Eileen,
In the Monterey Bay Area:
In addition to the water being warmer in the Fall/Winter than in the summer, the visibility is also better. The warmest dives I have ever done in Monterey were in October and November. The coldest in May.
To answer the questions you asked:
- city (Monterey, Carmel, ??)
- dive ops
- dve sites
- hotels
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City:
Carmel will be a little farther away from the boats for diving. You want to dive off Carmel, and you must visit there, but you probably don't want to stay there as it is probably more expensive. Carmel is beautiful and well worth the drive for a visit, escecially if you like quaint towns or art galleries.
Pacific Grove is beautiful, but it can be pricey also. It tends to be more B&B style accomodations.
Monterey or Marina or Seaside would probably be the best place to stay. In addition to the diving there is Cannery Row and the Monterey Bay Aquarium etc for surface intervals.
If your group is into hiking at all then I HIGHLY recommend visiting Pt Lobos State Park. It would be an awesome way to spend the last day when you can't be diving. It is the most beautiful place around here for hiking. We always take visitors there to see the incredible scenery.
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Dive Operations; there are two major dive boat operations:
Monterey Express
http://www.montereyexpress.com/
Cypress Charters
http://www.cypresscharters.com/
(I have only used the Monterey Express, and I recommende them, but I hear good things about Cypress also.)
I have seen smaller boats also, but I have no personal experience with any. Local dive shops or other SBer's could provide more recommendations if you describe your group size and expectations. Depending upon the size of your group, you might need to use one of the larger operations listed above.
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Dive Shops:
There are numerous shops in the area.
Monterey Bay DIve Center is almost directly across the street from Breakwater, the center of a lot of shore diving.
There are two separate (now) Aquarius Dive shops in town. One is up the coast a little ways on Del Monte and the other is right next to Breakwater.
There are others, but my experience has been limited to those three, and all worked out fine. They should be able to help you with just about anything.
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Dive Sites:
The charters go to a number of great locations, and usually the captains tend to be influenced by the conditions and the aspects of diving. If something special is happening in an area they will tend to take people there. They want to take clients to the best places on that day at that time.
In general the water gets a little colder and the visibility a little bit better as you head further south towards Carmel and Pt Lobos. The diving right near Monterey is great, and it just gets better as you head south along the coast.
The areas off Pebble Beach and Carmel and Pt Lobos can be unbelievable. Mono-Lobo is a great area near Monastery Beach and Pt Lobos. The Pinnacles are probably my favorite, but there are a ton of great spots. Great kelp, vertical spires, tons of life.
Tell the Charter what you are looking for, but I suspect that the captain usually has decided where he will be going before he leaves the dock. (again based on his experience and the conditions) It can't hurt to ask, but they will take you someplace good.
I have had some fabulous dives in only 60 feet or less right off shore from the Aquarium, so you don't have to go miles down the coast.
(gee all this talk about diving Monterey is getting me all excited! Good thing I will be heading to Cozumel in about 41 hours!)
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Hotels
I am just over an hour away from the Monterey Bay Area, so I don't stay there very often so I don't have a lot of recommendations on Hotels.
There is a real good one just up the coast a short way, but the name escapes me at the moment. I think it is a Best Western and it is right on the beach.
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Restaurants (I know, you didn't ask)
Lots of really good restaurants in Monterey Area. Too many to recommend. However, Buono has real good Italian food. There are a bunch of restaurants near the Cannery Row and up the coast. Touristy yes, and not cheap, but real good.
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By the way, in these waters you won't find the tons of brightly colored fish that you find in Florida or the Caribean, but there is a myriad of life. There are rock colored fish and dull gray fish but the greatest beauties are the little things. There will be millions of starfish everywhere. There will be anemonies most places. Tiny shrimp, camoflaged crabs etc. There are thousands of little critters everywhere. You need to get up close and personal with the rocks and walls to really get the full effect.
You may see seals or sea lions. Seals tend to be wary and keep their distance. Sea lions, especially the "teenagers" can be very inquisitive and very playfull.
You will see a lot of otters if you hike at Pt Lobos but it is unlikely that you will see any underwater.
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BRING A LIGHT
You need a light to appreciate the colors, regardless of the depth. A field of strawberry anemone is relatively bland in the ambient light, but incredibly beautiful when illuminated.
I once shown a bright light on a dull gray blob of a large (24 inch diameter) Sun Starfish and it seemed like it glowed red from the inside. I was blown away. You have to have a good light with you when you dive in Monterey. Please.
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I hope that helps.
Be sure to let the NorCal people know when you and your group will be here, because a lot of us would use that as an excuse to go get wet with some other SBers.
Wristshot
