Diving in north CA, around May 20... help a foreigner in need :)

Hi everybody,

I'll be visiting San Francisco from May 19 - May 26. Since it's a rare opportunity, if there's a chance I might take a plunge, I'll haul my gear along.

I come from Europe, and am an SSI-certified AOWD with a little over 100 dives in the Adriatic.

I'd really appreciate your help or opinions on the following:

- Which dive center in (or near) San Francisco would you recommend?
- Since most mentioned location is Monterey, do the centers in SF provide transportation there, or, if not, would I be able to make it if I rented a car and drove from SF to Monterey on the morning of the dive (that's about 100 miles south, right?)
- If not Monterey, can you suggest any other (closer) locations, where a dive center could take me?
- I usually dive a two-piece (full + shorty) 5 mm wetsuit, and can do ~40 minutes dive in 10 degrees centigrade (50 fahrenheit) water. What's the usual water temperature (in the deep) in May? Will I be able to pull it off?

Thanks for the effort, any info will be appreciated

Monterey/Carmel is really where you want to go. I think there is some diving north of SF, but i think it is more rugged. Your best bet for transportation would be to find somebody here to buddy up with and carpool down; it's about 2hr driving from SF.

Most of the people who dive regularly around here are diving dry. I would expect water temps in May to be about 48F; whehter you can do that in your 5mm is something you will need to decide.

I'd recommend using one of the Monterey dive shops.

This is Carifornia --you drive your own transportation. It's quite feasible to drive from
SF.

Go to Monterey.

Typical bottom temp in May is 46-50. I think your 5mm will be insufficient.

See: http://www.garlic.com/~triblet/ba_diving/ for more information.

As a SF resident - yeah, its do-able. My husband and I just got back from a daytrip down to Monterey on Saturday. Down in the AM, back in the afternoon. It makes for a kind of long day, spend the night if you have the chance. Borg's Motel and Lover's Point Inn are both reasonably priced, near Lover's dive site (shore dive), etc.

If you don't want to stay the night though, it is possible. Just be ready for the drive.

A store I'd recommend in Monterey is Bamboo Reef - www.bambooreef.com. They also have a store in downtown SF if you need to get anything.

For a first timer - I would think that a boatdive would be best. Can get you to some more pristine sites (although others might disagree, and they might have more knowledge than I ). A good boat operation is Sanctuary - small groups and generally you can get a dive anyday of the week, and for a bit more, can get a divemaster to go with you and tour you around. http://www.sanctuarycharters.com/

Have a great time.

Going from San Francisco to Monterey Bay is about at least almost 2 hours, depends on how you drive. You might want to try lodging there too if thats the case. There is also diving in the North coast here on Chuck's site. http://www.garlic.com/~triblet/swell/CDNDiveSites.html I highly recommend it for every diver to read and scout for a good place to go underwater in the coast of California.

Lone Tree Lodge in Monterey is a good place to spend the night. They cater to scuba divers. When you check in make sure to tell them you want the scuba diver rate.

Driving from San Francisco to Monterey and back in a day would be a piece of cake, people do it all the time. Rent a car and go down hwy 280 till you hit Hwy 101 then when you get down to Prunedale you will see signs for another Hwy that cuts over to the Monterey penninsula, I think it's Hwy 156 ? With no traffic once you hit the highway you could do it in 1 hour 45 minutes.

I'm used to driving 3 hours one way to Monterey and I do it in a day.

But if you want a slower pace and choose to stay in Monterey then I agree with Peter, Lone Oak Lodge is a good place to stay.

The water is pretty cold right now, you might want to rent a 7 mm 2 piece once you get down there. Any one of the dive shops will have that. You could try Glenn's Aquarius II on the Breakwater.

Eric