Monterey conditions. (let's keep it going )

[stilldivin]

Conditions for Breakwater today. We arrived at 8AM and had 2-4 foot waves, plus long, rolling surge breaking on the wall and steps.
We sat there for an hour, and it finally started to calm down with breaks between the surge and waves so we suited up and in we went. It was a bit of a challenge to get out past the waves and surge but once we were out we had 25 foot of vis and calm underwater conditions. We went to 43 feet and had a great dive. Coming back in was again hard work and required timing, but we made it. By the time we got out the tide was out and it had calmed down a lot. Water temp. 55 degrees. My new Sci Tech valve and repaired wrist seals did not leak at all so I was happy my work payed off. I did not take my scooter/light/camera rig in due to the surge.

 

[stilldivin]

I forgot to mention we came across a dead harbor seal. We couldn't figure out why it died but we didn't touch it. It was a fat one.

 

[3D diver]

Ya gotta pick your dive days this year, eh?

The wave model looked dive-able over the weekend but I had other commitments so I was crossing my fingers hoping things would be good Wednesday or Thursday. About mid-morning Sunday I realized this wasn't going to happen & was lucky enough to arrange a short-notice Breakwater dive this morning.

The swells were small with a little wind chop as we kicked out to the 10 to begin our dive---a longer than usual kick as the tide was lapping at the base of the stairs.

The visibility was 20+ feet, very clear at first but milky toward the end of the wall. We could see the surface clearly throughout the dive, but not so far laterally. My computer logged the air temperature at 75.6F. The water temperature ranged from 57 to 60F.

We cruised along the 30 to 35 foot level to the end of the wall encountering a couple of harbor seals, lots of sea lions, and some nice dense schools of fish. We turned and started back along the 25 foot level but soon were distracted by a raft of sea lions diving down to us and got separated. We both, independently, surfaced and said Hi to a small boat of fishermen and eventually reunited at the the 13. We continued our dive to the admiralty anchor, surfacing a bit shallower than that.

I didn't see any Lingcod (or the dead sea lion), but did film a Cabezon and his nest of eggs.

Bottom time 71 minutes, max depth 37 feet.

 

[uspap]

Going to try Del Monte Pier tomorrow. Hope vis is good in shallows.

 

[uspap]

Well the pier was closed for dredging and Mcabee was closed for oil leak. Did Breakwater wall and had 25+ vis and water was blue. Bunch of Seals at very end of wall. Second dive was Metridium and vis was 15-20. All the Metridiums were in bloom.

 

[Ouvea]

Breakwater today.

Surf: Moderate/Strong
Current: Strong (near western part of Middle Reef in 30ft - kelp was lying flat)
Surge: Strong (in shallows - non existent at 40ft)
Visibility: 10-30ft + (30ft plus at Barge)
Temperature: 55F

Had the best visibility and conditions at the Barge, which was exceptional. 30-50ft away from the Breakwater had very good visibility and calm water. Near Big Pipe area, the current and surge reduced the visibility substantially. Overall, not a bad day of diving, considering my Lobos reservations went to waste.

O.

 

[Gombessa]

We found a dive light in the cove at Pt. Lobos on Thursday morning, and it was still lit when we picked it out of the sand! If you've lost one this week, let me know.

 

[gchilcott]

Has anyone tried Pt. Lobos this week? I'm scheduled to dive there on Thursday and wondering what conditions have been observed.

 

[Rob Wilks]

As of this morning, Lobos was closed. They are still mopping up after the past storms. As for the conditions around the area, there is a strong swell and the Carmel river has silted out the immediate Lobos, Monastery, butterfly house area. It looked like chocolate milk.
You may want to postpone your plans, though if you are up for some danger and poor choices, this may be your day… All jokes aside, I hope it cleans up and you can get out in the water. Here are a couple of links to help you decide. Hope this helps you out...

National Weather Service

Models Home

Here is a pic of North Monastery...

 

[gchilcott]

Thanks Rob. I watch those links and also various webcams, but a first-hand account is always better. Sometimes people report diveable conditions even when they look bad to me online. It looks okay now and hopefully will hold at least through tomorrow morning.