Sanctuary vs. Cypress Sea

[Nesher]

I'd like to reacclimate myself to cold water diving this year.

I believe I'd like to do some boat diving on either the Sanctuary or the Cypress Sea. I'm actually not up for shore diving at all.

Is there anyone out there who has taken either or both of these boats?
Can you provide any information regarding their differences? What you either liked or disliked about either?

Any information would be helpful.

Thanks

 

[DocWong]

I don't think you'll find a bad dive boat in Monterey. It's way too small and close knit community. The y are both great. The Cypress Sea is larger and can hold 20 divers, the Sanctuary is smaller and I think it's capacity is about 6 divers. The cabin of the Sanctuary is like a hotel, very nice!

 

[--tom--]

The Cypress supplies tanks and fills the tanks in place (Nitrox for extra $$). I don't like to change tanks on a boat.

 

[Nesher]

This is all good information.

I haven't been on a boat at Monterey. How about the dive sites of each boat?

 

[Hinalo]

They pretty much go to the same spots. Depends sometimes on who gets there first. I suppose some Captains have a few seekrit sites they like to take people to, but just about anyplace you'll go on any of the boats will be good, conditions being what they are.

 

[Ben_ca]

I'd like to reacclimate myself to cold water diving this year....

I'm actually not up for shore diving at all.

Dude,
If you are re-acclimating yourself to cold water diving I suggest a shore dive. You might end up biting off too much to chew.

It doesn't take long to do a quick weight check... A quick dip in the breakwater would be a great warm up to a boat dive. The local waters are a bit more challenging and shouldn't be taken lightly IMHO...

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

Ben makes a good point about doing an easy beach dive first. Get your weighing right and your
buoyancy control back. All of the boats tend to do sites based on who's on board that day,
and on any given day could have a load of techies or an open water class,
but the Cypress Sea and Escapade tend to attract a more experienced crowd, the Express less
experienced, the rest somewhere in between.

 

[Nesher]

Good advice. I'll keep it in mind for sure.


I have dove at Breakwater and on the North Coast (Stillwater, Gerstle and one other) between Apr and Jul 07.

Since Jul 07 on three separate trips I've been to the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea.

So I just want to put some time in locally this year before I develop that warm water only attitude. (a dry suit would help though)


Whether my first time back this year is shore or boat, I'm going to primarily stick with boat diving.

SO I want to find a good charter op and stick with them for the remainder of the year.


Thanks for the advice...let me give some serious thought to that.

 

[yangnome]

That drysuit will come much quicker if you suck up the shore diving for a bit. At $80 a charter, you coudl have a used drysuit in decent condition pretty quickly.

 

[Brewski]

I've only dove from the Cypress Sea so I can't say anything about the others.

The CS has a galley below where you can sit out of the wind while underway. they normally have hot soup and coffee on board. Sandwiches and cookies for later. As for the dive amenaties, as previously mentioned the will provide tanks if you wish or if like me you prefer your own thats ok too. They fill air and nitrox on board. And for you wetsuit divers there is a nice warm water hose to take the chill off when you return to the boat.