I second refugee. Though I've been fairly dry for a while (going back to school for my BA in Anthropology, which will eventually turn into an underwater archaeology degree, so for the moment, I can't even afford to fill my tanks, let alone get them hydro-ed or buy enough gas to get to the water) I have done many dives at Breakwater and it is the only place that I have ever felt comfortable enough with to do a solo dive. As far as what someone said earlier about getting a few dives in before you take an advanced class, that's just hooey. The first time that I went diving after my OW class was to take my advanced class. You will learn how to navigate in near zero viz (which happens quite often in Nor Cal diving, you do a night dive, which is both terrifying and incredibly exhilarating, and you do a deep dive where you have the opportunity to experience narcosis in a supervised situation to minimize the danger. All in all, the advanced course makes you a better diver, you gain crucial experience and knowledge, and it's a TON of fun!!! You definitely want to get an instructor to give you an orientation of the site and show you how to do a surf entry, and since you're probably going to have to pay that instructor for his services anyway, you might as well do it as an advanced class. I highly recomend Bamboo Reef Dive center. They're nice people, they've been in the area for forever, and their air tastes great. Oh one more thing, make sure you have at least a 7mm wetsuit, Monterey water ranges from 50-64ish degrees F (i.e. it's effing COLD) and the time of year with the coldest water is about June/July (if memory serves, as I said, it's been a couple years). The warmest water is found in about October-ish... but as I said "warm" is very relative. a quick tip: before you put your mask over your eyes, dunk your face in the water. the cold on your face will cut down on the initial "shock" of your initial submersion and it actually helps with air consumption.
