Greetings from an inexperienced diver in the SF Bay Area

[Dentate]

Hey all,

Robin here, and I'm excited to have ScubaBoard as a resource!

I completed my OW and AOW in 2008/2009, but then took a hiatus before my wife and I jumped into the cold waters of Monterey Bay 'head first.' I've now completed about 30 dives and have finally acquired some decent gear.

Alas, my wife has found that she prefers boat dives in the tropics and is not enamored with the long swims and less than warm waters around the SF Bay. Thus, I'd love to find some folks who might be interested in exploring Monterey with me (hopefully one or two individuals from whom I can learn, but I'm also happy to share my limited knowledge!).

Great to meet you all and thanks for being here!

R

 

[TSandM]

Welcome back to diving, and to :sblogo:, dentate!

There are quite a few Monterey divers here. You might consider PMing my friend Ben V and seeing if you could meet up with him for a dive. If you haven't hit Lobos, you have a treat in store!

I love Monterey diving. You are in a great place!

 

[Peter_C]

Welcome to Scubaboard

Make sure to check out the NorCal section. NorCal

Get your wife a drysuit and she can be warmer than diving in the tropics! They do have boats in Monterey too.

Unfortunately I do not get to dive Monterey very often and tend to head more North towards Mendocino, or just dive local at the Sonoma Coast. I am sure you can find other divers to share in your adventures though.

 

[Dentate]

Thanks for the note! I actually met a very pleasant fellow named Ben when diving at Point Lobos with my wife a few weeks back. He is active on ScubaBoard and we have discussed diving together. I'd love to get the username of your friend as well (perhaps it's the same individual), and I can shoot him a PM.

Yes, I love Point Lobos. I'm just starting to get a feel for the cove, but the dives I've done have been spectacular.

Welcome back to diving, and to :sblogo:, dentate!

There are quite a few Monterey divers here. You might consider PMing my friend Ben V and seeing if you could meet up with him for a dive. If you haven't hit Lobos, you have a treat in store!

I love Monterey diving. You are in a great place!

 

[Ben_ca]

...guilty... I know theres at least a couple of other divers named Ben out there... Funny huh. Primary Dive Buddy Ted used to accuse me of trying to talk to every diver I saw at the Breakwater. One year someone actually asked what shop we taught for! Opsss

Ben V

PS Welcome Robin

 

[Dentate]

Thanks, Peter. The Norcal suggestion is a great one.

The drysuit suggestion is also much appreciated. We did procure my wife one, which keeps her toasty warm; I knew that was the only way she could successfully dive in Monterey. Of course, it requires more effort than a tropics compatible wetsuit... We'd love to charter a boat a couple of times per month, but alas, that becomes prohibitively costly.

I'd love to do some diving up north one of these days, so perhaps we'll have the opportunity to meet up. Thanks again for the warm welcome and suggestions!

Welcome to Scubaboard

Make sure to check out the NorCal section. NorCal

Get your wife a drysuit and she can be warmer than diving in the tropics! They do have boats in Monterey too.

Unfortunately I do not get to dive Monterey very often and tend to head more North towards Mendocino, or just dive local at the Sonoma Coast. I am sure you can find other divers to share in your adventures though.

 

[antattack]

Welcome! I'm a Santa Cruz diver, but would be happy to dive show you some of the local spots. My wife is avoiding cold water too, so I empathize.

There are a number of dive clubs around here and some good deals on dive boats like the Escapade. I'd be happy to introduce you. I help out with Diver Dan's dive club now and then, but I'm not much of a club joiner myself.

In the summer, if you want a really easy shore dive you might consider diving the Santa Cruz Municipal wharf. It's the about as easy as it gets and makes for a good after work dive. You park on the warf, gear up, walk down the stairs and jump in the water. Easy! It's only about 25' of water, but really spooky.

Lovers point, Butterfly house, Carmel River, Monastery Beach, the outfall in Santa Cruz, The half tracks 1 and 2, The barge. You have some fun dives ahead.

PM me when you have time to get in the water. In fact, anyone who wants to dive Santa Cruz or Monterey should PM be if they have time to jump in the water. If I'm free, I'll soak up some nitrogen with you.

 

[Dentate]

That is funny, Ben. You are infamous, it seems.

...guilty... I know theres at least a couple of other divers named Ben out there... Funny huh. Primary Dive Buddy Ted used to accuse me of trying to talk to every diver I saw at the Breakwater. One year someone actually asked what shop we taught for! Opsss

Ben V

PS Welcome Robin

 

[Ben_ca]

Just don't call me Fred

 

[Dentate]

Hey Ant,

I missed your post previously; my apologies. Thank you for the information. I'd love to hit Santa Cruz/Monterey with you! I'll shoot you a PM.

Welcome! I'm a Santa Cruz diver, but would be happy to dive show you some of the local spots. My wife is avoiding cold water too, so I empathize.

There are a number of dive clubs around here and some good deals on dive boats like the Escapade. I'd be happy to introduce you. I help out with Diver Dan's dive club now and then, but I'm not much of a club joiner myself.

In the summer, if you want a really easy shore dive you might consider diving the Santa Cruz Municipal wharf. It's the about as easy as it gets and makes for a good after work dive. You park on the warf, gear up, walk down the stairs and jump in the water. Easy! It's only about 25' of water, but really spooky.

Lovers point, Butterfly house, Carmel River, Monastery Beach, the outfall in Santa Cruz, The half tracks 1 and 2, The barge. You have some fun dives ahead.

PM me when you have time to get in the water. In fact, anyone who wants to dive Santa Cruz or Monterey should PM be if they have time to jump in the water. If I'm free, I'll soak up some nitrogen with you.