Monterey Query from a Newbie

[Hilto]

Colleagues,

I'm a warm water wuss who is very much interested in learning about the glories of Monterey. I've only been diving a year or so, and only in warm water (Belize and Roatan), but I hear that there is even more to see in Monterey than there is in the tropics. I'd be interested in (all) your suggestions about how to go about learning the local ropes. Best places to go, boat vs. shore, best dive operations to patronize. Do you need a dry suit or will 7 mils do? Hoods? Gloves? Does someone with only 25 warm water dives under his or her weight belt need special instruction for dealing with such different water conditions? I'd be very grateful for your suggestions and counsel.

Thanks.

 

[ERP]

My 2c

You don't need to dive dry, you can do it in a 7mm, but diving dry is a lot more pleasant, especially in the winter when the diving is at its best and the air temperature is low. Personally I wouldn't dive wet here, but a lot of people do.

As for better or worse than warm water diving, my own experience is that it's just different, there are different things to look at, and I personally enjoy both.

If you've never dove cold water with limited vis before, you should find an experienced buddy, or possibly take a refresher course. It's a very different experience than warm water diving.

I did most of my diving until recently up in the puget sound, so others will have to chime in on best dive spots and charters.

 

[scuberd]

I dive wet in the summer, and the spring, and the fall, oh...and the winter too. 7 mils should be fine but you will definatly want neoprene from the top of your head to the soles of your feet. Because the Monterey canyon is right off shore here, most of the diving is accessable by shore. I don't think there are organized trips in the area, but there is a list of freelance divemasters who take people out diving. Any shop down there should be able to help you out with that if you want. As for diving in the kelp, just remember to look up and to the sides. Like a rainforest, the kelp forests are stratified and have different things on different levels, unlike coral reefs which are more or less two dimentional. Diving here is fun, find a good buddy and you should be set for life.

 

[skynscuba]

There are several boats which operate in Monterey.
Unlike the tropics, you bring all your gear except
tanks (i.e., bring your own weights). I'd suggest
a day of shore diving first, to get used to the
thicker suit, getting your weights right, getting
accustomed to lower vis. If you look on the
web pages of local dive shops, they often
have Monterey dives advertised, either on a
boat, or at a shore site. Shore dives with a
shop might cost a few bucks, but it's probably
worth it, for the site orientation. Or, just
find a local buddy to clue you in. You might
also check the Yahoo group, ba_diving, where
you will find lots of links to local dive info, shops,
etc. If you would like to get your AOW (assuming
that you have not already), you could use that
to get an intro to cold water diving in Monterey.

 

[Beetlejuice]

I know Adventure sports in Santa Cruz has a dive club once a month, you pay $10 to a dive master and it's a pot luck affair. The dive master will take a group of people to a different shore dive, usually two dives. If you don't own all your gear (sounds like you at least need to rent a 7 mil suit) rentals are half off when you dive with the dive club.

 

[MarcHall]

Joe Talavera runs Experience Days in
the Monterey area on a regular basis.

Check out www.subtidal.net for the schedule.

I am heading up for his Experience Day at Pt Lobos on July 26th.

Marc Hall
San Diego
svcfish@yahoo.com

 

[gbrandon]

Monterey is fun, Ive dove Breakwater cove the most, but also went out on a charter last month. The charter had a pretty long & rough ride, so if you get seasick, either take the necessary precautions or stick to the shore dive. You might want to do the shore dive first anyway. Its shallow, and you will be able to get comfortable with the conditions and temp. I used to dive in a 7 mil wetsuit, hood, gloves, boots, etc. Now I have a drysuit so I only use my wetsuit to freedive (mostly for abs in Ft.Bragg). Ive dove hawaii and roatan as well, and the main difference you will notice is the visibility. After that, the tempeture. For me, by the time I was on my 2nd or 3rd dive, I was getting cold enough where I wasnt having fun anymore, while my buddy was nice and warm in his drysuit. Shortly after that I bought my drysuit. Its fun to dive there and there is alot of places I want to go around there that I havent. (a few wrecks, etc) Hope this helps!

Geoff

 

[amandasdaddy]

Everyone who has replied give great places to dive and great thoughts about the area.

Cold water isn't better, just different as ERP stated. The animals are different(http://www.montereyexpress.com/Gallery.htm), the vegitation is different, it's just different.

Monestary beach is a great advanced open water dive that allows you to go to the edge of the Monterey caverns. At about 80 feet the canyon begins to drop down and there are huge bolders and rock formations, very cool.

Breakwater is cool on a good day(http://www.ssdiver.net/fifthscubadive.htm). Vis usually isn't great because of all the student divers.
I have had some great encounters with octopus (in the day time), crabs, seals and such there.

Delmonte is ok too. Mostly sand, but vis is better than breakwater and you can dive on a sunken sail boat and ATV.

The Pinacles are my favorite in the area though... and you need a boat to get there. The vis usually is 50-80 feet, mostly clear and not too surgy depending on the day and time.

Butterfly House is nice too. There is always an abundance of vegitation there, mostly because it's there is a sewage treatment pipe that runs through the area and I hear it's got leaps, so don't play with the brown fish!.

The Monterey Express is a decent boat to dive off, and they take you to some nice areas. (http://www.montereyexpress.com).

Have fun and stay warm....

 

[astrofunk]

Hilto -

I dive a one-piece 7mm year round. Typically, my last dives of the day are limited by how cold I am, not by air consumption or by deco limits. I think that's a strong argument for a dry suit, so I am saving my pennies. Still, you can DEFINITELY have great dives in 7mm, plus booties, gloves, and a hood.

As for learning where to dive, Lonely Planet's book on diving Northern California is quite nice. I don't remember the exact title, but it's obvious, and it covers Carmel basically up to Jenner. The directions to sites are spot on, the descriptions are nice, and the sites are ranked according to a rough skill level scheme. It would definitely be worthwhile to hook up with an instructor in some capacity, but thereafter, the book serves as a decent guide.

- steve

 

[Hilto]

I must say, I'm struck again with what a helpful and supportive community divers seem to be. Thanks to everyone for your thoughtful responses.