Central vs. Northern

[El Dude]

I'm from SoCal, where I started freediving. And I came up to Humboldt to go to college. Whenever I go back home I meet divers who have "been diving on the North Coast". When I ask where, I always get Monterey. This always amuses me. I know they're just ignorant and everybody back home thinks less than 5 ft viz is not divable. I always thought Monterey to SF was Central Cal and North of golden gate was NorCal. Well if it keeps the crowds away from my favorite dive sites I'm all for it. I just find it amusing. I'm not bombing on Monterey at all, one of my favorite spots is Mortuary (Monastary) beach. I've never been diving Sonoma but I did my cert/training dives in Mendo and Humboldt which I now know like the back of my hand, Del Norte is cool. I know that making it to the redwood curtain is a long drive for most but this is just something I always wanted to discuss in a public forum. Any thoughts?

 

[Peter_C]

We dive Monterey, Sonoma (Home), and Mendocino Counties...Though I have never dove North of Bragg. They are just different dive sites, and everyone of them has something to offer.

The best vis I have ever seen was at Albion with around 80 feet. The most consistent vis is in Monterey. Best boat diving is Monterey. Lately I have been making the drive to Monterey for diving, then just visiting the much closer North Coast of Sonoma. Monterey diving is that much more conducive to boats with less swell, better vis and easier boat launching. Plus we kept having 70 feet of vis at Lobos!

BTW the Monterey area is often referred to as MoCal.

 

[dannobee]

I'll even make the distinction between Monterey and Carmel diving. If you want color and more life, go to Carmel. If you want easy, shallow diving, stay in Monterey.

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

The "North Coast" is north of somewhere north of San Francisco. The Monterey news folks call
their area the "Central Coast". I consider Monterey "Northern California" "Central California" is
Bakersfield, Delano, Visalia, Fresno""

What EVER you call us we ARE NOT PART OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA and wish to distance ourselves
as much as possible from SoCal.

I've seen 90' vis in Monterey on several occasions.

 

[El Dude]

I've always heard of Bakersfield to Fresno as the Central Valley.

I think it's so funny that nobody likes SoCal, especially so close as Monterey. I was hit by that reality when I first moved to Humboldt. But the funny part is all the locals up here want nothing to do with anyone South of SF. Everyone here calls anything south of SF SoCal. I guess everyone has their silly arbitrary lines through out the state. Personally I couldn't care less, I've worked in almost every corner of the state (USFS/BLM). I love Cali, every part, plain and simple.

 

[dannobee]

Although most of us North-of-SoCal peeps will take exception, California Fish and Game calls anything south of Yankee Point "Southern California" and anything north of it "Northern California."

 

[Guy Alcala]

Although most of us North-of-SoCal peeps will take exception, California Fish and Game calls anything south of Yankee Point "Southern California" and anything north of it "Northern California."

As a native Bay Arean, I was always taught that the desert smog basin south of the Tehachapis was always to be referred to with contempt

NoCal rant re SoCal: For heaven's sake, it's '880', _not_ 'The 880'. We DO NOT USE definite articles when referring to freeways by number, only when referring to them by name, i.e., the Nimitz, the MacArthur! There, I feel much better now.

Guy

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

As a native Bay Arean, I was always taught that the desert smog basin south of the Tehachapis was always to be referred to with contempt

NoCal rant re SoCal: For heaven's sake, it's '880', _not_ 'The 880'. We DO NOT USE definite articles when referring to freeways by number, only when referring to them by name, i.e., the Nimitz, the MacArthur! There, I feel much better now.

Guy

The first time I encountered people calling freeways "The" 5, "The" 405, "The" 110,
etc. was in LA. I thought it was a little odd that they looked at a freeway as an object. I guess it is in reality it is but to refer to it as "the" is not the national standard. I think because they have so many freeways they objectified them.

I consider everything from the California Oregon border to the center of the Golden Gate Bridge Northern California. Everything from the GGB to Pt. Conception is Central California, and below that Socal.
If I was to separate into Norcal or Socal, then I would have to put Monterey in Socal, simply because the attitudes I see reflected are beginning to resemble more and more exactly those of Socalers.
Not that that's a bad thing.

I'm just sayin'

 

[Guy Alcala]

The first time I encountered people calling freeways "The" 5, "The" 405, "The" 110,
etc. was in LA. I thought it was a little odd that they looked at a freeway as an object. I guess it is in reality it is but to refer to it as "the" is not the national standard. I think because they have so many freeways they objectified them.

I consider everything from the California Oregon border to the center of the Golden Gate Bridge Northern California. Everything from the GGB to Pt. Conception is Central California, and below that Socal.
If I was to separate into Norcal or Socal, then I would have to put Monterey in Socal, simply because the attitudes I see reflected are beginning to resemble more and more exactly those of Socalers.
Not that that's a bad thing.

I'm just sayin'

The freeway thing is my personal dividing line. As soon as I pick up a radio station doing drivetime traffic that starts babbling about 'the 405 to the 14', I consider that I have crossed into the cultural wasteland.

Sadly, this terminology has oozed its way over the Tehachapis and is creeping northwards up I-5 like some harmful invasive species, but there are still enough of us around willing to make and stand :biggun:and say

"They Shall Not Pass!"

I don't know where our final redoubt will be, but as long as it's south of the Bay Area I'll be satisfied.

Guy ("Does this bother me? Whatever gave you that idea?!")

 

[fisheater]

The freeway thing is my personal dividing line. As soon as I pick up a radio station doing drivetime traffic that starts babbling about 'the 405 to the 14', I consider that I have crossed into the cultural wasteland.

Sadly, this terminology has oozed its way over the Tehachapis and is creeping northwards up I-5 like some harmful invasive species, but there are still enough of us around willing to make and stand :biggun:and say

"They Shall Not Pass!"

I don't know where our final redoubt will be, but as long as it's south of the Bay Area I'll be satisfied.

Guy ("Does this bother me? Whatever gave you that idea?!")

Damned strait!!! I'm guarding the border of 101 at the Sonoma County line.