Monterey (or N. Coast) this Saturday 7/31

[Eric Sedletzky]

ZKY,

Where do you find the scallops at Gerstle?? I have been diving there for 2 years and havent seen any...man I would love to find some up there!!! We will be camping in Stillwater over the Aug 22-24th week.

There aren't many of them but there are a few, and the place is that very far most exposed washrock that only shows itself at low tide. There's also a cave down around in that area that is pretty cool. Inside the cave is where I saw the scallops.

ZKY

 

[Kayak Diver]

I guess it could be swimmable but a very long way out there. You'd be spent by the time you made the surface swim.
It looks like Saturday for me at Gerstle. I just contacted my other buds and It's on.
They rent kayaks at wind toys in Santa Rosa, but you'd have to get it the day before though so logistically it would be a pain in the butt.
I don't know where you're driving from, but check around your local area, maybe there's somewhere around there that could set you up.
Kayaks are REALLY handy and a very inexpensive and covenient way to get out to some of the better diving without the full expense and commitment of a boat.
I think anyone who regularly dives north of S.F. should strongly consider getting a kayak.

ZKY

There are so many advantages to diving off a kayak. The only time I shore dive now is when my buddy dosen't have a kayak, or if we're at a site where it doesn't make sence to take the kayaks out.

In northern California, we've only taken our kayaks out at Point Lobos. We dove the Great Pinnacle, Thumb's Up, and Marco's Pinnacle. Whaler's cove is nice, but it was really great to get outside. We plan to drag out kayaks up to Monterey over the holiday weekend, and hope to get to return to northern California a few times this fall. It would be great to learn about other kayak dive sites.

This weekend I will be kayak diving off Palos Verdes and Point Dune.

-Geoff

 

[Kayak Diver]

I've been dying to get a kayak, but haven't talked the girlfriend (fiance, really, but I can't use the word outside of parentheses without feeling weird) into buying one yet. I'd need to buy some kind of rack too in order to haul it up there. These are all purchases that are likely to get me in trouble.

At this point, I'm thinking of just heading out on a 2 tank morning boat dive in Monterey on Saturday.

Hey Guys...sorry about the broken English in my last post. I'm half asleap. I've been in the garage all night resealing some of the strap eyes on my wife's kayak.

Anyways...D O H - you can pick up a kayak for pretty cheap if you shop around. Ocean Kayak changed the style on some of the models and for awhile you could get the older ones at closeout prices. Some kayak rental places will sell off their boats after they've seen some use. For example, Channel Islands Kayaks in Ventura is now selling three of their Scramblers. Allen's Kayaks in San Diego sells closeout models as well as used models. Those shops are probably a bit of a drive for you but you might have a similar shop on your part of the coast. A rack could be something as simple as some foam and a couple of tie downs. Check out Mark Theobald's book at www.kayakdiving.com. He has several tips for inexpensively customizing a kayak for diving.

-Geoff