Anyone on this board who says Cathedral Rocks is easy if you only have 10-15 dives under your belt is knee-jerking and being dishonest. This dive site is never easy. We all love it because it's one of the best dives in the state, though.
"Good conditions" is a relative term at Cathedral. I have been there under multiple scenarios and the bottom line is, if the tide is low, this is a treacherous dive regardless of your experience. I'll take Cathedral at high tide with a slight chop to low tide and flat calm any day of the week. My understanding is that the stone memorial is in honor of a diver who paid for a tough exit with his life.
Regardless of tide, we've all learned to respect the walk down to the water. In the heat of the summer it can be a real bumout.
I'm not trying to scare anyone out of this dive. It's a beautiful dive and easily one of my all-time favorite shore spots. But it requires some forethought and good water-reading beforehand.
