Monterey conditions. (let's keep it going )

[Fundive123]

50-60ft! Sweet!! Thanks for the update uspap. Was there an abundance of sea life out and about??

 

[uspap]

A bunch of blues at Wedding Rock. Also YOY's. Not tons of life at Butterfly House but I was shooting the swim throughs with my GoPro and wasn't really looking for critters. Did see Cabazon and a few curious seals. I'm ready to go back out. My new camera comes in tomorrow. I missed the delivery today because I was diving but it was worth it.

 

[Vegan Shark]

There are swim throughs at Butterfly???

 

[Chuck Tribolet]

At the outer edge of the kelp at Butterfly house, there's a big rock with a crack that LOOKS like a swim-through, but is really a crack that's narrow at the top. And just south of that crack there's a swim-through, if you are anorexic and have a pony bottle. There may be others.

 

[uspap]

Sorry for the confusion. Yes they are cracks. I have a habit of calling them swim throughs since it is hard for me to do much else but swim through them.

 

[zf2nt]

Dave, when you go out at Butterfly House what heading do you take when you get out of the cove? Last time I went, I followed 290 and that was too northerly to get me over to the Outer Butterfly structure before I reached my turn point. The time before that I went at 240, and I made a note in my logbook to go 270 the next time, but then forgot it. And a couple of years ago I followed the advice of a friend and went at 210, but that misses a lot of the interesting structure. So I wonder what you follow?

 

[uspap]

Hey Bruce. I was following Mubin so he will know for sure but I believe it was 210 to start. We dropped past the wash rock and head left past a sandy area and follow the kelp line. The rock formations begin to get pretty dramatic after that. This is closer to the shore and probably tops out at 80ft or so, might be more since I didn't touch bottom. Our average depth was probably 60ft. I've got a video on Flickr that shows the structure.
It's a lot easier to find with spectacular vis.

 

[zf2nt]

Yes, 210 takes you off toward Lobos. I've gone that way before and it just drops away evenly down to around 100fsw, then flattens out. I don't remember a huge amount of structure going that way. If you head on a more northerly path, which I believe works out to about 270, then you get a lot of very large rock formations and eventually get to "canyon country" where you have sheer walls on either side of a sand bottom at about 105 fsw. That's the part I like, but it's just after the far side of the kelp line as you view it from shore. In other words, it's an epic swim out there.

Part of the reason I'm asking is that the Sea Otters have a club dive scheduled there for Saturday and I might join them. But I know conventional wisdom is to head south the way you did, though my own experience says it's more interesting further north. I like to head right where Capwell used to anchor the Escapade back when he was willing to take open charters there.

 

[uspap]

There was a lot of structure where we went. We did 210 and when we hit the first or second pinnacle we did 60 or so toward shore. Heres a link to just one of the structures we found. I shot more video but am working on edits. Had to use my GoPro since the G10 flooded. I've been to outer Butterfly before and your right it's a swim and a half. A kayak would be nice.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/73739720@N00/10957537314/in/photostream

 

[mobeeno]

Yes, 210 takes you off toward Lobos. I've gone that way before and it just drops away evenly down to around 100fsw, then flattens out. I don't remember a huge amount of structure going that way. If you head on a more northerly path, which I believe works out to about 270, then you get a lot of very large rock formations and eventually get to "canyon country" where you have sheer walls on either side of a sand bottom at about 105 fsw. That's the part I like, but it's just after the far side of the kelp line as you view it from shore. In other words, it's an epic swim out there.

Part of the reason I'm asking is that the Sea Otters have a club dive scheduled there for Saturday and I might join them. But I know conventional wisdom is to head south the way you did, though my own experience says it's more interesting further north. I like to head right where Capwell used to anchor the Escapade back when he was willing to take open charters there.

Bruce, you are right about BH.. 270, 240 is also great. Lots of dramatic cracks. It is a long way to get there, (roughly 22 minutes after dropping down way past the wash rock). I heard about 200-210 from a Monterey Sea otter member and from H of Aquarius years ago said to go left.
After dropping down at the wash rock, go 210 about 12 minutes or so, (yesterday took less time probably there was a little current or it was very calm) When deep water is under you, start going left a bit.

---------- Post added November 20th, 2013 at 03:46 PM ----------

Epic winter diving at North of North Monastery aka Carmel Meadows aka Wedding Rock ect. ect. Lots of swim throughs, cracks and crevices. Conditions are usually too rough but not yesterday.
Wedding Rock-1 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!