Monterey conditions. (let's keep it going )

[wnissen]

Stillwater Cove was not too much of an option this morning; looked like someone flushed the toilet bowl-shaped site; so too Monastery Beach.

The winner today was Monterey, at Cannery Row: San Carlos Beach -- ten meters of visibility, at 12˚ C. The swell seems to be on its way out.

Cormorants everywhere -- watched one ascend for a breath, from ten meters or more; perfectly visible, along the way, even the cascades of bubbles emerging from its feathers, during the ascent. Saw it kicking around at the surface, and watched it as it returned to the very spot, where I had last seen it feeding.

Also, a Torpedo ray in the shallows and a ballistic sausage of a harbor seal, who was very sociable and grabbed at my red fins.

Not the worst seventy minutes that I've spent, in a 7 mm gimp suit . . .

That does sound great, never had a seal choose to interact with me.

We were over at Tanker's Reef doing an urchin cull from the Beach Hopper II. Astonishing visibility for that site, 10 m / 33 ft of vertical vis, about half that horizontally at depth due to infrequent but regular 2 m / 6 ft surge. 13ºC / 57F, 12 m / 40 ft., 49 and 52 minutes. Saw a couple of mermaid's purses, tons of crabs and snails coming up to eat the urchins, and completed my safety top right at the top of a few spindly giant kelp. Very, very nice day to dive.

 

[MichaelMc]

a ballistic sausage of a harbor seal

That is a good description. Though I've mostly seen them going slow, maybe because of the vis which meant they were close and in initially shy mode at that point.

 

[runsongas]

@Bigbella damn, was hoping the vis would still hold to this weekend as last weekend was great

 

[uspap]

Did two dives at Breakwater today. This time the vis was better in the kelp. Beautiful day. 30 ft vis +/-. Had two Otters swim up to my camera and do acrobatics. Of course the shot didn't come out. Found a dive knife. If you lost it let me know.

 

[DivinLion01]

Did two dives at Breakwater today. This time the vis was better in the kelp. Beautiful day. 30 ft vis +/-. Had two Otters swim up to my camera and do acrobatics. Of course the shot didn't come out. Found a dive knife. If you lost it let me know.

Lost my XS Scuba dive knife in the kelp at Breakwater back in September. Has a grayish blue tint to it. Thanks for the report on conditions! Heading down there in 4 hours for 3 days of blowing bubbles!

 

[uspap]

The knife I found was near the wall and it looks like it was lost yesterday.

 

[wnissen]

Thanks to folks here, I heard about the excellent vis and decided to drive down for a second Saturday in a row. Came for one daytime and one nighttime dive at Breakwater, and conditions were indeed excellent. I could look up from 7 m / 22 ft. and clearly see the kelp at the surface. Teeny ankle-biter waves, no chop, no surge. Beautifully clear skies. Saw a red octopus disappear into a preposterously small hole, got a quick buzz from a sea lion, and enjoyed seeing a decorator crab that somehow had red algae growing all over it. A living gilly suit! Stars were very nice on the swim back, to boot. About an hour each, depth 13 m / 42 ft, temperature 13 ºC / 55 F.

 

[Thrutch]

Breakwater and McAbee have been 53 degrees-ish for the past few days. Vis between 10 and 20 feet, more on the 10 side. It's been a little choppy on the surface (if you find a Hollis M-1 mask with a velcro slap strap, give me a holler), but I've been having a great time. I met a lovely couple of harbor seals at McAbee this morning and saw my first tubesnout at Breakwater on Sunday. Hoping for a beautiful, calm morning at Monastery tomorrow before I head back to Reno. Cross your fingers for me.

 

[Thrutch]

Conditions this morning were pretty poor, so no Monastery for me. I ended up trying for Metridium Fields. Vis was 5-10 feet and it was 53F. I say 'trying' because I dropped my camera without realizing early on and spent over two hours between two dives trying to find it, which I didn't. So if anyone sees a gopro in an aluminum mount with a yellow-tackled double ender attached, I'd be much obliged if you'd grab it. I think I lost it in the area around the smaller pipes. I was a complete yard sale this week.

 

[Bigbella]

Two dives -- one in Carmel and the other, Monterey.

Of the two, Carmel was far nicer, with about eight meters of visibility, out by the splash rock, off North Monastery. Lots of schooling fish and a mola at about 20 meters. 10˚ C at depth.

Monterey was flat as a board, with four to five meters, though "milky" in appearance, after a few days of swells. The dive-bombing sea lions were well worth it, near the end of the Breakwater . . .