monterey bay area,best shore diving park

[RoyN]

There is nothing to see in Monastery except sand, sand, and more sand. Oh did I mention sand? Thats all I saw was sand. I have yet to see anything good in there other then playing tic tac toe on the sand with another diver. It was great of looking down the canyon, but wasn't worth wasting my nitrox air or a pile of sand. I still want my 3000 psi of nitrox back from that awful dive.

(Roy - I am a weird vietnamese diver too. LOL. Ever thought about doing a dive trip in VN?)

OH man, I gotta go catch my breath, can't breath now from the laughing!

Haven't plan on it yet unfortunately...

 

[ae3753]

There is nothing to see in Monastery except sand, sand, and more sand. Oh did I mention sand? Thats all I saw was sand.

Which part of Monastery did you dive?

 

[RoyN]

I dove at north of wash rock where the floor would drop beyond to 120ft. This was from the Beach Hopper 2 ship. Never did a entry and exit from the beach in Monastery.

 

[LG Diver]

Monastery is very dangerous.... I wouldn't take it lightly...

I'll second that. Anyone that says Monastery isn't dangerous is kidding themselves. I've experienced firsthand how unpredictable and dangerous it can be, and I'm very fortunate to have escaped unhurt that day.

Lobos is absolutely amazing. If you can get a reservation there, that's THE place to dive.

-John

 

[jumsted65]

It didn't get the nickname Mortuary beach for nothing.

Oh, and Roy, you were in the wrong spot Demand a refund!

 

[gonphishing]

hello. my 2 cents. lovers is a nice dive for monterey location. an easy entry and plenty to see. point lobos is a awesome place to dive. highly recommended as well. during the week you most likely wont need reservations but it is recommended. also less crowded on a week day. I would stay away from monastery for this trip and do some research and check it out while your out at lobos. you will pass right by it most likely on your way to lobos. I find monterey a bit boring. especially the breakwater. but it would be a good spot to get failure with the monterey conditions. I say skip it and go to lovers.

If you are feeling adventuress. come up north to sonoma county. we have some awesome diving up here. a lot more to see. I recommend gerstle cove. is is an easy entry and its protected from the north swell. there are several old anchors 6-8 feet long just outside the cove and a lot of rock structures. so much more marine life to be seen up in sonoma. there is a camp ground at this location and a cold shower. there is also a shipwreck outside the cove to the south. here is a link. http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asppage_id=453 there is a dive line you should call on this page if you plan to dive this location. it gives dive and weather conditions daily.
you can find other dive locations in sonoma county if you click on north coast divers on my signature line. enter the site. and go to dive sites. we have most of the popular dive spots listed there. if you need specifics on diving up here. don't hesitate to ask.

hope you have a good trip. you got good advise from the community!!!

 

[gonphishing]

be cautious anywhere you go. up here we just had 6 divers loose there lives in the past 2 months. but the locations recommended by the community are a safe bet if your prepared. have fun!!! and be safe!!! Im traveling to seattle and the san juan Islands next week. I chose to do a charter due to not knowing the local conditions. there are current sensitive locations here and I am not familiar. Ill be doing a dive also with a group as well in seattle. its always a good idea to dive with locals when diving a new location. maybe you could post looking for a dive buddy. or experienced guide to dive a cretin location. monterey also has good charter boats for under 100$. just a thought?

 

[Gill Envy]

I've done several trips to the monteray/carmel area, from pure shore diving trips to kayak diving trips to pure boat trips. The bay is really plan B for if the conditions for just about anywhere else are not good. the book "A divers Guide To Monterey county" by Bruce Watkins is very helpful in helping you plan a trip. He has some really helpful tips on wind directions with the seasons.

the trouble is that the most exposed and surgey spots are where the most spectacular dives are to be had and conditions can go from difficult but tempting to outright dangerous in a short time, so stay away from a sight unless conditions really feel doable.

that said, when the weather is really nice, there is nothing like diving in the carmel area. Monestary can be great if you are up for a long swim out to the rocky point. the waves break suddenly and with greater force than you are likely used to and the gravel substaight is hard to get a good footing in. Point lobos is a bit more protected in the bay, but the really amazing stuff is a really long surface swim from the ramp. there are some cool spots described in the book which are pretty cool along the highway but hard to get to.

the most amazing diving i've done there is on mano lobo wall by kayak, but on extremely mellow days and still water bay by boat or butterfly house by shore if conditions are perfect.

hope that helps

 

[skynscuba]

If you are going to dive Lover's, you need to be aware of the city ordinances restricting what time, and from what part of the beach, you can dive. I'm too lazy to look it up, but I think you need to enter Lovers 1 to the right of the pointy marker, and be done/gear back in the car by noon? IIRC, there are no restrictions on the "lovers 3" beach, to the west of the point, other than perhaps a 2 hour parking limit.

 

[Hinalo]

Bruce Watkins says in his book that the time to be out of the water at Lovers is 11:30am.