Shore diving vacation @ Monterey?

[CAPTAIN SINBAD]

Fellas:

Been working really hard lately and desperately in need of a diving break. I was thinking of going somewhere for a week where I could do a lot of shore diving for the whole week. Monterey came to mind because it has been very highly recommended by this board. Questions:

1. Would May be a good season for Monterey vis and ocean conditions wise? I am do photography so I would prefer colder months if they give better vis than warmer waters.

2. Do you have to make reservations to dive Monterey through out the week? I believe there is a max limit and unless you book way in advance you may not be able to get spot.

3. Is there a variety of dive sites or does the diving get repetitive?

Any other suggestions and recommendations?

Thanks -

 

[3D diver]

Winter is usually the best for vis---it just dropped from >30 to an optimistic 15 at Point Lobos in the last couple of weeks---if macro is an option you'll have fun. The rains are usually over by May, the vis will depend on what's growing in the water, & the kelp should be getting thick.

You only have to make reservations at Point Lobos & even that can be open during the week.

There are a lot of shore dive sites in Monterey/Carmel/Point Lobos area & boat diving is an option too. I've been diving here since '87 and still love it, FWIW.

 

[g1138]

May be a hit or miss on viz and conditions. Swell conditions are real light in the summer, but best viz is usually in winter.
You only need reservations for Weekends at Point Lobos State Reserve. Weekdays you're usually good, but reservations never hurts; especially if you're not within the local drive.

Breakwater is the go-to training sight. I always see something new there, and there's plenty to explore. Enter to the NW side and you can go to the Metridium fields, or scout E towards the wall. Tons of area to cover.
SE side you have the wall, or you could delve off the wall. Plenty of space to explore; I'm always excited to explore BW.

Monastery is a beautiful site, but it claims it's fair share of incidents and lives; both land tourists and divers alike.
So I would highly advise having a local dive with you there on your first visit. They will be able to tell you when it's a bad time to dive there; it's very deceiving to the unfamiliar person.

Butteryfly house is another great one, but hard to find (it's located in a Residential area; with no clear markers)

Many more sites along Monterey, Pacific Grove, and Carmel (all neighboring cities that pretty much have no distinctive boundaries unless you know specifically what street the limits end at)
Here's something to get your started:
SCUBA MONTEREY, San Francisco Bay Area Scuba Diving Lessons, Classes, Courses. - List of scuba sites
http://www.garlic.com/~triblet/ba_diving/newmontereydiver.html - New Monterey Diver Orientation site