Wristshot
Contributor
Brent,
I live in San Jose CA. San Jose is about 2 hours south of Sacramento, and just over an hour from Monterey. I was certified in Monterey and have done a number of my dives there, so I speak from some experience.
You said that you and your friend each have 5mm Farmer John's. I hope that you also have something to cover your arms and legs or you would have a REAL problem out here.
You will really want a 7mm wetsuit for diving in the Monterey Bay Area. (until you are ready to go dry) No offense towards the 5mm suit, but it won't do it for you in our waters. Most people out here that dive wetsuits use 2 piece 7mm suits. I have one friend that is not bothered by cold water and he uses a one piece 7mm wetsuit.
I am sure that there are some ultra macho guys that can dive with less, but the average (or even slightly above average) diver will want / need 7mm at least. [end of disclaimer]
You will really want a good thick hood and boots and gloves. Most shops in the area can rent you a thick wetsuit and tanks and weights etc, but most (that I know of) do not rent gloves or boots. Check before you commit.
Be prepared for cold water, cool air temps and poor visibility. In the Monterey area 15 - 25 foot visibility is normal, however it can get much better than that, but everyone raves about it when it gets beyond 30 feet.
The vis tends to get a little better during the winter than it is during the summer months. Believe it or not, the water is actually warmer (in general) in the winter months than it is in the summer. The warmest Monterey dives I have had have been ~57 degrees in November, and the coldest were in May and August.
The light does go down a lot farther than I expected, but the colors fade to gray quickly. When you bring a light with you, it brings out the fabulous colors. Without a light, it is a rather dreary scene underwater.
I don't say these things to scare you or to impress you. I only tell you these things to set your expectations correctly.
Don't let these things stop you from diving Monterey. Monterey has one of the highest concentrations of underwater life anywhere on the planet. It just ain't tropical. There are a number of fish, but they tend to not be the brightly colored varieties that you see in tropical climates. They tend to be more subdued colors, and mostly camouflaged. There are vast numbers of starfish, kelp, plants and all sorts of little animals. There are also Seals and Sea Lions, some of which can get inquisitive and/or friendly.
If you can handle cold water and low vis, but you enjoy seeing some spectacular underwater sights, then come on down and get wet! Be sure to bring a light to help bring out the colors.
The dive shops listed by others in this thread are all good, and they can tell you more about what they do and do not rent.
There are a variety of places where you can easily do a shore dive with no problems. There are also a number of commercial dive boats that will take people out to better locations. I have used the Monterey Express on several occasions, and they were great.
Also, I see that someone mentioned Lake Tahoe. I dove there in August and it was a balmy 65 degrees down to 44 feet at Sand Harbor. Of course there was very little to see, and it is at over 6000 foot elevation. I would strongly recommend Monterey as a much better dive location.
If you have other questions, you can post them here or PM some of the Locals like Scubasean or myself.
Just my dos centavos, but only because you asked.
Wristshot
I live in San Jose CA. San Jose is about 2 hours south of Sacramento, and just over an hour from Monterey. I was certified in Monterey and have done a number of my dives there, so I speak from some experience.
You said that you and your friend each have 5mm Farmer John's. I hope that you also have something to cover your arms and legs or you would have a REAL problem out here.
You will really want a 7mm wetsuit for diving in the Monterey Bay Area. (until you are ready to go dry) No offense towards the 5mm suit, but it won't do it for you in our waters. Most people out here that dive wetsuits use 2 piece 7mm suits. I have one friend that is not bothered by cold water and he uses a one piece 7mm wetsuit.
I am sure that there are some ultra macho guys that can dive with less, but the average (or even slightly above average) diver will want / need 7mm at least. [end of disclaimer]
You will really want a good thick hood and boots and gloves. Most shops in the area can rent you a thick wetsuit and tanks and weights etc, but most (that I know of) do not rent gloves or boots. Check before you commit.
Be prepared for cold water, cool air temps and poor visibility. In the Monterey area 15 - 25 foot visibility is normal, however it can get much better than that, but everyone raves about it when it gets beyond 30 feet.
The vis tends to get a little better during the winter than it is during the summer months. Believe it or not, the water is actually warmer (in general) in the winter months than it is in the summer. The warmest Monterey dives I have had have been ~57 degrees in November, and the coldest were in May and August.
The light does go down a lot farther than I expected, but the colors fade to gray quickly. When you bring a light with you, it brings out the fabulous colors. Without a light, it is a rather dreary scene underwater.
I don't say these things to scare you or to impress you. I only tell you these things to set your expectations correctly.
Don't let these things stop you from diving Monterey. Monterey has one of the highest concentrations of underwater life anywhere on the planet. It just ain't tropical. There are a number of fish, but they tend to not be the brightly colored varieties that you see in tropical climates. They tend to be more subdued colors, and mostly camouflaged. There are vast numbers of starfish, kelp, plants and all sorts of little animals. There are also Seals and Sea Lions, some of which can get inquisitive and/or friendly.
If you can handle cold water and low vis, but you enjoy seeing some spectacular underwater sights, then come on down and get wet! Be sure to bring a light to help bring out the colors.
The dive shops listed by others in this thread are all good, and they can tell you more about what they do and do not rent.
There are a variety of places where you can easily do a shore dive with no problems. There are also a number of commercial dive boats that will take people out to better locations. I have used the Monterey Express on several occasions, and they were great.
Also, I see that someone mentioned Lake Tahoe. I dove there in August and it was a balmy 65 degrees down to 44 feet at Sand Harbor. Of course there was very little to see, and it is at over 6000 foot elevation. I would strongly recommend Monterey as a much better dive location.
If you have other questions, you can post them here or PM some of the Locals like Scubasean or myself.
Just my dos centavos, but only because you asked.
Wristshot
