Beginner's Monterey Diving Advice

[Rachel Mae]

I was hoping some of you seasoned Monterey divers could give me some pointers for a trip I am trying to plan.

I would like to take my boyfriend diving around Monterey for his birthday on the weekend of May 21st and I'm a little lost as to where to turn to make it happen.

His diving experience is: Once. When he got certified in Thailand a couple of years ago. My diving experience is also limited to a few guided warm water boat dives (Hawaii reef dives, S. Florida drift and boat dives) and when I got certified at McAbee beach in Monterey in an October (My 18th birthday, 45 degrees, 7ft visibility and as surge-y as could be. I was scared ****less.)

I feel comfortable diving and although his experience is virtually non-existent, he is a natural. However, we still definitely want to hire a Dive Guide. I'm also interested in boat dives, because that is what I am familiar with, but it seems like boat diving isn't necessary or as common. Also, we're young and poor.

So, my question to as you is, if you were in our situation, what would you do? The advice I am most looking for is a good and affordable guided dive situation. We are totally flexible. We're open to private dives or group dives, boat dives or shore dives, etc. We are also totally open to the North Coast, but it seems like Monterey would be more fitting to us for this trip due to our lack of experience and independence.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[VooDooGasMan]

Rachel you came to the right place, and you might want to go to the california section and post a thread as well.


Happy Diving

 

[Bubbletrubble]

You and your boyfriend really should take a scuba refresher course with a good instructor prior to diving in Monterey. You guys haven't been diving in a long time. The water temps in the Monterey area demand a significant amount of exposure protection. At the very least, the two of you will be wearing 7mm wetsuits along with hoods or hooded vests. Some divers trained in warm water find a thick hood fairly restrictive. This may or may not be the case for your boyfriend. He'll certainly have to contend with wearing more lead in order to be properly weighted. This (and the limited visibility) can be a large adjustment for warm water divers.

Hiring a local dive guide is a very good idea. Have a safe trip...

 

[Peter_C]

I dive there some, and would agree with hiring a dive master or working with an instructor to not only show you some fabulous reefs and their inhabitants, but to also help sort out weighting and gear configurations to make your dives more enjoyable. I talked to Bruce at Aquarius on Del Monte earlier today and that is exactly what he was supposed to be doing today.

I dive the North Coast more because it is closer. Agreeing again with you Monterey is probably a better weekend get away. The North Coast has some bed and breakfasts, but they are fairly expensive. Camping is always nice, but there are no dive shops for fills, no cell phone service, no shopping, just lots of nature.

Off main topic there are plenty of places to stay in Monterey. Many use the Lone Oak Lodge and they give a "Diver Discount" if you ask. Others stay at Motel 6 in Sand City which is about 5 minutes away. Getting just a couple miles out of Monterey drops the hotel fees.

 

[dannobee]

Hmmm...I know I put some of that information somewhere.

 

[abhandly]

I recommend doing a shore dive from Pt Lobos. Pretty easy entry and lots to see. With a guide it would be great.

for divers not used to Monterey I hesitate to recommend boat dives. the commercial boats are great but there is a lot to deal with in our waters. The cold, the bulk of cold water dive wear, kelp, murky conditions, surge, surface swells, etc.

Too many things to deal with at once can lead to mistakes that would ruin the birthday. Take it slow, enjoy, repeat.

I love diving locally. But it took a few dives to be able to really enjoy the beauty of our waters.

Have fun and be safe,

Brian

 

[KRL1973]

I would advise against a boat dive in your situation. Jumping off a boat into cold, limited viz water, well away from shore, and unable to see the bottom below you is a frightening introduction to the area guide or no guide.

A shore dive along the breakwater at san carlos beach would be much better I think. It is very popular spot for divers and you can observe other divers entering and exiting and see how they are doing it. Services are available right there, easy entry exit, navigating along the wall and back is as straightforward as it gets around here. It is also an excellent dive that can be very enjoyable to new and experienced divers alike. Sea lion encounters are very common near the end of the breakwater and can be an awesome experience if you are willing to do a longer surface swim. (You might do a 1st dive on the 1st half of the breakwater getting comfortable and weighting/equipment issues sorted out and for your second dive go to the farther portion of the wall. Where the wall meets the sand out there can be 40ft or more deep I recall but the nicest area to dive IMO is in the 20-30ft range).

Conditions are variable and you should check out Chuck Tribolet's pages for reports and how to interpret them. :
Monterey Sea Conditions at a Glance
Internet Resources for the Bay Area Diver
Monterey Bay Sea Conditions - Some Examples

Refresher course, hiring a guide, or at least having an experienced diver with you is a very good idea if you are uncertain or uncomfortable with your current level of training and cold water experience.

 

[Peter_C]

I recommend doing a shore dive from Pt Lobos. Pretty easy entry and lots to see. With a guide it would be great.

Chances of getting one, let alone two, reservations for Lobos on a weekend are about impossible.

A DM will have knowledge on what shore diving sites are diveable on that particular day.

 

[g1138]

With the info you gave us I would strongly discourage a boat dive. The new conditions, new viz, new temp, new depth will be too much to handle all at once.
Here in Monterey, the DM's on the boat don't get in the water unless they're rescuing someone. They stay on the boat, count heads, and brief the divers.

With the usual conditions here you'll be wearing thick suits and be heavily weighted, both of which will restrict your mobility in comparison to those 3mm suits you might wear in a tropical setting. You'll also be wearing a hood and gloves which will at first make you feel constricted and like you've lost all your dexterity (you can get used to this with more experience). Visibility will be night and day compared to what you experience in Hawaii, or Thailand for that matter.
So I would advice to have a small checkout dive with a DM/Instructor followed by a guided tour.
I've never hired a DM before, and I can only recommend the 2 dedicated LDSs' that are in Santa Cruz.

For a good dive site I would recommend shore diving the Breakwater (AKA San Carlos Beach, Coast Guard Jetty, CG Breakwater etc)
It's the go to place for all the basic classes because it's relatively sheltered and has a wide dive area where you can see tons of stuff, none of which can be experienced on one dive. I've dove there over 30 times and I'm still finding new things.

Above all else stay away from Monastery Beach as a dive site.

I hope you guys have fun!

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

Off main topic there are plenty of places to stay in Monterey. Many use the Lone Oak Lodge and they give a "Diver Discount" if you ask. Others stay at Motel 6 in Sand City which is about 5 minutes away. Getting just a couple miles out of Monterey drops the hotel fees.

Motel 6 website doesn't list Sand City. It does list Monterey (at
Fremont and Casa Verde) and Marina (Reservation Rd at Hwy 1).

If you want the Diver Discount at the Lone Oak, you need to
telephone, not use their website, and ask when you make the
reservation. Lone Oak has great rinse facilities and lots of divers.