The NorCal Meet and Greet at Coral Street on May 10 is quickly approaching!
The spot is located on Ocean View Blvd. in Pacific Grove, at the intersection of Coral Street (duh!). As you drive down Ocean View from Lover's Point or Monterey, look for a grove of Eucalyptus trees at Esplanade St. Coral Street will be the next street.
Free parking is available on Ocean View and on a dirt spot near the dive site.
The tentative plan is to be there about 10am because of tidal conditions, then get a dive in, or *maybe* two. This site can be exposed to tidal currents, so the tidal swing forecasted for May 10 is:
Sat 10 High 2:08 AM 5.4
10 Low 9:52 AM -0.9
10 High 5:12 PM 3.9
10 Low 9:39 PM 2.9
The negative tide will reveal a lot of rocks at the site-that's both good and bad. The beach certainly won't look as pretty as in some of the pictures (actually, it'll be downright ugly), but you'll be able to see and wade through the rocks instead of knocking into them when you're in the water.
We'll probably be all geared up and in by 11am or so and catch the incoming tide.
Some people were concerned with currents. In the VERY unlikely event that you kicked out like crazy and sucked down all of your air, then tired yourself out after cramping up every muscle in your body, the incoming tide will bring you back into shore and closer to Lover's Point and Breakwater. Either that, or you could always surface in some kelp and spin around like ballerina and wait for the tide to slacken.
I'll be kicking out a little further, to the edge of Inner Chase Reef. The vis is generally better here and there's more "stuff" to see. It will be clearly marked on the surface by the kelp bed.
Here's the write up from California Dive News:
California Diving News Scuba Dive Spot - Monterey County, Coral Street
And the one from shorediving.com, with pictures:
Scuba Shore Diving Site Page for: Coral Street Beach of California North, USA West
And for Inner Chase Reef, but I'll only be going to the closest spot to shore:
California Diving News Scuba Dive Spot - Inner Chase Reef
I can give a dive briefing of the site when we get there for those who haven't dived this site before. Remember, there are no facilities there, so bring what you think you'll need-food, water, gear, full tanks, empty bladder, etc.
I don't normally dive with a snorkel, but at this site there is a lot to see in the shallows if you choose to snorkel out to the dive site instead of kicking on your back.
For a backup plan, we'll probably head over to Breakwater and either try to dive there, or just lounge around on the grass.
The spot is located on Ocean View Blvd. in Pacific Grove, at the intersection of Coral Street (duh!). As you drive down Ocean View from Lover's Point or Monterey, look for a grove of Eucalyptus trees at Esplanade St. Coral Street will be the next street.
Free parking is available on Ocean View and on a dirt spot near the dive site.
The tentative plan is to be there about 10am because of tidal conditions, then get a dive in, or *maybe* two. This site can be exposed to tidal currents, so the tidal swing forecasted for May 10 is:
Sat 10 High 2:08 AM 5.4
10 Low 9:52 AM -0.9
10 High 5:12 PM 3.9
10 Low 9:39 PM 2.9
The negative tide will reveal a lot of rocks at the site-that's both good and bad. The beach certainly won't look as pretty as in some of the pictures (actually, it'll be downright ugly), but you'll be able to see and wade through the rocks instead of knocking into them when you're in the water.
We'll probably be all geared up and in by 11am or so and catch the incoming tide.
Some people were concerned with currents. In the VERY unlikely event that you kicked out like crazy and sucked down all of your air, then tired yourself out after cramping up every muscle in your body, the incoming tide will bring you back into shore and closer to Lover's Point and Breakwater. Either that, or you could always surface in some kelp and spin around like ballerina and wait for the tide to slacken.
I'll be kicking out a little further, to the edge of Inner Chase Reef. The vis is generally better here and there's more "stuff" to see. It will be clearly marked on the surface by the kelp bed.
Here's the write up from California Dive News:
California Diving News Scuba Dive Spot - Monterey County, Coral Street
And the one from shorediving.com, with pictures:
Scuba Shore Diving Site Page for: Coral Street Beach of California North, USA West
And for Inner Chase Reef, but I'll only be going to the closest spot to shore:
California Diving News Scuba Dive Spot - Inner Chase Reef
I can give a dive briefing of the site when we get there for those who haven't dived this site before. Remember, there are no facilities there, so bring what you think you'll need-food, water, gear, full tanks, empty bladder, etc.
I don't normally dive with a snorkel, but at this site there is a lot to see in the shallows if you choose to snorkel out to the dive site instead of kicking on your back.
For a backup plan, we'll probably head over to Breakwater and either try to dive there, or just lounge around on the grass.
