newbie going to Monterey

[gzscuba]

Hi all,

I'm going to be in Pacific Grove for a conference later this week, so I'm taking a few days to go diving also. I just wanted to get some advice on dive sites.
Couple of stats about me:
- I'll be diving wet, but with a 6.5mm wetsuit & 6 mm hooded top. I did a dive in one of the lakes up here in Wisconsin yesterday (~40-45 degrees) and was able to stand the cold.

- I don't have experience in kelpy areas, nor do I have experience with rough beach entries
-I've had experience in the open ocean with currents, but only in the warm tropics. Likewise, I have experience in buoyancy control in shallows with a thick wetsuit, but only in rather calm water.

I am buddying with a friend who has dove the area before, but I'd just like to hear about some dive sites to focus on and problems that I may face unique to Pacific coast diving.

Thanks,

 

[paulwlee]

If you have dived with thick wetsuits before in cold water, and are diving with someone with local diving experience, you should be fine.

Since you say you are a newbie, I would however advise against going out on boats as the relatively low visibility coupled with buoyancy issues can be pretty stressful to divers with less experience.

Breakwater is extremely accessible and also a very nice spot. You can explore along the breakwater itself or make forays into the kelp patches in the middle. That site has lots to offer and you could probably dive there a few days exploring different areas, but if you would like to try some other places as well, there's also Lover's Point and McAbee beach.
If you are willing to drive a short while out of town, and if there is weekday diving in your schedule, make a reservation at Point Lobos(http://pt-lobos.parks.state.ca.us/scuba/scuba.shtml). It's a State Reserve, and since any fishing is prohibited and diving is limited, the wildlife tends to be bigger, wilder, etc.

Of course, there are many other great sites, but I think the above 4 should be more than enough for your trip. These site are usually protected from the seas, so I can't think of any real dangers particular to this area.

With regards to kelp, if you are uncomfortable with it, don't go inside the patches and stay on the fringes. (But you will miss most of the fun!) Otherwise, make yourself streamlined and it won't give you trouble. In case you get entangled, just remaining calm and steady will solve the problem. If you get stuck really bad, your buddy can help free you, and if worse comes to worst, you can snap kelp strands like twigs just by folding it back on itself. You do need to watch it so you don't surface in the middle of a kelp patch at the end of the dive. If you do, and you don't have the air to pass under, then either part kelp sideways as you move forward, or do the 'kelp crawl' (which you should learn from your buddy before starting the dive). Either way is exhausting and not fun, so you should avoid the need for it in the first place.

Oh, and don't be startled by curious sealions or harbor seals that get in your face!

 

[gzscuba]

Thanks very much for the info, Paul.

Another general question - is a dive flag required? I was planning on taking one, but I can imagine that trying to go into kelp with a dive flag would lead to a pretty nasty entanglement.

Thanks,

 

[paulwlee]

I don't know if it's 'required', but almost nobody uses one when shore diving.
If you are diving kelp, then towing a dive flag wouldn't work.

BTW, looks like the visibility has been pretty low the past couple of days.
Hope it clears up before your visit.

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

A dive flag is NOT required in California. Boats fly them,
but NOBODY tows a float with a dive flag.

Listen to your buddy a lot. Respect the kelp, learn about
it, but don't fear it.

Conditions through Saturday evening will probably limit
you to the Breakwater. See
http://www.garlic.com/~triblet/swell/wamglance.html

I wrote up some stuff for the new Monterey diver at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ba_diving/files/WebSite/

 

[gzscuba]

Thanks again for the advice.
We'll probably stick to the breakwater, then
I'm off to pack my bags!

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

BTW, I'll probably be diving both days this weekend, Saturday off a buddie's boat (look
for a Boston Whaler behind a dark green Toyota Pickup), and Sunday off my own boat
(look for a Boston Whale ("Black Dog") behind a silver Nissan Pathfinder (NEWF NUT).
Stop by and say hi.

 

[Burner]

Breakwater wall is excellent as a beginner. Go slow and look for stuff. I went this Sunday, and managed to find every nudibranch I've ever seen in Monterey and one I hadn't ever seen before. If you aren't seeing interesting things it means you are going to fast and aren't looking at everything there is. Also the wall pretty much has the easiest dive plan of any dive. You drop down where the fence ends and just go down the wall until you hit half your air. I usually come back 5-10 feet higher then I went down the wall, when you hit 700 or so you do a safety stop (unless you already have been in 20 feet) and you'll probably end up in the same spot you started.