New to NorCal

[cast]

Hi all,

I am new to bay area. would like to do some diving along the north cal coast. I have some questions here.

what is the water temp like? especially in the sumer/winter?
How is the visibility? Is the vis better in the winter?
when is the best season/month to dive?
Are there any must-dive/ must-see sites?

that is plenty of questions. Any advice will be appreciated.

Thanks a ton.

 

[gonphishing]

northcoastdivers.org we are a group of divers who regularly dive the north coast. sonoma and mendo. 48 to 52 degree waters. spring and summer months its generally cooler water and the fall and winter its a bit warmer. vis varies due to conditions and time of year and location. I have seen it 5 feet to 50 feet. summer months we can get a plankton bloom.

this is the best time to dive north coast. the winds generally die down and the vis gets a bit better. as well as warmer waters. but it all is up in the air with conditions. there is a dive line at salt point. its 707-847-3222. its a good place to start. and the whole north coast is a must see. check out north coast divers for an intro to the north coast. we dive at least once a month and its free.. good luck and be safe!!!

 

[cast]

Hi Gonphishing, Thanks a lot for the reply! I will check out the website.

why is the water warmer in the fall and winter months? does it have to do with any current? If the water is colder in the summer, why is there plankton bloom in summer instead of winter? This place seems very interesting.

 

[Peter_C]

Welcome to scubaboard

Currents have a lot to do with the conditions here. In the spring it can get as cold as 46 degrees, and that is when a drysuit is a must, unless you are a polar bear. The plankton blooms in the summer, just as the kelp grows like weeds. Sun light plays a major roll in how things grow, along with the upwellings. The BIG waves in the winter will take out much of the kelp.

Have you dove cold water yet?

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

See: Ba_diving Website - Information about Northern California diving The two links there that start "Information ..."
will tell you what you want to know.

 

[gonphishing]

I love the north coast diving. and prefer it over going south. for the most part. there is some island diving down south that also shouldn't be ignored.. I don't care to get too involved in a discussion here on scuba board. out of fear of getting into a pissing contest.. egos can get in the way here from time to time. come on out and do a club dive with us. its a good way to meet some new people in the dive community...

 

[Hinalo]

It's interesting how the marine ecologies of the North Coast and Monterey differ. I really enjoy diving both environments. In Monterey you can easily get into some deeper water, either from shore or boat; while on the N Coast easily accessible depths tend to be a little shallower. And there's no boat diving so everythings from shore.

In Monterey there are sea otters, and the otters eat urchins, which then frees up the rocks for kelp to grow. I haven't seen any abalone in Monterey, also presumably because the otters would eat them.

On the N Coast there aren't any otters but there sure are urchins and abalone.

There is a lot of marine life in both places and rocks are encrusted with corynactus and rose anemones north or south. But I think Monterey has a little more nutrient-rich upwelling than we do on the N Coast so there may be more competition for rocky real estate down south resulting in I think more variety and sheer biological mass.

Another similarity is that there are very frlendly divers in both locales.

 

[gonphishing]

a disease as well as overfishing, or I should say commercial harvesting. wiped out the abalone colony in the monterey area. withering foot I think they call it. I have seen a few in monterey. very far and few between..sombody might now more about this subject. but this is the info I have gotten.

I was just diving the channel islands. and on this trip I saw more abalone than in previous trips. as well as a few different species. green abalone. a red and a flat abalone. on santa cruz island.. sure is encouraging to see.

and there is boat diving up north. just not charter boat diving.. there is a launch at ocean cove and timber cove. there is also a launch at jenner and bodega bay. these are in sonoma. and there are a few more in mendo.

 

[cast]

You are right, the sun light is the key. there are more rain in the winter.

I have been diving in New England. a little bit warmer than here in the summer. overall, pretty much the same.

Welcome to scubaboard

Currents have a lot to do with the conditions here. In the spring it can get as cold as 46 degrees, and that is when a drysuit is a must, unless you are a polar bear. The plankton blooms in the summer, just as the kelp grows like weeds. Sun light plays a major roll in how things grow, along with the upwellings. The BIG waves in the winter will take out much of the kelp.

Have you dove cold water yet?

 

[cast]

Thanks, very nice links.

See: Ba_diving Website - Information about Northern California diving The two links there that start "Information ..."
will tell you what you want to know.