Monterey conditions. (let's keep it going )

[uspap]

North Monastery today was doable but was building quickly. Opted for Breakwater. Vis was actually better than it appeared from the surface. Vis was 10-12ft and water looked like it wanted to get blue. Long period swell. Ankle deep then chest deep. Nice day. 62 degrees topside. Sunshine. Supposed to get huge by next week.

 

[Bigbella]

North Monastery had about 5-6 meters of visibility, out near the splash rock; but we waited between sets, late yesterday afternoon, to get to shore . . .

 

[Bigbella]

North Mortuary was a brisk ten degrees at depth and had, variously, 5-6 meters of visibility, out beyond the splash rock. There were a ridiculous number or rockfish, just suspended in the water column, not doing much of anything; and there were several cormorants rocketing around. The swell is a bit up, but not remotely like Asilomar or Point Pinos, which had sizable waves.

Since when have they -- the powers that be -- placed an easily avoidable peckerwood yellow plastic chain, across the main path to the beach, with the caption "unsafe surf -- do not enter?" I usually take a neighboring path through the eucalyptus grove.

As an embarrassed native Californian, I must say that our nanny state, both sucks and blows . . .

 

[FreeFlyFreak]

North Mortuary was a brisk ten degrees at depth and had, variously, 5-6 meters of visibility, out beyond the splash rock. There were a ridiculous number or rockfish, just suspended in the water column, not doing much of anything; and there were several cormorants rocketing around. The swell is a bit up, not remotely like Asilomar or Point Pinos, which has sizable waves.

Since when have they -- the powers that be -- placed an easily avoidable peckerwood yellow plastic chain, across the main path to the beach, with the caption "unsafe surf -- do not enter?" I usually take a neighboring path through the eucalyptuses.

As a embarrassed native Californian, I must say that our nanny state, both sucks and blows . . .

Thanks for the report.
I so badly wanted to dive today as the swell has died down some. But alas, after an inability to get to sleep last night and my cat yowling at 6am to wake me up, I decided to scrub it.

 

[lexvil]

As a happy to be here Californian
Another Drowning at Monastery Beach . . .

 

[Bigbella]

As a happy to be here Californian
Another Drowning at Monastery Beach . . .

Oooh, Touché -- though there have been fatalities there for decades; was even there for a recovery in the nineties, along its South shore; but this morning, while taking a pleasant dive, among fishes and cormorants, was my first sighting of that Fisher-Price® plastic chain, "closing" the beach; a bouquet of red flags on the other shoreline; and it was just as emptily symbolic and Impotent, as any number of Californian serial laws and ordinances.

To quote Milton Friedman, this little aphorism, “One of the great mistakes is to judge policies and programs by their intentions rather than their results . . .”

 

[bjd001]

Did 2 great dives at South Monastery on Sat (1/11). Viz was about 40 feet and we could see the surface from 55 feet! Found a big wolf eel on the second dive. Both dives were to 50 - 55 feet, about 40 - 50 mins and 52 degrees. Fine in my wetsuit but my hands did get cold.

 

[uspap]

Dove North Monastery today. 20-30ft vis. Blue water. Had to time the entry and a big set came through after we entered. Fun dive. Crawled out due to not feeling like walking out but likely could have. Second dive was Breakwater wall. About 10ft vis plus and minus. Water looked a milky blue like Monastery.

On a side note, could any less effort be put into a deterrent? This can't be official.

 

[Bigbella]

On a side note, could any less effort be put into a deterrent? This can't be official.
View attachment 561517

Yeah, isn't that the most absurd thing you've ever seen? I first saw those Fisher-Price chains last week; and, sadly, they're official.

I was, unfortunately, on the Monterey side today; and the visibility was a bad as you said . . .

 

[MichaelMc]

I usually take a neighboring path through the eucalyptus grove.

Well Huh. I didn't know of a eucalyptus grove path at Monastery. I'll check it out. This is north of the main path and south of the two properties there? Thanks.

yellow plastic chain, across the main path to the beach, with the caption "unsafe surf -- do not enter?"

What does the chain sign say? Just "unsafe surf -- do not enter"? Do they mean the center beach? The whole beach? The beach on days when it is mirror flat?

I have visions of a delegation of rangers/lifeguards and some admin types standing on the other side of that chain. And a conversation about low swell reports, current ocean storm maps, swell direction, which day I was there, off shore breezes, thick wetsuits, redundant air, no interest in playing bowling pin in that shore break, and in the unlikely event of need, multiple signaling devices and the ability and sense to hang out off shore for a boat from around the corner at point lobos.