Which is better: San Diego or San Francisco ( Monterey) areas?

[FishDiver]

Breakwater(includes metridiums), McAbee, Lovers I, II, III, Otter Cove, Coral Street beach,Del Monte, Point Pinos, Stillwater Cove and Copper Roof House (long swims, kinda), Carmel River beach, North Monastary, South Monastary, Carmel Meadows(never done that one) Point Lobos, all within a twenty minute drive of each other.

The only place I've been that has more shore dives is Bonaire.

-Nomad

I could probably think of 40-50 shore dives in Monterey/Carmel/Pacific Grove without thinking too hard. Don't forget the Big Sur Coastline and Garrapata SP. There's at least a dozen in Garrapata alone. Some are quite the hike from HWY 1, but worth the trouble hiking down.

.

Excellent news. The Lonely Planet guide I have shows only about 12 shore sites in Montery and Carmel. The sites from Hopkins to Pt. Pinos are shown to be divable only in completely flat conditions.

Where can I get directions and dive descriptions?

 

[micboucher]

Excellent news. The Lonely Planet guide I have shows only about 12 shore sites in Montery and Carmel. The sites from Hopkins to Pt. Pinos are shown to be divable only in completely flat conditions.

Where can I get directions and dive descriptions?

California Diving News Dive Sites
Scuba Shore Diving Site Listing for: California North, USA West

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

Excellent news. The Lonely Planet guide I have shows only about 12 shore sites in Montery and Carmel. The sites from Hopkins to Pt. Pinos are shown to be divable only in completely flat conditions.

Where can I get directions and dive descriptions?

If you are looking for a paper dive guide to Monterey, I'd suggest
Watkins: "A Diver's Guide to Monterey County, California", Bruce
Watkins, ISBN 0-96286000-1-8.

However, the Lonely Planet guide (Rosenberg) doesn't
describe Hopkins as a beach dive (It can be done as a beach
dive (I have) only if you have a contact at Stanford Hopkins Marine Institute, and most of it is too far to swim to.). And I
don't see where it says that Lovers is only diveable when it's
completely flat. Beyond Lovers, the advice to dive only when
completely flat is GOOD ADVICE.