Flying into Oakland for work

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Katie Storm

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Location
Texas
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Im flying into Oakland next month. I’ll be staying near Santa Rosa. I will have a rental car. Is the a LDS that is just awesome in that area? Is it work bringing gear and trying to get wet if so what’s the water temperature in mid December
 
Got a drysuit? The bay is always cold. It averages 55 degrees in Dec.

I don't know of any good diving in the local Oakland area either although you'd think there'd be somewhere. It could be too deep though with a lot of current - I used to travel there a lot on business and never even saw anyone swimming.

I know rhey drive to/dive the Point Lobos breakwater but IDK exactly where that is. And you might need a reservation.

Most diving seems a couple hours south in Monterey since you've got the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Home Page there.

Monterey Bay Aquarium
is among the best - the big tank is a kelp forest.

I've never dove there but have visited the "awesome" shop across the bridge in San Franisco:
Bamboo Reef Scuba Diving Centers
 
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If you’re staying in Santa Rosa then that is about an hour and twenty minutes north from Oakland with no traffic.
Monterey is south from Oakland about a 2 hrs depending on traffic.

Diving north of the Golden Gate can be very nice or it can be horrendous.
The weather and ocean conditions change so rapidly from day to day.
We can get glass flat conditions in winter in between the storms with great visibility, or it can be 20’ swells.
From Santa Rosa you could be at a popular dive spot in about one and a half hours. All diving in Sonoma County is north of Jenner where the Russian River spills into the ocean.
The water will be about 50 degrees average that time of year. Air temps at the coast will be 50’s to 60’s.
For dive shops up here we have
Seals Water Sports in Santa Rosa
(707) 542-3100
And in Rohnert Park there is
Sonoma Coast Divers (707) 586-0272.
It would also be a good idea to buddy up with a local to show you the ropes. If I happen to be free I’d be glad to take you for a local dive. Just PM me here when things get closer.

The diving infrastucture is pretty primitive here since people come here to go wine tasting and enjoy the scenery, not really to dive.
The diving here seems to be a locals thing.
It’s pretty much DIY with no coastal services, but there are the two dive shops I mentioned which both rent all the gear needed.
Other than that there is Monterey to the south, about 3 1/2 hours south of Santa Rosa.
They have dive boats and the works.
I don't know how many will be running since that’s the time if year they like to haul out and do maintenance.

As far as diving in San Francisco Bay? No way, nada, solid muck, no vis, too many boats, polluted as hell, too dangerous, not something anybody does. Unless maybe the sheriffs dept is looking for a body, other than that no.
 
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going to be lower than that most likely. it was 50F last month. might go as low as mid 40s over the winter since it looks to be a la nina year.

stillwater cove and gerstle cove would be nearby. marin dive center, sonoma coast divers, and seals watersports rent gear.
 
If you can get away for a few days to Monterey, there is plenty of diving to be had. Aquarious Dive shop and others offer guided shore dives as well as any gear rental you might need. I don't have a lot of experience with shore entries - so I've been opting for guided dives when I'm in the area until I get more practice.

Lots of macro anytime and when the visibility is good, the kelp forests offer amazing views.

There are also a few dive charter boats. I've been on the Silver Prince and have a trip on the Beach Hopper II scheduled for next week.
 
If you're new to NorCal diving, I recommend hiring a guide from a Monterey shop (Breakwater Scuba, Bamboo Reef or Aquarius) for shore dives. The boat charters don't include guides, but you could hire one. If it's not stormy, you can get some nice viz in the winter months. Water temp is generally in the low 50s.
 
I'd take Eric up on his offer. A trip to Stillwater Cove or Fort Ross is a beautiful drive with less traffic and takes less time than a trip to Monterey. The diving is comparable as far as I'm concerned. I wouldn't turn down a trip to Point Lobos for it, but anything else.


Bob
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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