Monterey conditions. (let's keep it going )

[Dos Cylindros]

We did two dives yesterday, one at Del Monte Beach, the second at San Carlos to the metridium fields.

Dive 1: Del Monte Beach. Our goal was to find the sunken Amtrack and sailboat. We ended up only finding the sailboat. We had a fantastic dive on the boat, it was much larger than I expected. Vis was around 15-20' and water temp was 57. The wreck is covered in micro life, and well worth the time and effort to locate. Dive time 48 min, max depth 33'.

Dive 2: The Metridium Fields. This was my first time to the fields, and it was awesome. The metridiums were "in bloom," and vis was decent at about 15-20'. We surface swam out over the pipe and dropped after bypassing the kelp. Stayed about 20 min checking out the metridiums, and then swam back in along the pipe. Dive time 47 min, max depth 44'.

Overall, conditions were great, and we had a fantastic day of diving.

 

[Chavodel8en]

2 dives at Lobos yesterday

Viz was pretty bad. Couldnt see fins near the ramp, but cleared up to 10'-15' once we got out a bit. Seal bit my fins swimming out.

Dove around Hole in the Wall area first dive. Saw a big ass male sheepshead, about 2' long, of course being a native of SoCal, he was the height of vanity showing off his pink and black colors.


2nd dive it was super-difficult to swim underwater. Felt the biggest current Ive ever experienced around these parts.

Im assuming the Supermoon is amplifying the tide. When we first got there, the water was as high as ive ever seen it - to the very top of the ramp.

I've never really bothered to look at the tides when dive planning (for Monterey/Carmel - I know its a big issue in other locales) - always viewed tides a making swimming difficult, but not anything I need to really account for. Maybe I need to do so when its a Supermoon. Luckily, it was hard swimming out, easier swimming back. Surface swimming was easier as well, but I would hate to ride a Supermoon tide out further than I planned too and then have to fight it to get back.

Do any of you take tides into account when planning? I never have and none of my buddies ever had. It seems like its NBD around hear. Im wondering if yesterday was just an extremely rare occurence (isnt it a Super-DuperMoon right now) or if I need to add tides into my dive planning.

PS - my 100th & 101th dive! not nude, despite the balmy 60 deg water.

 

[Rob Wilks]

I look at the tides for sure. Especally when the moon is full, and the varience can, at times 7-8 feet in about 5 1/2 hours. Thats alot of water moving... I had a similar experience at Lobos as well. I thought I was superman heading out, and when I made the turn back, the kryptonite around my neck was damn heavy...

 

[3D diver]

I don't generally consult the tides, but have also encountered currents at Lobos.

Thank goodness for Bull Kelp, eh? You can generally rely on that to pull yourself along, hand over hand.

 

[Drin]

Do any of you take tides into account when planning?

I live in Monterey and dive a couple of days a week. I *always* take tides and currents into account. I moved here from the Puget Sound a few years ago, where tides were always of paramount importance. They're not nearly as big here but they do matter.

-Adrian

 

[Macan]

2 dives at Lobos yesterday

2nd dive it was super-difficult to swim underwater. Felt the biggest current Ive ever experienced around these parts.

Im assuming the Supermoon is amplifying the tide. When we first got there, the water was as high as ive ever seen it - to the very top of the ramp.

I've never really bothered to look at the tides when dive planning (for Monterey/Carmel - I know its a big issue in other locales) - always viewed tides a making swimming difficult, but not anything I need to really account for. Maybe I need to do so when its a Supermoon. Luckily, it was hard swimming out, easier swimming back. Surface swimming was easier as well, but I would hate to ride a Supermoon tide out further than I planned too and then have to fight it to get back.

Do any of you take tides into account when planning? I never have and none of my buddies ever had. It seems like its NBD around hear. Im wondering if yesterday was just an extremely rare occurence (isnt it a Super-DuperMoon right now) or if I need to add tides into my dive planning.

PS - my 100th & 101th dive! not nude, despite the balmy 60 deg water.

Spring Tide at Moterey Harbor will be on Sept 30 where the peak tidal range is expected to be 6.3 feet. High Tide at 6 feet at 12:27pm and Low Tide at -0.30 feet at 7:14 pm.


I'm assuming you dove last Sunday. That would have been Full Moon. High Tide then was 5.8 feet at 10:30am and Low Tide 0.40 feet at 4:37pm. That's a tidal range of of 5.4 feet. While not significantly large, it certainly accounted for the strong current you experienced, particularly if you dove at around mid-tide where the tide ebb/flow is at its greatest.


My general rules of thumb for Tides and Tidal Currents:


1. Spring Tides (full moon and new moon) have greater tidal range, therefore generally stronger currents.


2. Neap Tides (first quarter moon and last quarter moon) have lesser tidal range, therefore generally weaker currents.


3. Slack Water is sometimes (but not always) found within 1 hour before or 1 hour after high or low tide times.


4. Strong currents can be had when diving during Mid Tide. This is when the ebb or flow of water is greatest particularly if the tidal range (delta between high and low tide) is large.


5. Always consult your local tide table before diving.


Here's an example. A good time (tide wise) to dive in Monterey Bay is on Sunday Oct 4. This is during the Last Quarter moon phase. Low tide is forecasted to be 2.74 feet at 10:18am. High tide at 4.97 feet at 4:15pm. Tidal Range is 2.23 feet. Compare that to almost 5.5 feet when you dove last Sunday! If you plan your dive somewhere between 3:15p and 5:15p, you "most likely" will experience minimal current and good visibility.


Tidal currents can be tricky and outright nasty even if you've done your homework.

 

[Chavodel8en]

Thanks for the info folks. My opportunities to dive are so sporadic and rare (basically, whichever weekend I can get away from all responsibilities and have full access to our car) that I probably wont be able to avoid the toughest currents, but I will definitely start at least being aware of tides, or at least know that its a full moon.

 

[uspap]

Did two at Breakwater today. Vis was 20-25ft in kelp about 15ft along wall. Vis was dropping as day wore on. Got there at noon. Was told that vis was over 30ft in the morning. I was lazy and waited for the sun to come out before heading to Monterey. Bottom temp was 60. Saw several Monkey Face. A friendly seal apparently wanted his picture taken close up so I obliged.

 

[runsongas]

dove north monastery yesterday. vis was better past 60 ft, 20 to 25 ft or so. got a bit too choppy at the end. visibility in the shallows was pretty bad, <10 ft. had a couple dolphins show up at beginning of first dive, a couple nice schools of fish around 90 ft. 2 sea lions at beginning of second and a few seals throughout the dive. 57F in the water, cloudy topside.

 

[gchilcott]

Does anyone have a recent report on Pt. Lobos conditions? Heading down tomorrow. Thanks, Gavin