Coast to Coast in October (any advice on choices?)

[JRO]

Leaving Connecticut and landing in LAX on 10/12...

Diving with PsaltyV on the 13th and 14th on the oil rigs...Then down to San Diego

15th Coronados with Marissa
16th the kelp forests with Water Horse

17th is open (any suggestions...both these boats appear to be booked on this date)

Conference on the 18th and 19th (my justification for the previous fun, and a little off gassing)

Back with Marissa on the 20th for more kelp fun

Check out the San Diego Zoo or the aircraft carrier on the 21st

Fly home the 22nd =(

Any suggestions or input would be greatly appreciated as it will be my first time diving in California and I would like to make the most of it. Also any suggestions for lodging and food would be welcome as well.

Thanks for the help,

Jeff

 

[JTinSD]

The Lois Ann has a trip on 17 October. It's a fine boat. Note that all three of the boats currently running have minimum pax loads to meet in order to operate.

The water is cold here, and exposure protection and weighting can be challenging even to very experienced divers without prior or recent cold water experience.

What food price range are you looking for? Cuisines? I am a local and think I have a handle on the best of the less expensive dining options here. If you are on an expense account, I am not so much your man, but can be of some help.

Do the Zoo over the Midway, although both are very much worth seeing.

 

[JRO]

I'll check out the Lois Ann....Do these boats tend to cancel alot due to lack of passengers? And have you heard anything about PsaltyV?

I'm hearing bottom temps around 61 or so...is that about accurate? I'm thinking I can probably get away with about 5mm...I know most suggest 7mm, but my built in bioprene keeps me comfy down to about 70 without a wetsuit with multiple dives. Did a shallow dive here in Ct about three weeks ago in a 3mm in about 62 degrees and that was fine, though I would've liked a hood.

As for food...it's all out of pocket =( I'd really like to try the local flavors, especially the seafood (I know, blasphemous for a diver)...and I do have a weakness for ribs (Roatanman suggested KC BBQ)

Thanks for the info JTinSD

 

[Bubbletrubble]

I'm hearing bottom temps around 61 or so...is that about accurate? I'm thinking I can probably get away with about 5mm...I know most suggest 7mm, but my built in bioprene keeps me comfy down to about 70 without a wetsuit with multiple dives. Did a shallow dive here in Ct about three weeks ago in a 3mm in about 62 degrees and that was fine, though I would've liked a hood.

Expect bottom temps in the low to mid 50s °F. The water has remained pretty cold this summer.

I would recommend at least a 7mm wetsuit + hood + gloves. Many people use a hooded vest with their 7mm wetsuit. My personal preference is a drysuit with appropriate undergarments, drygloves, and a 7mm hood. I like to do long dives (70-80 minutes), though. If you intend to do only 30 minute dives, then I suppose your bioprene + 5mm may suffice.

As for food...it's all out of pocket =( I'd really like to try the local flavors, especially the seafood (I know, blasphemous for a diver)...and I do have a weakness for ribs (Roatanman suggested KC BBQ)

If you're a Top Gun fan, then I guess you'll have a soft spot in your heart for KC BBQ. San Diego isn't well known for its barbecue.

On the other hand, we have a scary proliferation of sushi restaurants.
Surfside Sushi (downtown Pacific Beach) can be fun. The fish is not the best in the world, but it's not bad. On Monday nights, they are packed from 5:30-7:30pm on account of their 70% off sushi roll deal. The line begins to form at 5pm. Lesser known is the restaurant's specials for other nights. For example, on Friday nights, they offer 50% off sushi rolls and $6 pitchers of Kirin beer. (FYI, there may be a discrepancy between what's on the website and what's advertised at the restaurant.)

For a truly special sushi experience, make the long drive up to Encinitas to Kaito Sushi. It's expensive. I recommend doing the omekase (chef's choice) for $50-$60pp. If you like sushi, it will be worth it.
Sushi Ota in Pacific Beach is supposed to be rather good, too.

If you are in the downtown La Jolla area, I highly recommend you check out the daily 3-6pm happy hour at Roppongi. Half off on all tapas and sushi. You can thank me later.

Blue Water on India St. is an affordable place to grab a fresh fish sandwich.

Point Loma Seafoods might also be worth a try. Ordering can be an experience in and of itself. It reminds me of buying a train ticket in mainland China. (Yes, I have done this.)

When I leave the San Diego area, I'm probably going to miss the fish tacos. I'm partial to the ones served at South Beach Bar and Grill in Ocean Beach. It's loud, the Ocean Beach crowd is interesting, and you have to fight for a table at the restaurant...but it's worth it.

There are a few taco trucks in the area that folks at Chowhound.com rave about. Mariscos German is quite good, but trucks have changed hands in recent years. I'm not sure what's the best truck to go to now. Check out the San Diego section of Chowhound.com for more info.

 

[JTinSD]

I'll check out the Lois Ann....Do these boats tend to cancel alot due to lack of passengers? And have you heard anything about PsaltyV?

I'm hearing bottom temps around 61 or so...is that about accurate? I'm thinking I can probably get away with about 5mm...I know most suggest 7mm, but my built in bioprene keeps me comfy down to about 70 without a wetsuit with multiple dives. Did a shallow dive here in Ct about three weeks ago in a 3mm in about 62 degrees and that was fine, though I would've liked a hood.

As for food...it's all out of pocket =( I'd really like to try the local flavors, especially the seafood (I know, blasphemous for a diver)...and I do have a weakness for ribs (Roatanman suggested KC BBQ)

Thanks for the info JTinSD

They cancel when they won't meet expenses. Marissa published minimums are 4pax/2tanks, 6pax/3tanks, 8pax/Coronados. Humboldt published minimums are 5pax/local trips, 7pax/Coronados. Lois Ann is somewhere in that ballpark, too. You are usually safe Fri-Sat-Sun, weekdays vary, sometimes a class will book and the trip will go. I'm not familiar with PsaltyV, sorry.

Three dives on 5 Sep had bottom temps of 55@87fsw, 55@78fsw and 52@73. Two dives on 12 Sep had bottom temps of 55@67fsw and 55@57fsw. I dive a semi-dry 7mm wetsuit with 5mm hood, gloves and boots over a lycra diveskin. I am big (5'10"/245lb) and I still feel the cold. I would not want to dive here with less exposure protection. I just don't think it would be much fun.

- For ribs, I like Phil's in Loma Portal/Sports Arena area. KC in the Gaslamp is still cool, but kind of a tourist trap these days.
- Authentic Mexican is at Las Cuatro Milpas in Barrio Logan. Lunch only, not a good area after dark.
- There are also hundreds of small Mexican places everywhere with variations on the name Roberto's - Rolberto's, Alberto's, Adalberto's, Royberto's, ad infinitum. They are as a rule all pretty good. El Indio in the Gaslamp and Middletown is also pretty good and reasonable.
- Trucker breakfast is Perry's in Old Town.
- Pizza is Bronx Pizza in Mission Hills.
- Sushi is Sushi Deli in Mission Hills.
- Greek is Olympic Cafe in North Park.
- Burgers at In-n-Out, of course, several locations. For a grandiose burger, try Hodad's in Ocean Beach or Crazee Burger in North Park.
- Seafood is Point Loma Seafoods on the bay in Point Loma, duh.
- For Italian, try a place in Little Italy instead of one of the many in the Gaslamp.
- On the off chance you are a Vietnamese/Pho cuisine fan, let me know, that is my real area of expertise.

Most of these are no reservations, many are cash only. San Diego is a pretty good town to be hungry in.

 

[garyw90]

You may want to recheck with Water Horse to see if they will still be going out on that day. Check out the accidents and incidents thread, Water Horse lost a diver in the water, and left him behind. I don't know if they are still running their boat, but I would have some serious reservations about going out on them.