Do you recommend using a guide at Point Lobos
- Thread starter Catito
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Eric Sedletzky
Contributor
You have to either hire a guide or find a buddy.
They do not allow solo diving at Pt. Lobos.
They do not allow solo diving at Pt. Lobos.
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Over land MAPS are used
Over water CHARTS are used...
Underwater ?
What happened to the era of excitement of exploration ?
Now apparently the modern diver requires a dive guide to hold their hand
Only then can they return to their social gatherings with tales of great underwater adventurers in the wilds of Point Lobos
SDM
Over water CHARTS are used...
Underwater ?
What happened to the era of excitement of exploration ?
Now apparently the modern diver requires a dive guide to hold their hand
Only then can they return to their social gatherings with tales of great underwater adventurers in the wilds of Point Lobos
SDM
Chavodel8en
Contributor
Yes, it is possible. Note that the last time I dove there, in August, approaching "Hole in the Wall" was a complete urchin barren - I turned the dive to Middle Reef instead. People have been reporting that HITW & Lone Metridium are greatly affected by urchins.
I.e. - you may want to stick to the right side of the sand channel / cove, aka Middle Reef (and points further for deeper dives). There were some areas with urchins at Middle Reef too, hopefully they havent advanced too much. You may want to get more recent intel once you do your dive.
The one advantage to the urchins is that you will be unlikely to surface behind impassable kelp and be forced to do a kelp crawl. I would still recommend doing the short hike up the bluff and scoping out your path through the kelp, if it appears thick on the surface. Its also a very nice hike, you can look into Bluefish Cove.
I.e. - you may want to stick to the right side of the sand channel / cove, aka Middle Reef (and points further for deeper dives). There were some areas with urchins at Middle Reef too, hopefully they havent advanced too much. You may want to get more recent intel once you do your dive.
The one advantage to the urchins is that you will be unlikely to surface behind impassable kelp and be forced to do a kelp crawl. I would still recommend doing the short hike up the bluff and scoping out your path through the kelp, if it appears thick on the surface. Its also a very nice hike, you can look into Bluefish Cove.
A very nice hike indeed. As a matter of fact @Catito, make sure and take time to hike all over Point Lobos. It's breathtaking!
Chavodel8en
Contributor
Also, a good option is to simply dive with a local diver(s) who know Lobos - no payment is necessary, we'd be diving Lobos anyways. Advertise here or on the Facebook Monterey Scuba groups. I'm sure you can find divers who want to dive Lobos. Especially if its just you - you will need a buddy anyways (no solo diving).
And agree with everyone who says look at the maps and a compass is needed.
Although folks say winter has best viz, I found the day to day variables is difficult to determine. Any season is good diving, although you may be cursed with bad viz too.
Water tempatures dont vary that much - it wouldnt be a deciding factor to me, not much difference between 51 deg or 58 deg. However, if you dont have drysuit, the surface during Jan & Feb can be chilly.
And agree with everyone who says look at the maps and a compass is needed.
Although folks say winter has best viz, I found the day to day variables is difficult to determine. Any season is good diving, although you may be cursed with bad viz too.
Water tempatures dont vary that much - it wouldnt be a deciding factor to me, not much difference between 51 deg or 58 deg. However, if you dont have drysuit, the surface during Jan & Feb can be chilly.
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