Question New to the Bay Area

[Wstern5]

Hi all!

I recently moved to San Francisco and am interested in local diving. My wife and I are relatively experienced cave and wreck divers.

I made a reservation at Point Lobos for next week- Any advice?

What shops do you recommend? For fills Nitrox/Trimix? Reg Service, hydros?

Any other spots to check out?

Thanks!

 

[JorinB]

Bamboo Reef has a shop in SF and Monterey. I've had good experiences with both locations.
Here's a couple good resources for diving point lobos:
Point Lobos Trail Map — Bay Area Underwater Explorers

Point Lobos

A state reserve south of Carmel with good kelp and easy entry

scuba.spanglers.com

 

[suricatasuricata]

• Assuming you are doing PL on a weekend, you should have plenty of people who will be around to give you the local beta on what to dive. If not, there is a 3D map at the site. Just remember South is home and North is out. If you keep your first few dives relatively conservative you will be fine.
• For Nitrox fills, I'd recommend Aquarius in Monterey. Just get your fills on the way out. They have a very good rinse station and are fairly prompt. In the Bay Area, assuming you did move to SF, your options for a Nitrox fill are a bit limited. I think you'd have go down to San Jose to get a fill at Any Water Sports (AWS) or Diver Dans. Bamboo Reef in SF didn't do Nitrox fills in situ last time I checked a few months back.
• For Trimix fills, your options are to either go to Diver Dans or AWS in the South Bay. I'd recommend calling ahead regarding fill times.
• Reg service, depends on your regs. If you have something a bit exotic (Dive Rite for example in California), you might be better off sending them to DRIS in Illinois. If you have the usual standard fare of Scuba Pro or Atomics, Peninsula Dive Services in Monterey is a good recommendation.
• I get my Hydros done at Ace Fire in East Palo Alto. (Note that this is only a hydro facility). You will need to make other arrangements for VIP/O2 cleaning. Either yourself or go to AWS or Aquarius.
• Yeah, Breakwater/San Carlos Beach is a great site. Point Lobos truly shines when you have lots of gas (doubles/sidemount) and better yet in a DPV. Otherwise, you can have a great time on a single tank at Breakwater (The wall and the metridium fields). The other great site is Monastery. But the advice irrespective of your non local experience level is to tread carefully with Monastery. Best go with a local 5-6 times before going on your own (the name Mortuary Beach is not a joke). The local dive clubs do Monastery on good days, e.g. the dive club associated with Any Water Sports.

 

[xan]

Hi all!

I recently moved to San Francisco and am interested in local diving. My wife and I are relatively experienced cave and wreck divers.

Welcome! To add (+1) to what others have mentioned…

What shops do you recommend? For fills Nitrox/Trimix? Reg Service, hydros?

I also recommend Any Water / Aquarius (same owners, essentially same shop) for most things. They do Trimix, and bank Nitrox at 32%. Any Water also services regs quite quickly (in under a week has been my experience), and if relevant to you, they have not had an issue sourcing Apeks / AquaLung kits.

Any other spots to check out?

Breakwater is where a lot of divers get certified out here (myself included) and there are quite a few resources available on tackling that. Should be easy enough while still showcasing what Monterey has to offer (and hey if the viz is bad, that's part of the experience )

Finally, if either of you os a photographer/videographer, the Monterey Shootout is happening later this month!

 

[bperc]

Hi all!

I recently moved to San Francisco and am interested in local diving. My wife and I are relatively experienced cave and wreck divers.

I made a reservation at Point Lobos for next week- Any advice?

What shops do you recommend? For fills Nitrox/Trimix? Reg Service, hydros?

Any other spots to check out?

Thanks!

I would check when low tide is. Getting up the ramp can be a challenge when it's low.

Carmel Beach Tide Times & Tide Charts

Tide times and tide charts for Carmel Beach

www.surf-forecast.com

As mentioned, check the 3D map by the bathroom to get an idea of the layout. The sand channel and middle reef are important underwater features.

Have a great time and be sure and let us know how it went.