Destination-Monterey, CA

[TSandM]

You know, one thing that occurs to me when people talk about diving Monterey, is how different the experience can be, depending on where and how you dive. The jawdropping beauty that has completely won me is not in Monterey Bay, but south, and somewhat offshore. We've gotten to those places by boat and by scooter, and just to the edge by swimming out of Lobos, but with very large tanks. I wonder how I would feel about the diving there, if I only dove from shore, swimming, and with normal amounts of gas?

 

[fuggler]

Mo2vation

It's amazing what he and his girl wonder HBDivegirl do with scooters and cameras do but if you want to hear more he'll be in town Labor day weekend...

wowowee I am impressed!

I wonder how I would feel about the diving there, if I only dove from shore, swimming, and with normal amounts of gas?

Diving in a wetsuit with normal amounts of gas makes me more appreciative of when conditions are excellent. It also makes me feel more bitter when after only 20 minutes into a dive, I'm shivering, trying to stay still to get a decent picture of a lingcod. The first time we did Lobos was with Ben and Ted. It was 48 degrees with fantastic viz, but we couldn't last longer than 20 minutes without feeling numb. I thought "it's not fair " when we had to turn around right after they showed us hole in the wall and they continued with like 3 tanks and scooters. I was jealous and wanted to see more...

 

[dannobee]

It doesn't take ridiculous amounts of gas to find great diving here.

We've introduced a LOT of people to stunning diving within recreational limits using single tanks.

 

[TSandM]

Well, I've done some stunning diving there on a single tank, but it was a 130

Dan, did you introduce those folks to stunning diving off a boat?

 

[FishDiver]

You know, one thing that occurs to me when people talk about diving Monterey, is how different the experience can be, depending on where and how you dive. The jawdropping beauty that has completely won me is not in Monterey Bay, but south, and somewhat offshore. We've gotten to those places by boat and by scooter, and just to the edge by swimming out of Lobos, but with very large tanks. I wonder how I would feel about the diving there, if I only dove from shore, swimming, and with normal amounts of gas?

Do the commercial charters visit the stunning sites?

 

[dannobee]

Well, I've done some stunning diving there on a single tank, but it was a 130

Dan, did you introduce those folks to stunning diving off a boat?

For the most part. We go to quite a few sights that the commercial boats either don't frequent, or don't have the numbers. We did a LOT of exploring with long surface swims back to the boat to find those spots, so we're not excited about giving up those numbers. Of the commercial boats, we saw Phil anchor near one of our sites once, but the Cypress Sea was just far enough away that I doubt the divers knew. I've never seen any of the other commercial boats near any of our "number one" sites.

My idea of shore diving is probably not the same as most folks. If Monastery scares the bejeezus out of you, you would probably have an anxiety attack when shore diving with me. If you look at the previous posts regarding shore diving S-O-L (South Of Lobos), you'll see that most people can't even find a way down to the water. I assure you, we have dive that area. Not as frequently as in the past, but we still hit those sites at least a few times each year.

There are some pics of Moby Ling Cove in my gallery here. That is one of the "easier" sites for newbies.

 

[TSandM]

Do the commercial charters visit the stunning sites?

Yes -- all the boat diving I have done in Monterey has been off charter boats. We did Jawdropper and another pinnacle off the Escapade, and we've done a number of dives off Phil Sammet's RIB, which he runs out of Pt. Lobos. All of those sites have been ones with dramatic topography and incredible color. What you can reach is, of course, weather-dependent.

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

Monterey diving is world-class, but the water is cold and the vis is,
well, muck diving. I've given up on dive travel, we've got it here.

 

[Divenomad]

What makes Monterey, Carmel,. etc. world class is the sheer amount of life in our waters. Tropical destinations absolutely have their merits, and they have characteristics which lend themselves to excellent marketing via images.That being said, Coral reefs are oasis of life in what amounts to a biological desert. Once you swim off a reef, there is essentially nothing.

In our cool, rich waters, life abounds, everywhere you look. The biomass from the aquarium to the breakwater would stomp any similarly sized coral reef flat. Reefs may have greater biodiversity, but for the amount of life, we are tough to beat.You literally cannot avoid swimming in the rich soup of life which is vital to the very functioning of Earths biosphere.

We are world class because without that life much of the world would die.We dive in the very cradle of life.

 

[clifftondiver]

Yes, boat diving here can be absolutely wonderful.
As far as shore diving goes, no one has mentioned Monastery Beach (north and south), Carmel River Beach (the spot with all the stairs), or Butterfly House. Each spot has it's own personality and they are all within a 15 minute drive from Point Lobos. Personally, I'm a fan of all the rock structures, ledges, and boulders found at Butterfly House and the awesome feeling of looking out over the ledge at north Monastery. Speaking of, how cool is it to be able to hang out over a wall that's ???ft deep and swim back through a lush kelp forest filled with 4 ft Ling Cod, nudibranches, etc? Needless to say, I'm a HUGE fan of Monterey/Carmel diving and will dive with anyone who wants to see the sights here!

btw, all of the above sights can be seen on a single tank