Diving in Tomales Bay?

[frontiernurse]

Does anyone know if people dive in Tomales Bay? Or is it too murky? Thanks!

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

It's pretty murky and very sharky. The sharks would be the main reason people choose not to dive there.
The ones who do dive there mostly dive for Halibut. Tomales Bay requires a boat. What they do is dive it on an incoming tide. They will start the dive out at the mouth and drift dive in over the sand looking for halibut. the divers use a float with a flag and they have a float line attached from their spear guns to the float. The person operating the boat follows the marker buoys then when they are finished with their run they go back out to the mouth and rotate. During the time frame of an incoming tide about 4 runs can be made.

A word of caution about sneaker waves at the mouth of Tomales Bay. Many fishermen has lost their lives by getting their boats flipped over at the mouth. Rogue waves have been known to climb up on the sand bar at the mouth and form a wall of water that can come out of nowhere. Besides the sharks, the waves are very dangerous. The sand bar accross the mouth is only 12 to 15 feet deep.

But as far as anything to see in Tomales, nothing but sand and chopped up seaweed soup. I did it once and didn't care for it. The deeper part is over by the Point Reyes side bank.

 

[frontiernurse]

Thanks ZKY. I'm wondering more about the inland parts of the bay near Inverness. I swim there often and just swimming I've seen leopard sharks, little bat rays (not sure that's what they are called?), and in the fall it is really calm and inviting.

 

[Peter_C]

Hmmm...

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/in...09-newbie-crampy-monterey-ca.html#post5120014

Go dive it and let us know what you see.

 

[frontiernurse]

Thanks Peter. I have no idea what you mean by your post. Maybe I don't belong here.

 

[ScubaBumps]

You belong here as much as the rest of us. Please keep posting. I like to read about the more exotic spots in California. Where else can I get the inside story on a place like Tomales Bay?

 

[frontiernurse]

Thanks scubabumps. I think I misunderstood Peter's post. Insecurity. Lame. I am a very new diver and I find the NoCal dive culture a little intimidating. I would love to dive tomales and report... but I've never heard of anyone diving there and don't know of any outfits that take new folks like me out there. I am looking for a comfortable local place to continue my dive training and I'm very comfy in (inner) Tomales Bay, swim-wise so that's why I asked the question.

I plan to get more training in Monterey this year so hopefully will have more to contribute to this board at some point.

 

[Thalassamania]

Hm ... diving in Tomales Bay.

Dum, dum ... dum, dum ... dum, dum.

The only place I know with more Great Whites than the Farallons.

 

[Ben_ca]

Thanks Peter. I have no idea what you mean by your post. Maybe I don't belong here.

Peter was trying to be funny... (trying is the key word here)

 

[frontiernurse]

My understanding is that the sharks are at the mouth of the bay only. The bay goes quite a ways inland.