fort Ross, that's where the better diving starts. There are several accessible coves north from there. Gerstle Cove is a great place to go. It's a little futher north up in Salt Point State Park. It's an underwater preserve and it's an easy place to get in. You can back your vehicle down to unload gear but then you have to park up in the lot. The only obstacle would be the large rocks at the beach but once in the water there is a nice patch of sand waist deep to put your fins on.

 

[DiverChix]

Ditto. I did an organized camp/dive trip a couple of years ago at Bodega Bay. The diving was very difficult because of the current, there are a lot of people fishing out of the jetty, and not much to see. I am glad I tried it once, but I probably wouldn't dive in that location again. I agree with Peter C; it is worth the drive (12 miles past Jenner) to dive Gerstle Cove.

 

[blewgrass]

I've been working the last 3 and playing the last 10 years in Bodega Bay. I rarely see divers in the water there. There's abalone out on Bodega Head and the Rock offshore. Very murky water and sharks as mentioned above. There is a group of divers that work with the UC Davis marine lab doing research and maintaining the weather monitoring buoys and equipment. They tell me they hear the music every time they follow the chain down to the murky bottom.

 

[polkadot_rockfish]

I agree with all the above posts.

One extra item: Sonoma coast diving is a tad colder than Monterey. Gerstle was 44 last time I was there. Either drysuit or tough it out. There are no services, so be careful. But it is lovely. There are no dive shops nearby-- the closest is the all-purpose shop in Bodega-- they can at least fill your tank. This time of year the area is crawling with ab divers (law-abiding and not).

 

[Clammy]

My friend was certified in Portland, OR so I'm sure it's probably warmer than up there!

I've passed the message along to my friend and she is not going to attempt it. She JUST got certified and is under 10 dives so any amount of danger is too much.

Thanks for all of your input and help!

 

[blewgrass]

A couple of experienced dry suit divers hit the sunken reef near fort ross today. I wansn't able to get a post dive report from them but they were looking to grab their limit in urchin in about 40 to 50 feet of water.

One interesting note is they anchor a 19 foot Triumph center console boat loaded with accessories to the kelp. I think they tie off two lines to the kelp and the boat never moves! There are lots of great dive spots with lots of bull kelp beds to explore

I will have to try that with my little 16 foot Whaler.

I am currently looking for experienced scuba divers to join me for some boat dives in Bodega Bay and the North Coast.

PM me for details.

Steve

 

[DiverChix]

I agree with all the above posts.

One extra item: Sonoma coast diving is a tad colder than Monterey. Gerstle was 44 last time I was there. Either drysuit or tough it out. There are no services, so be careful. But it is lovely. There are no dive shops nearby-- the closest is the all-purpose shop in Bodega-- they can at least fill your tank. This time of year the area is crawling with ab divers (law-abiding and not).

I wish they still filled tanks at the trailer park down the road from Gerstle. It is a bummer to get there with two tanks to find that one wasn't quite as full as you thought it was or empty by default.

 

[blewgrass]

The water clarity has been insane at Bodega the last several days. In the usual murky spots I could see 20 or so feet to the bottom. The wash rocks full of bat stars, sea stars and hydrocorals were visible from the boat. The wind is supposed to blow this weekend or I'd try for some diving.

Steve