Finally Dove Beautiful Monterey!

[luvspoodles]

I finally dove the beautiful Monterey. Everyone on Scubaboard said it was great, and now I know that to be the truth. It was a wonderful experience. I was getting my Advanced Open Water and Nitrox with my husband. My wonderful instructor was from Dolphin Scuba. I originally had failed my open water at Breakwater about a year ago and had to do it at Folsom Lake, so I was very afraid of going back to Breakwater.

We did the navigation and peak performance buoyancy dives, and I learned a lot. I've done 32 dives in warm water, but I felt like I had to learn how to dive all over again! I originally couldn't get down-actually it was my feet that wouldn't go down! I've never had that problem before! We really enjoyed the Breakwater. Actually, I really enjoyed it and my husband complained about the cold the whole time!

The next day we went on the Cypress Sea which was very intimidating for me because there was only 2 of us women and lots of men, some of which were very serious divers. Fortunately, the Cypress Sea captain was fabulous, and made me feel really comfortable. Our first dive was at Butterfly, and it was just stunning. I will say something I never ever thought I would say...it was more beautiful than the Carribean! The colors of burgundy, orange, bright pink, pure white, were unbelievable. We did our next 2 dives at Firerock, and that was just as stunning. The white metridiums took my breath away.

So, now I have a few questions. I have a passion for diving, and really want to start diving here. I am tired of running up the credit card bills to dive in warm water. My husband loves diving as well, but is reluctant to go back because of the cold. Yes, I did freeze myself and my teeth were chattering on the third dive and I did have to cut it short because of that. However,I am willing to deal with it, and my husband really is not. I do know that its not safe to be really cold, and I did feel air hungry at the safety stops because I was so cold. How many of you dive wet? We cannot afford drysuits right now. We're hoping to win money gambling at the casino...seriously! We're going with a 40 buck limit this week! If for some reason we are unable to win the 4,000 dollars required for 2 drysuits, what should we do? Are there any cheaper options? Are there any less expensive drysuits? We really don't want to waste money on a wetsuit if we will get a drysuit eventually. I just know that in order to get my husband to Monterey more often he will have to be warmer. Also, my husband and I have not done many dives without a divemaster with us. We know we need to start enjoying diving by ourselves, so where are some good shore dives to start? We really stink at navigation, although we really worked on it during our Advanced Open Water. I would love to hear any thoughts.

Sorry about the loooong post, but I am just so excited about our experience.

 

[ShakaZulu]

I feel the same way about Carribean dives. I usually limit my wet dives to two, especially if they are deep (52 degrees), that way your body can recover your core temp. I believe there are some neoprene dry suits, that are less exspensive. Over time they will loose their insulating properties.

Try www.scubatoys.com, seen some NEX GEN dry suits there for $900.00

 

[melfox26]

Congrats on your experience in Monterey waters. I too, love everything about Monterey diving, which is exactly why I plunked down the cash and bought a drysuit. There are cheaper alternatives, you odn't need to spend 1500-2000 on a drysuit. DUI sells two cheaper suits, a CN-SE and TLS-SE which both retail for around $1000 each. Keep in mind that those are the stock size suits which may not fit you properly, custom suits would of course be more expensive. Good luck.

Mel

 

[Deo]

Take a look at www.divetank.com

We got 2 full packages (suit, undies, boots, gloves, hoods) for under $1500. This is with NexGen drysuits, which are of some unknown material, come only in stock sizes, and use weird bottle-shaped wrist seals (which I actually like)

I can't comment on the longevity of the suits as ours only have 15 dives on them, but so far so good.

T-100 undies may be a bit too light for dives with long surface swims

 

[boomx5]

Take a look at www.divetank.com

We got 2 full packages (suit, undies, boots, gloves, hoods) for under $1500. This is with NexGen drysuits, which are of some unknown material, come only in stock sizes, and use weird bottle-shaped wrist seals (which I actually like)

I can't comment on the longevity of the suits as ours only have 15 dives on them, but so far so good.

T-100 undies may be a bit too light for dives with long surface swims

I bought my Nex-Gen from "DiveTank" a couple of years ago and it has held up real well. I have about 150 dives on it thus far and it has been way better than diving wet. I am getting ready to buy a new TLS 350 but for the amount I spent on the Bare suit it's been a real bargain. Oh, and it keeps me warm in Monterey.

 

[BrianM]

Congrats on your experience in Monterey!

The Cypress is my favorite boat, Phil and the crew really know how to make you feel at home and get your money's worth!

I couldn't afford the full price for a drysuit either, so I did my homework, found out what sizes fit me from the different manufacturers and watched ebay every single day until I found the perfect suit. I ended up getting the top of the line sig series DUI suit with drygloves, hood, awesome undergarment, rock boots, pockets, the works for $1100.

Maybe you could watch it close and buy one for hubby first...at least that way he will be willing to keep diving, then buy one for you in the next 6 months or whatever.

You might want to consider getting a neoprene drysuit for your first one, they are usually less expensive and have enough insulation built in that you wont have to buy an expensive undergarment. Or I think I saw a bunch of used suits for sale by Dolphin scuba a few months ago, maybe they will be selling off more of the used rental fleet and they will make you an awesome deal if you are a student.

Take care and glad to hear you enjoyed it!!

Brian

 

[DENNISDIVES]

Monterey is great......you can take care of getting cold by getting a wet suit thats fits right and maybe panty hose underneath---your husband too !!!

Go to the Breakwater AKA Coast Guard Pier, San Carlos Beach....Just follow the rock wall out and back in---you'll have a great dive and can practice on that navigation also !

Dennis

 

[paulwlee]

When you are diving wet, there are two things you can do to keep as warm as possible. First of all, get a well fitting wetsuit. Next, stay warm during surface intervals.

The best way I found to keep warm between dives is one of those swimmer's jackets(www.truwest.com). It was the best $100 I spent on diving until I got my drysuit. In addition to that, between dives, take off the wetsuit top, peel down the bottom to the waist, dry out with a towel and put on dry cloths. And then put the jacket on top.

 

[luvspoodles]

Thanks everyone for the advice. I looked at the drysuits. I also will remember the wetsuit advice. Monterey is so beautiful, I have to find some way to get the hubby there!

 

[Wristshot]

luvspoodles

Here is a thought. Go to Monterey on your own. When you get home, regale your husband with tales (and pictures) of how great it is. Tell him that you really enjoy it, but that you wish that he was there to share it with you.

But continue to go even if he doesn't.

Wristshot

Of course it must be noted that I have no SO, so any relationship advice coming from me is truly dangerous.