?conditions for breakwater this weekend (7/13/08)?

[jer12]

Hello. Could someone please tell me what the diving conditions are like this weekend down in monterey? I am hoping to dive the breakwater on Sunday. I live about 2 hours away, so any news would be much appreciated.


Also, any tips for my first time at breakwater?

thanks a lot.

-jeremy

 

[dwashbur]

In terms of surf, I have yet to see bad conditions at the breakwater. That's one of the nice things about it. Viz is another matter, but once you get below the thermocline at about 30 feet it opens up a little, at least that's how it's been the last 3 or 4 times we went there. For first time I'd suggest staying by the rocks of the breakwater itself, partly for ease of navigation and partly because that's where the best critters are. We like to enter about 20-30 feet away from the rocks, just in case a few rogue waves come along and try to bash us onto the rocks, then surface swim out to about where the wrought-iron gate can be seen, drop there and swim over to the rocks, then just head to the left and wander up and down the rocks, out to about 40 or 50 feet depending on how our air is and what we bloomin' well feel like doing We don't stay down at the bottom, we wander up and down the rocks as we move further out, varying our depth as much as 20 feet if one of us sees something interesting here or there. Once we turn around, we often like to get down by the sandy bottom and watch for the fields of tube-dwelling anemones, because that's where we often find the giant nudibranchs (Dendronotus iris) and watch them sneak up on the anemones. Further in, around 10-15 feet, there's a nice field of sand dollars out there as well, but as often as not we drift back over to the rocks once we're out of the anemones. I should mention that we're "macro" people; we like to find the little stuff that most folks tend to overlook. In particular, we're nudibranch freaks.

Bear in mind that I'm new to this area, so I could be talking through my hat. (okay, my hood.) But that's how we did it when we first got here, and it seemed to work. For what it's worth.

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

It can get ugly at the Breakwater, but usually it's pretty sheltered.

With a forecast this flat:

.SUN...NE WINDS 5 TO 10 KT...BECOMING W IN THE AFTERNOON. WIND
WAVES 1 TO 2 FT. NW SWELL 2 TO 4 FT AT 9 SECONDS AND S 2 FT AT 12
SECONDS. PATCHY FOG. SLIGHT CHANCE OF THUNDERSTORMS.

It should be just fine tomorrow.

 

[ryssyr]

I just got back from breakwater today (sat 7/12). Vis was good and it was pretty flat. I'd say excellent for diving. Unfortunately I didnt go with dive gear just to hang out. Man do I regret it now. Tomorrow should be just as good.

 

[astrofunk]

Today was excellent, and tomorrow looks to be even better. There was nearly no swell, so entry and exits were exceptionally easy. Viz was a fairly typical 10' to 15' in shallow water (depths less than 30' or so). But at greater depths the viz opened up beautifully, to probably 30'.

In addition to the usual seals and birds, a pair of dolphins were putting on a show during our surface swim. And there was a *lot* of life out on the dives themselves, including the first octopus I've seen in Monterey.

 

[jer12]

thanks for the replies. conditions on sunday were very similar to how astrofunk described, including the dolphins. the water was like glass when we first got there. perfect day in my book.