Monterrey Bay Guide Options on Short Notice?

[TheFife]

I am flying to California in a week and want to do 3 days of two tank diving in Monterrey Bay (Monday-Wednesday the 5th-7th.). What are the best options for getting a guide to take me? I really don't want to wander around an unfamiliar area looking to run into other divers willing to let me tag along (especially on a week day). I am willing to pay for a private guide that will act as my buddy and show me the best local spots. It looks like Monterrey and Caramel are great dive spots.

I had been working with one of the well reviewed local shops since I first planned the trip 2 months ago, but they have become very flakey and won't confirm anything with only 9 days left. They keep saying things like "it should be no problem, we just need to check on guide availability". Then they never get back to me. I don't want to fly across the country and lug all of my gear, and then be disappointed by a shop that doesn't come through.

For the locals that know best, what would you do in my situation? I have been dreaming of sea lions, kelp forests, and anemones. Any advice to make it happen? What is my can't miss solution?

 

[NorCalDM]

Don't know what local shop your dealing with but you could try Bamboo Reef in Monterey or Breakwater Scuba they both do guided dives. They will be shore dives and conditions can change quickly so that will determine if they will go out or not. This year has not been the greatest for conditions so far we've had quite a few days with big swells and bad visibility. Also the swell report looks a little confused on Monday with 20 - 30 kt NW winds 6-7 foot NW swell with a 3 foot south swell. You can PM me and I can read the swell report the closer you get to your trip

 

[TheFife]

I received a number of PM suggestions and ended up successfully booking with Aquarius. They were super easy to deal with.

I am very curious about the conditions for the days I'll be diving. I looked up a swell report, but truth be told I am not sure what the numbers mean for me. I assume that higher wave height means worse visibility and tougher entries and exits. If that's true, is there a basic rule of thumb for estimating what visibility will be?

Also, does anyone know what scenarios are likely to cause the dive guide to decide not to go out? I'm guessing that lightening and wave height might be the two factors. Is there a height at which it becomes likely the dives will be cancelled?

Once I am done I'll be sure to post a dive report and let everyone know how my experience played out. Hopefully it will help others deciding to do some vacation diving in Monterrey.

 

[dshorwich]

I am very curious about the conditions for the days I'll be diving. I looked up a swell report, but truth be told I am not sure what the numbers mean for me. I assume that higher wave height means worse visibility and tougher entries and exits. If that's true, is there a basic rule of thumb for estimating what visibility will be?

You can't really predict visibility just based on a swell forecast - there are too many other variables that play into it. The best way to predict the vis at a given site is to find out what the vis was like there the day before. But conditions can change quickly - it'll be good one day, pea soup the next - so even that's no guarantee. And on a given day the vis might be decent on one side of the peninsula, lousy on the other.

Also, does anyone know what scenarios are likely to cause the dive guide to decide not to go out? I'm guessing that lightening and wave height might be the two factors. Is there a height at which it becomes likely the dives will be cancelled?

Thunderstorms are rare out here, summer thunderstorms very rare. As for wave height, that might depend more on you than the guide - do you have experience with rough surf entries?

Right now, looking at the forecasts, it looks to me like early next week will probably be OK - far from flat, but not formidably rough, either. But three days out is still a little too far off to be sure, so I'd recommend calling your shop on Sunday afternoon, ask them what conditons were like that day, and how they're looking for Monday.

Here's a useful link, if you've never dived northern California, or a similar environment:

New Monterey Diver Information

 

[outofofficebrb]

Hi,

I'm supposed to dive Point Lobos on Sunday but I am on the fence about making the huge drive from Marin County just to look at tide pools or hike. I just want to dive!

 

[TheFife]

OP here. I ended up doing Point Lobos on Monday, then Breakwater on Tuesday, and Point Lobos again on Wednesday. Each day it was a private tour with a dive guide from Aquarius. Here are a couple quick takeaways for anyone interested in doing vacation diving in Monterey:

• The diving was far better than I expected. I have watched every youtube video available, and none of them do Monterey justice. Seriously, usually videos show the best version of a dive local, but not in this case. Point Lobos in particular was fantastic (had a bit over 30ft viz on Wednesday). I think cold water diving is vastly under appreciated. The kelp forest was mesmerizing, the anemones, starfish, sea cucumbers, diving birds, fish, and everything else was just first rate. I thought of Monterey as a place to get a dive in while on vacation doing something else. Now I consider it a dive destination in its own right.
• Yes the water is cold. I dove a dry suit and was fine, but my guide used a 7mm with a hood. On the second day, he could only do 1 dive because he was so cold he was shivering (I'm guessing some prior night activity played a role here, so stay hydrated if you want to stay warm). While I was warm in the drysuit most of the time, I had a seal leak and my undergarments were soaked one day. In the future, having a backup set of undergarments would have let me do a second dive instead of having to end my day after the leak.
• This diving is way more demanding. This is really worth stressing, as my first day I was very surprised how tough it was. I have dived in midwest quarries and the caribbean. Diving in Monterey is a whole different world. Diving HP 100s, and using a lot of lead because of the thick neoprene or dry suits, makes everything a little more demanding just getting into the water. Dealing with surge on entry (boat entries are much easier than shore in this respect), trying to hold a stop in murky water while the surge is tossing you around (I actually got sea sick 20ft underwater!), navigating through tangling kelp forests, and long cold surface swims through the kelp canopy is way more physically demanding than any diving I have ever encountered. I exercise 7 days a week, and still found it challenging. If a person isn't in shape, then I think this would be a dangerous match for them.
• As mentioned in the posts above, there are swell reports that in conjunction with the weather will give you a good idea of what the conditions will be. The difference in your experience based on this is dramatic. In just the 3 days I was here, I noticed a big difference. Anyone new to the area should only dive when conditions are very favorable. Seriously, going out when the sea is rough, as a person without experience in this area, would be a grave mistake. Just because you have logged a bunch of Caribbean dives doesn't mean you are ready for what Monterey has to offer. Be willing to stay out of the water. Go hiking or site seeing. There is plenty topside.
• Hiring a dive is challenging, especially if you are alone. I had to work with a couple shops to finally get set up with a guide. If you are solo, I don't think they are that interested in taking you because you aren't worth much money (that's the vibe I got). In the end, the guide I got was a really good guy, but he didn't have enough experience. He had some issues navigating and got us dramatically turned around more than once (that wastes limited dive time). He also didn't have the right exposure gear for the job. Perhaps its a fluke, but if I come to Monterey again, the thing I will look forward to the least will be finding a good guide.
• Though its hard to arrange, you need a guide. The couple sites I dove wouldn't have been any fun if I had just jumped in and swam around. Getting to the worthwhile sites requires swimming a good ways and navigating. You need someone to help you with that.
• I was staying in San Jose as my wife was at a tech conference there. I drove in each morning and back each afternoon. The drive was beautiful and I would do it again in a heartbeat. Seriously, the diving is worth the drive and then some.

Thanks again to everyone who replied or sent PMs with advice.

 

[TheFife]

The drive down to Monterrey

The harbor next to the Breakwater

Some harbor seals next to the Breakwater

The Breakwater entry

Whaler's Cove the entrance to Point Lobos

Point Lobos once you are past Whaler's Cove

 

[TheFife]

Here are some example profiles to give you an idea of depth/duration:

The Breakwater

Point Lobos

 

[NorCalDM]

Glad you enjoyed your dives and sounds like you lucked out and got some good conditions for your first trip out here.

 

[outofofficebrb]

I'm glad it worked out so well! As @NorCalDM mentioned, you got lucky for having come out here and it coincided with some good diving.

I dove it on Sunday (for the first time!) and the forecast had higher swells than what was forecasted when you dove it. There was quite a surge in some areas - I was apprehensive about going but @sea_otter convinced me to go because she said when all other places are bad to dive in those conditions, Lobos usually works out. We had about 15-20 ft of viz, but like your guide, myself and many others that dove wet only did 1 dive because it was cold - 48F. My core was fine in the semi-dry but it was my hands, feet, and face that were really feeling it. I agree on your assessments of the local diving here. I hope diving here more regularly will make me a better diver.

Thanks for sharing your experiences and photos!