Non-Monterey training sites in bay area?

[doublea]

I tried calling Shadow Cliffs and De Valle and did not get calls back yet.

Are you opposed to going up north across the GG bridge up to Marin, Sonoma, or Mendocino counties?

No, any ideas?

 

[Bigbella]

Well, there's not much south of Bodega Bay that fits the bill. I would recommend Fort Ross; Sea Ranch; and Gerstle Cove, all in Sonoma County . . .

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

There’s Lake Sonoma, @Bob DBF knows more about than I do. I have no interest in fresh water lakes so I’ve never dived it.

Going north up the coast into Sonoma County the first decent place to dive would be Fort Ross, there's a wreck there and good terrain. Continuing north you come to Ocean Cove, then Stillwater Cove, then Salt Point State Park (Gerstle Cove), then South and North Fisk Mill Coves (trail hike with tanks).
In Mendocino County I have a few favorites, Albion Cove and outer reefs, Russian Gulch State Park, Vandamme beach aka Little River.
There are many more sites sprinkled within the main ones I mentioned, but the most insane structure is in a section between Albion and Vandamme, pinnacles breaking the surface with plunging walls down to 150’ with sheer walls and undercuts, big cracks, caverns/swim throughs,
All of the ones I’ve mentioned have radical terrain and big rocks if you are willing to surface swim to get to the good stuff. If you have a kayak it will get you to the great stuff a lot easier. If you have a boat then you’ll have access to the absolute best stuff, mostly offshore.
The crowning jewel of Northern California if not all of California is Arena Rock. I have a few dives there and the place never failed to completely blow my mind.
The currents can rip up north though so you have to be really careful.

It’s a pretty far drive so you might want to get an airbnb or a rental and make a weekend out of it.
Bring your 7 mil or your drysuit.

 

[Bob DBF]

There’s Lake Sonoma, @Bob DBF knows more about than I do. I have no interest in fresh water lakes so I’ve never dived it.

Well it's 7mm farmer John territory for me, same as what I use in the ocean on the North Coast, and has a thermocline like Tahoe, it gets cold, but we normally did two dives, warm surface temps in the summer help. ymmv

Don't know if the OP is interested now, so for anyone else that might be interested.

I moved so I haven't be to Lake Sonoma for a while. The boat parking lot on the way to the ramp has stairs down to the water by the bridge, the walk back up... On the opposite corner of the bridge is a small dirt parking lot (free) but you walk down, and up, a hillside

It's low viz to zero viz as you go deeper. The bottom is silty mud, and if you scare the crawdads or hit the bottom, it's blackout time. It's worse during the rains in the winter, and we usually avoided that unless we HAD to dive.

On the good side, people have been tossing things off the bridge as long as the lake has been there, the debris can be used for attachment points for line. We eventually ran lines across the span down both sides of the bridge, with two cross lines one on each side of the last drop to the deepest part of the channel. The deepest spot is around 120', or so, depending on lake level. We left the lines in and they were broken or moved on a regular basis due to fishing.

As far as a point of interest, there is the cone forest, the final resting place of a dozen or two traffic cones someone tossed off the bridge. At different times we found two weapons, and some ammo, the corp of engineers rangers got to dread us flagginjg them down. After we found human remains they would just shake there heads and ask now what.

The area around the bridge is in a no wake zone so that's a real plus, also the corps of engineers require a dive flag. Because we entered and exited at the shore we usually ignored the flag, but when we were going to be on the surface out in the open, we would set a flag where we needed it to be.

It wasen't as much fun as the coast, but we had to dive somewhere, and it had its own charm. Besides, it's still diving.


Bob

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

I have to hand it to you Bob, you got balls to dive that lake. The thought of low to zero vis combined with dead trees and fishing line wrapped around everything kind if freaks me out. I would probably be more inclined to dive the upper Russian somewhere in a hole maybe above Cloverdale. There’s also those deep quarry pits from the old Kaiser Sand and Gravel plant off Westside Rd. Vis probably sucks though.
Tahoe is the extent of my fresh water diving adventures and I very much enjoy that.

 

[Bob DBF]

The thought of low to zero vis combined with dead trees and fishing line wrapped around everything kind if freaks me out.

Between the bridge and the marina, where we dove, there were only a few trees on the opposite side from the marina. It was a supprise when we came into the branches as we ascended. There wasen't as much line as I would have imagined, probably because the best fishing is up the lake arms further.

What freaked me out, was swimming into an unknown area. Between the viz, sometimes narcosis, and an imagination just this side of uncontrolled, there was no way to tell what you were diving up to until you were on it, so ones imagination gets to fill in the blanks on the swim towards the looming shadow. A lot of suspense and you know it isn't a movie.

My DIY light rebuild Darrell Allen Light Rebuild Mod I helped the viz situation much better than any of our store bought dive lights.

The worst fishing line I encountered was just south of Fort Ross where I ran into an illegal long line (trot line). At first I thought a kelp grabbed me, but since it didn't let go I checked. Then I spent a good part of my tank getting untangled, then destroying what I could find of the line. I wasen't planning on a surface swim back so I was really fuming on the swim back.

I like Tahoe a lot, but Sonoma is more challenging of ones skills.



Bob