Craig Hoover
Guest
Hi All,
Ever wonder what is in that mysterious area between Santa Barbara and Monterey? Me too. While surfing the net last week I found a website dedicated to the North T Pier in Morro Bay. With their help and a some good advice from SLO Ocean Currents, I set out to explore.
Morro bay has a thriving waterfront with hotels, restaurants and a golf course. There is a campground near the salt flats at the back of the bay, and another at Montana de Oro five miles south.
The bay is formed by Morro Rock, a monolith five hundred feet high that creates a lee from the prevailing northwest swell. Sand piles in the lee of this rock forming a sand spit that isolates the bay from the ocean. Near the mouth of the bay depths are to thirty feet and become shallower farther to the south. The back of the bay is an estuary where mudflat, salt flat and dune communities meet.
The T Pier is near the mouth of Morro Bay. Access to the water is easy with a short walk down an embankment. Parking is free. It may be a good idea to check with the harbor master before diving under the pier. I merely signaled okay on my surface swim as he passed in a boat. He waved and we went on our way. Also - I was advised to avoid diving under the coast guard cutters on the northeast side of the pier.
Visibility was three feet and the water temperature was 48 degrees. I was sure to dive a slack tide to avoid an otherwise strong current.
Why bother with such a site? The guys at SLO Ocean Currents said it best. "The pier is the muck diving capital of California. It rivals Lembeh." After diving it, I wholeheartedly agree. Here are a couple of my favorite shots from the dive.
Janolus barbarensis
Trapania velox juvenile
Onchidoris muricata
If you enjoy muck diving, Morro Bay is a taste of the exotic right in our back yards.
Ever wonder what is in that mysterious area between Santa Barbara and Monterey? Me too. While surfing the net last week I found a website dedicated to the North T Pier in Morro Bay. With their help and a some good advice from SLO Ocean Currents, I set out to explore.
Morro bay has a thriving waterfront with hotels, restaurants and a golf course. There is a campground near the salt flats at the back of the bay, and another at Montana de Oro five miles south.
The bay is formed by Morro Rock, a monolith five hundred feet high that creates a lee from the prevailing northwest swell. Sand piles in the lee of this rock forming a sand spit that isolates the bay from the ocean. Near the mouth of the bay depths are to thirty feet and become shallower farther to the south. The back of the bay is an estuary where mudflat, salt flat and dune communities meet.
The T Pier is near the mouth of Morro Bay. Access to the water is easy with a short walk down an embankment. Parking is free. It may be a good idea to check with the harbor master before diving under the pier. I merely signaled okay on my surface swim as he passed in a boat. He waved and we went on our way. Also - I was advised to avoid diving under the coast guard cutters on the northeast side of the pier.
Visibility was three feet and the water temperature was 48 degrees. I was sure to dive a slack tide to avoid an otherwise strong current.
Why bother with such a site? The guys at SLO Ocean Currents said it best. "The pier is the muck diving capital of California. It rivals Lembeh." After diving it, I wholeheartedly agree. Here are a couple of my favorite shots from the dive.
Janolus barbarensis
Trapania velox juvenile
Onchidoris muricata
If you enjoy muck diving, Morro Bay is a taste of the exotic right in our back yards.
