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My wife and I are talking about doing a dive trip to California at some point. We'd like to explore the CA coast from Monterey south to Morro Bay looking for sites good for kelp forests and hydrocoral. What we're interested in is knowing what might be the best time of year, or month, in which to go in terms of calm water conditions, an abundance of kelp and good vis. Of course, all three of those may not have a common time of year or month, but any advice with what might be the best compromize would be appreciated.
The classic best months are September-October, and maybe part of November provided the storms haven't hit yet.
Most of the services like dive boats and shops will be in Monterey. Morro bay as far as I know doesn't have much. The Big Sur coast in between the two is pretty impassable with a lot of cliffs and no way to get to the water. You could dive Jade cove down at the southern end of the Big Sur coast but it's quite a hike. I don't know what the diving is like in Morro Bay. I used to live around there a long time ago but I wasn't certified to dive then.
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Bodega Bay: A quaint little drinking village with a fishing problem.
agreed that late Aug through early Oct is the best time around monterey and down the coast. Usually smooth water, not too much fog in the morning and still warm in the afternoons
Although the traverse down to the water is difficult at best, use this to your advantage because the vast majority of that area is seldom used by shore divers. A lot of that area offers simply stunning diving. And when it's all said and done, you forget about the hike up and down and remember how beautiful the dive was.
There are quite a few spots that look undiveable because of limited access, but if there's a trail down there, just take your time, be careful, and pick your entry and exit points.
There is a six pack that runs out of morro bay ( Morro Bay California Six pack Charter and Scuba Charter ). Shawn, the owner/captain, can take you to some great dive spots. The shore diving can be hit and miss as far as vis, so you just have to keep an eye on it. There are no dive shops in Morro bay, but there are 2 about 10 -15 min south in San Luis Obispo. I recommend Depth Perceptions ( www.depthperceptions.net ). Chuck is very helpfull and knowladgeable and not the high pressure, buy or get out type. He does repairs, rentals, and air and nitrox fills. There is some great diving in the Morro Bay area, I hope you get a chance to check it out. Please feel free to p.m. me if you have any questions.
This member has said "Thank you." to Down4Adive for this useful post:
Although the traverse down to the water is difficult at best, use this to your advantage because the vast majority of that area is seldom used by shore divers. A lot of that area offers simply stunning diving. And when it's all said and done, you forget about the hike up and down and remember how beautiful the dive was.
There are quite a few spots that look undiveable because of limited access, but if there's a trail down there, just take your time, be careful, and pick your entry and exit points.
You're probably a better one to ask about Big Sur being that you have more experience than me down that way.
When I was a kid we used to go down to Big Sur all the time but I haven't been down there in years, and what I do remember about it the cliffs and 1000 foot drop offs to the ocean. That's good to know there are some areas with access. One of these days I'll need to make the trek again.
I would imagine the diving must be pristine all along that stretch. Getting there is the trick. I wonder if anybody's run the whole coastline from Monterey to Morro Bay in a private boat? That would be quite a haul. Do you know of any protected coves along the way for overnight anchoring, or is it all exposed?
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Bodega Bay: A quaint little drinking village with a fishing problem.
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