Diving out of SF?

[lyricnz]

Hi guys,

I'm a kiwi/aussy travelling to San Francisco in 10 days, hoping to get in a bit of diving while I'm over there. What's the weather like over there? Is this even possible? I looked at some weather sites, and it looks like water temp is in the low 50s!

I'm PADI Deep/Nitrox, and would be needing to hire all gear, and relying on public transport while in the US. I land 17th April, and fly out 27th April. Do you guys know of any shops that would be able to offer something like this?

Am I crazy to even consider this? :) Brrrrr.....

Thanks, Simon

[dannobee]

There is no diving to speak of around San Francisco. You'll need to rent a car and drive about 1.5 hours south to Monterey or Carmel.

San Francisco has terrible visibility and part of the "Red Triangle" where Great White Sharks commonly hunt.

OTOH, Monterey and Carmel usually have good diving, and the shops will rent all the gear you need.

[lyricnz]

Uh, aren't Monterey and Carmel in the same Red Triangle?
Red Triangle (Pacific Ocean) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Triangle_%28Pacific_Ocean%29)
Then again, I do most of my diving in Australia :)

Thanks for the tips!

[Gombessa]

Uh, aren't Monterey and Carmel in the same Red Triangle?
Red Triangle (Pacific Ocean) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Triangle_%28Pacific_Ocean%29)
Then again, I do most of my diving in Australia :)

Thanks for the tips!

Yep, we're definitely in the triangle, but we're right at the southern tip and supposedly it gets more sharky as you head north :)

Diving either in Monterey (best choice for those unfamiliar with our local region) or the north coast, you're looking at 50F water, thick exposure protection (7mm wetsuits at a minimum, most shops rent farmer johns providing even more neoprene on your torso), lots of weight, and 10-30ft visibility. It's great, and we love it, but often a shock to those coming from warmer, clearer waters.

Here's some information to read up on: New Monterey Diver Information (http://www.garlic.com/~triblet/ba_diving/newmontereydiver.html)

Also, as Dannobee mentioned, any shop in the area can rent you all the equipment you need, and also provide a DM as a guide/buddy to show you around underwater. Last I checked, full gear rental with tanks is about $75 a day.

[kathydee]

Hi Simon,

Ahh, I miss Australia :)!

I have no idea if there is public transport from San Fran to Monterey. But if you don't mind the adventure of driving on the "right" side of the road, calculating distance in miles and gas in gallons - you can rent a car and drive south :).

There are many places to stay in Monterey "Lone Oak Lodge" is a favorite among locals - ask for the divers discount. Monterey Peninsula Hotels Motels * Monterey Peninsula Hotels Motels California * Monterey Hotels and Lodging * Monterey Accommodations * Loneoak Lodge Motel (http://www.loneoaklodge.com/)

Like others said the water temp is about 10C and our vis is about 3-6 meters. It's nothing like the warm water and colorful coral of the barrier reef, but our kelp forests have a unique beauty of their own. If you are lucky the vis will be decent you may see seals and sea lions ;-). We took a friend from the Philippines diving who was use to 28C water. She piled on the rental neoprene and did fine but we do have unique regional hazards so I do highly recommend a local DM or guide :).

I'm wondering if you could go down to Monterey mid-week and catch a guided day at Lobos (one of our favorite spots which often has a bit better vis)? Lobos is popular and reservations are filled up during the weekends, but usually you can slip in mid week without an issue. It’s worth checking with the local dive shops in Monterey.

[lyricnz]

Thanks for the feedback guys. I'm used to cold, and poor vis - I'm from Victoria, on the south coast of Australia, rather than the tropical Queensland you're probably thinking of. It gets reasonably cold in the middle of winter (down to about 54F), and I dive in a 7mm semi-dry. Thinking about purchasing a dry-suit anyway, actually will be looking for some hot deals in SF (prices down-under are pretty expensive).

[rdjiv]

Simon,

You said you're a kiwi, too? Do any diving in New Zealand? From what I hear, you get both tropical and cold water diving.

Taking a page out of the advice given above, with your cold water experience, sounds like you're set for Monterey diving.

[lyricnz]

Hi rdjiv,


Simon,
You said you're a kiwi, too? Do any diving in New Zealand? From what I hear, you get both tropical and cold water diving.

I'm actually a Kiwi, but live in Australia now. It's easier to say I'm an Aussie, less to explain :) I only took up scuba since I moved, so I haven't dived in NZ yet, besides snorkeling in Kaikoura as a kid, which was really cold!


Taking a page out of the advice given above, with your cold water experience, sounds like you're set for Monterey diving.

It sounds pretty cold, but I'm usually up for anything ;) Now I'm looking for a great drysuit deal, I might buy one while I'm over there, and get some instruction from a divemaster while I do some easy shore dives (I never dived dry before). Exciting!

[Chuck Tribolet]

This time of year the water is at it's coldest. I was showing 47F, 48F two
weeks ago, and it will cool down a bit more before it warms up.

There's a huge difference between low 50s and high 40s, even in a dry suit.

Any of the Monterey shops can rent you most anything, but I'd bring
mask, fins, gloves, and booties.

Public transport here sucks.

[aquaregia]

Getting to Monterey on public transport is a little rough. I'd take CalTrain south to its terminus at San Jose Diridon and jump the San Jose - Monterey express bus the rest of the way. It'll make for a long day. If you aren't up to driving while you're here (I haven't driven Vic, but SF's a bit different to Perth traffic), you might want to try to meet up with someone in SF and try to bribe them with a tank of air or something :)

Some websites:
SF Muni - Likeliest the best way between places in SF: San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA, Muni, Sustainable Streets) (http://www.sfmta.com/)
BART - Easiest way to the east bay: BART - Bay Area Rapid Transit (http://www.bart.gov/)
Caltrain - N-S on the peninsula from SF to San Jose: caltrain.com - home (http://www.caltrain.com/)
Santa Cruz Metro - Basically the best place in the bay: Santa Cruz METRO (http://www.scmtd.com/)
Monterey/Salinas Transit - Welcome to MST Online (http://www.mst.org/)

[lyricnz]

Thanks for the tips on public transport. Public transport looks like a hassle - I guess I'll just rent a car - no big deal, I've done that before in California. Any tips on a good dive shop in Monterey, or at least ones to avoid? It's looking like I'll head down Friday 23rd and back on Saturday 24th. 1-2 days diving, depending on availability.

[Guy Alcala]

Thanks for the tips on public transport. Public transport looks like a hassle - I guess I'll just rent a car - no big deal, I've done that before in California. Any tips on a good dive shop in Monterey, or at least ones to avoid? It's looking like I'll head down Friday 23rd and back on Saturday 24th. 1-2 days diving, depending on availability.

There are three in Monterey now, and all are fine:

Glenn's Aquarius II, right at the Breakwater.

Glenn's Aquarius II Dive Shop (http://www.aquarius2.com/)


Aquarius Del Monte, on the way into/out of town from the north:

Aquarius Dive Shop - Your PADI 5-Star Scuba Dive Center in Monterey for Training, Equipment, Service, and Rentals (http://www.aquariusdivers.com/)


Bamboo Reef, on Lighthouse Ave. two blocks from McAbee Beach (another good first time Monterey dive site):

Scuba Diving lessons, classes, courses - San Francisco, Sonoma Coast, Marin, Monterey, Northern California Bay Area | Bamboo Reef Scuba Diving Centers (http://bambooreef.com/cms/)

Guy

[DiverInSF]

You said you're landing on the 17th? I'd try to make it down to Monterey/Carmel right away. Conditions can be somewhat erratic this time of year, but forecast looks very good for this weekend and early next week.