sarita75
Guest
Thanks bunches CT!
Diving Thursday 5/1?
- Thread starter bbianchi
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Don't forget the other couple of wild cards. If the interval is shorter than the height of the swell, say 8 ft at 6 seconds, you'll be in for a rough ride. And the longer the interval, the deeper any surge will go.
Also look at the tide table before hand.
Tide Location Selection for California
If you want the best vis, that generally occurs on an incoming tide. If you're diving right in the middle of a big tidal swing (say, a -0.5 ft low and a +6.5 high), you'll have a strong current. The max current is about 3 hours after high or low tide. An hour or so before high tide normally gives the best vis but rarely falls in an optimal time, unless you happen to live across the street from your favorite dive site.
We live in an area with semidiurnal tides, that is, two high and two low tides per day. The further north you go, the bigger the swings. Closer to the equator, there might only be a foot or two swing between high and low tide.
Also look at the tide table before hand.
Tide Location Selection for California
If you want the best vis, that generally occurs on an incoming tide. If you're diving right in the middle of a big tidal swing (say, a -0.5 ft low and a +6.5 high), you'll have a strong current. The max current is about 3 hours after high or low tide. An hour or so before high tide normally gives the best vis but rarely falls in an optimal time, unless you happen to live across the street from your favorite dive site.
We live in an area with semidiurnal tides, that is, two high and two low tides per day. The further north you go, the bigger the swings. Closer to the equator, there might only be a foot or two swing between high and low tide.
As Chuck mentioned earlier, the data on that site is taken from outside of the bay, so it doesn't take into account how the water is shaped once it comes in (there are almost always calm sites somewhere around).
While shore-diving, I've never had any problem finding either Lobos, MacAbee or Breakwater diveable (these areas are all protected one way or another) even in 8-12ft NW swell. But it seems that doesn't say much for boat divers, or viz/surge. I'm happy just to get wet, underwater photographers or those seasoned enough not to want to dive in pea soup probably have much higher standards
While shore-diving, I've never had any problem finding either Lobos, MacAbee or Breakwater diveable (these areas are all protected one way or another) even in 8-12ft NW swell. But it seems that doesn't say much for boat divers, or viz/surge. I'm happy just to get wet, underwater photographers or those seasoned enough not to want to dive in pea soup probably have much higher standards
Time for someone to create a web page that reads all of this data and gives a thumbs up or thumbs down along with estimated dive time windows...and have some settings for a person's swell height preference and maybe a general "are you feeling lucky?" value. I'll be Chuck would say "That page already exists, as long as you know how to interpret the data...it is called the marine forecast"
Ben_ca
Contributor
Or a webcam showing Chuck's driveway... That'll be the ultimate Bay Area Go/No Go webpage 
It ain't rocket science. Just look at it before you go, write it down (or in my case I've got a
program that records it), then look at it agian when you get back. Real quick you'll figure out
your own maximums.
And Ben, there's a few problems with watching my driveway:
- Sometimes, like tomorrow, I gotta do boat or truck maintenance.
- The boat lives in the garage, so you don't know if it's there or not. Occasionally, a buddy tows.
- And sometimes I gotta do yardwork
- And a couple of times a year, the boat isn't there, but I'm not diving. In a couple of weeks,
I'll be at the Boston Whaler Rendezvous in Petaluma for the weekend, not diving.
program that records it), then look at it agian when you get back. Real quick you'll figure out
your own maximums.
And Ben, there's a few problems with watching my driveway:
- Sometimes, like tomorrow, I gotta do boat or truck maintenance.
- The boat lives in the garage, so you don't know if it's there or not. Occasionally, a buddy tows.
- And sometimes I gotta do yardwork
- And a couple of times a year, the boat isn't there, but I'm not diving. In a couple of weeks,
I'll be at the Boston Whaler Rendezvous in Petaluma for the weekend, not diving.
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