Monterey conditions. (let's keep it going )
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Lover's Point today. Was overcast, even when I left around 13:00. Just followed out the sand channel into 40ft of water. The kelp forest is non existent with only sporadic small patches. The water was quite warm at 57 degrees. After an hour, I was very comfortable. The shallower areas had quite a bit of surge which vanished at 40ft. Visibility opened up to about 30 feet at that point. Didn't see too many fish but it was macro photographer's delight. Small shrimps were everywhere, along with the yellow nudibranchs and crabs (decorator & rock). Even saw a Monkey Face eel, a real treat as I seldom see them.
Very nice day of diving. Hoping the visibility improves as the fall and winter approach.
Very nice day of diving. Hoping the visibility improves as the fall and winter approach.
anchochile
Contributor
Point Lobos on Sunday morning - first dive at Hole in the Wall/Lone Metridium was cold (consistently 50F below 40 feet) with great viz, probably 40-50 ft. Second dive in the same area was warmer (53) but viz clouded up a bit, maybe 25-30 feet?
Some swell on the surface but only mild surge at depth. Great dives!
Some swell on the surface but only mild surge at depth. Great dives!
3D diver
Contributor
Fun dive this morning at Point Lobos' Middle Reef:
Bottom time: 65 minutes
Max Depth: 51 feet
Visibility: 20 to 30 feet
Water temperature: 55F to 60.8F
Conditions: Pretty much flat seas, with a light breeze rippling the surface. Overcast when we arrived, but the sun came out as we geared up. Tide well up the ramp and falling.
We were dive team 1 & I thought we'd have the place to ourselves, but a group from Breakwater SCUBA arrived while we were gearing up and stepped over to say Hi.
The tide was high enough the boat channel through the kelp was impossible to see, so we blundered through the kelp 'til we were over Middle Reef and dropped onto it in 30feet of water. The viz was 20+ feet at first but opened up to 30 feet, or more, as the dive progressed. We headed along a northern heading for a while, on top of the reef, then I angled us a bit west and we dropped over the wall and cruised along it. My buddy was shooting macro so it was a nice comfortable mosey giving me lots of time to try some new lights on the various Copper and Vermilion rock fish that presented themselves and a cooperative Lingcod. A sheephead buzzed me early on, and eventually I caught up with it again, hobnobbing with several different fish, letting me get close enough to film it (I hope).
The Breakwater SCUBA threesome waved as they passed us just as we reached half air and turned around. About 10 minutes later I spotted this beautiful school of Blue Rockfish and we headed up about 18 feet to get some video & photos. We continued on a slightly west of south heading in the sand channel, then headed up for our safety stop, where I spotted another, looser, school of Blues. We surfaced a bit south of the bluff and headed back through the kelp to the ramp---dive team 2 not far behind.
My buddies drysuit had leaked a bit, and I only had 3 hours of sleep (due to fretting about the buoyancy of my new lights), so we decided one great dive was enough. She headed off, and I kicked back in a camp chair to have some lunch to the amusement of a car load of pointing tourists.
Bottom time: 65 minutes
Max Depth: 51 feet
Visibility: 20 to 30 feet
Water temperature: 55F to 60.8F
Conditions: Pretty much flat seas, with a light breeze rippling the surface. Overcast when we arrived, but the sun came out as we geared up. Tide well up the ramp and falling.
We were dive team 1 & I thought we'd have the place to ourselves, but a group from Breakwater SCUBA arrived while we were gearing up and stepped over to say Hi.
The tide was high enough the boat channel through the kelp was impossible to see, so we blundered through the kelp 'til we were over Middle Reef and dropped onto it in 30feet of water. The viz was 20+ feet at first but opened up to 30 feet, or more, as the dive progressed. We headed along a northern heading for a while, on top of the reef, then I angled us a bit west and we dropped over the wall and cruised along it. My buddy was shooting macro so it was a nice comfortable mosey giving me lots of time to try some new lights on the various Copper and Vermilion rock fish that presented themselves and a cooperative Lingcod. A sheephead buzzed me early on, and eventually I caught up with it again, hobnobbing with several different fish, letting me get close enough to film it (I hope).
The Breakwater SCUBA threesome waved as they passed us just as we reached half air and turned around. About 10 minutes later I spotted this beautiful school of Blue Rockfish and we headed up about 18 feet to get some video & photos. We continued on a slightly west of south heading in the sand channel, then headed up for our safety stop, where I spotted another, looser, school of Blues. We surfaced a bit south of the bluff and headed back through the kelp to the ramp---dive team 2 not far behind.
My buddies drysuit had leaked a bit, and I only had 3 hours of sleep (due to fretting about the buoyancy of my new lights), so we decided one great dive was enough. She headed off, and I kicked back in a camp chair to have some lunch to the amusement of a car load of pointing tourists.
wnissen
Contributor
Breakwater yesterday, kicked out to the 6 marker and were treated to a couple of sea lions dive bombing through the kelp at the end of the pier. 30 ft of visibility out there, water 13C / 55F. Only a teensy swell, basically a bathtub at the surface.
elgoog
Contributor
Amazing dive at Pt Lobos today, even though we dived the outgoing tide. Not a super low tide but ramp was slick.
Team of 3 took our DPVs out west past Lone Metridium towards Taco and Marco's Pinnacle. Schools of blue rockfish in the water column (I never get tired of seeing those), few big lings, a couple of tree rockfish (which I haven't seen at Pt Lobos before) and hydrocoral in various shades of yellow, range, red and purple. We had a ton of gas left when we got back to Lone Metridium and were going to spend some time around Granite Point Wall but one of my buddies had a bad drysuit leak and we called it then.
-> 89min, 85ft max, 50-60ft viz, 50F
Team of 3 took our DPVs out west past Lone Metridium towards Taco and Marco's Pinnacle. Schools of blue rockfish in the water column (I never get tired of seeing those), few big lings, a couple of tree rockfish (which I haven't seen at Pt Lobos before) and hydrocoral in various shades of yellow, range, red and purple. We had a ton of gas left when we got back to Lone Metridium and were going to spend some time around Granite Point Wall but one of my buddies had a bad drysuit leak and we called it then.
-> 89min, 85ft max, 50-60ft viz, 50F
Chavodel8en
Contributor
A couple dives at N. Monastery Saturday morning. Flat conditions, but only 15-20' viz. 52 F water.
I did see my first NorCal bug hiding in a crevice and the biggest ling Ive ever seen, so despite the disappointing viz, some very nice dives.
I did see my first NorCal bug hiding in a crevice and the biggest ling Ive ever seen, so despite the disappointing viz, some very nice dives.
stilldivin
Contributor
9-28-18.
Great dive at Lover's Pt. beach two. A foggy day but the ocean was dead calm so we quickly made our way out through the shallows and submerged. This part of Lover's has much more life. We saw lots of kelp, feather dusters, surfperch, a keyhole limpet, starfish, crabs, a jellyfish, soft coral and the inevitable sea urchins. Even though we went way out we did not get very deep and came back a bit too soon, but still had a great dive. Max depth 31 feet, 42 minutes bottom time, water temp. 53 degrees. Vis 20-25 feet.
Great dive at Lover's Pt. beach two. A foggy day but the ocean was dead calm so we quickly made our way out through the shallows and submerged. This part of Lover's has much more life. We saw lots of kelp, feather dusters, surfperch, a keyhole limpet, starfish, crabs, a jellyfish, soft coral and the inevitable sea urchins. Even though we went way out we did not get very deep and came back a bit too soon, but still had a great dive. Max depth 31 feet, 42 minutes bottom time, water temp. 53 degrees. Vis 20-25 feet.
elgoog
Contributor
Pt Lobos on Saturday morning 9/29/18
Team of 3 headed out on DPVs towards the west side again, aiming to get to Taco. Pretty mucky and greenish-brown inside the cove and in the sand channel, stayed that way as we passed HITW and Lone Metridium and remained mucky well into Rock Garden. I was navigating and didn't feel super confident in that viz so turned around right before the left turn to Taco (I think). Lots of fish around and tons of new growth hydrocoral - this is becoming my new favorite thing to look for. We kicked back to Lone Metridium, cruised the back side of HITW and then crossed over to Middle Reef and then Granite Point Wall. Viz improved a bit on that side of the cove but still pretty particulate-y. I saw a red octopus tucked inside an overhang and the usual fish+nudibranch suspects there. We were looking for the 2 metridium anemones on the 2nd ridge but couldn't find it (??) - another team reported the exact same thing. Wonder what happened to it; I'm certain I was in the right spot and made 2 loops around Granite Point Wall to make sure I was in the right spot. We turned the dive there on gas and returned along the back side of Middle Reef.
-> 82min, 82ft max, 51ft avg, 54F at depth
The other team made it to Beto's Reef and reported similar mucky viz even at 100ft.
Team of 3 headed out on DPVs towards the west side again, aiming to get to Taco. Pretty mucky and greenish-brown inside the cove and in the sand channel, stayed that way as we passed HITW and Lone Metridium and remained mucky well into Rock Garden. I was navigating and didn't feel super confident in that viz so turned around right before the left turn to Taco (I think). Lots of fish around and tons of new growth hydrocoral - this is becoming my new favorite thing to look for. We kicked back to Lone Metridium, cruised the back side of HITW and then crossed over to Middle Reef and then Granite Point Wall. Viz improved a bit on that side of the cove but still pretty particulate-y. I saw a red octopus tucked inside an overhang and the usual fish+nudibranch suspects there. We were looking for the 2 metridium anemones on the 2nd ridge but couldn't find it (??) - another team reported the exact same thing. Wonder what happened to it; I'm certain I was in the right spot and made 2 loops around Granite Point Wall to make sure I was in the right spot. We turned the dive there on gas and returned along the back side of Middle Reef.
-> 82min, 82ft max, 51ft avg, 54F at depth
The other team made it to Beto's Reef and reported similar mucky viz even at 100ft.
stilldivin
Contributor
It was a sunny and calm day at Pt. Lobos and we were the first dive team. I had a problem with my neck seal so the dive was short but still managed to capture some colorful video. Look for starfish, rose anemones, puffball sponges and other colorful sponges, feather dusters and sea urchins, a crab, a lingcod, and soft coral. Water temp. was 57 degrees and we only went to a max depth of 41 feet. Vis a murky 10-15 feet. Better vis in Whaler's Cove than at middle reef where we did most of the diving.
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