Monterey, California

by Dave Barratt

Does the mention of California bring images of The Beach Boys, Baywatch and hot sunny days under palm trees? If so, you are thinking of Southern California. The California coastline runs for 1000 miles from the Mexico border up to Oregon, and falls into three broad areas - South, Central and North. The Southern Coast takes in San Diego, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. It has both the warmest land and sea temperatures. The Northern Coast runs from the Oregon border down to San Francisco. A lot of the coast is very reminiscent of Cornwall, with high cliffs and rolling seas.

The bit in the middle is unsurprisingly called the Central Coast. We made our base in the town of Monterey, which is about a 100 miles south of San Francisco and 300 miles north of Los Angeles. The climate here is similar to an English spring, pretty much all year round. It can get very warm, but most of the time the sea breeze keeps the temperatures in the sixties and seventies (Fahrenheit of course - no metric measurements here).

For those of you who watch the BBC's annual and excellent "Abyss" programmes, you'll know that the town of Monterey sits at the southern point of Monterey Bay, which has underwater canyons up to two miles deep, only a short distance from shore. The knock-ons for divers are that (1) there is a lot of life as a result of the nutrient rich waters and (2) the upwelling of very deep water means that the sea is cold - expect UK like temperatures. A 7mm semi-dry is a minimum. A drysuit is better.

There is both shore diving and boat diving on offer. Shore diving in Monterey itself centres on an area called San Carlos Beach, also known as the Coastguard Pier. At the weekends this area is alive with training groups, and many Californian divers get their first open water dives here. However, it would be a mistake to dismiss it as a beginner's dive only. During the week the site is quiet and makes for an interesting dive, with lots to see. Harbour seals frequent this area. A juvenile spent much of my dive playing in my exhaust bubbles, when he wasn't zooming past me in a speeded-up game of tag. There are lots of fish, and very large starfish of every colour.

There's a similar, easy to dive site at Lovers Point, in nearby Pacific Grove, which is a good place to see octopus and bat rays. Both sites offer ample parking, although you will need a good supply of quarters (25-cent coins) to feed the parking meters. The locals get very upset with divers who get undressed in public. There are local authority signs prohibiting such activity at most of the dive sites around the town. There are a number of public toilets, with showers, and it makes sense to use these to get changed.

South of Monterey, towards Carmel, there are a couple of interesting shore dives. Monastery Beach has the underwater canyon come almost to the shore. It is one of the few places in the area where there is shore access to really deep water. Getting out of the water at the end of your dive requires an unusual technique. The steep beach and the often-rough surf require you to exit the water on all fours. The locals call it the "Monastery Crawl".

Next to Monastery Beach is the marine reserve at Point Lobos. The diving here is spectacular, and is accessed from an area called Whalers Cove. Depending upon the time of the year, this is a good place to see Leopard Sharks (December to April). However, at any time of the year, the opportunity to dive amongst the giant Californian kelp forests guarantees a magical dive.
Diver numbers are regulated, and pre-booking is required via Point Lobos State ParkThe cost of diving here is currently $7.00 per buddy pair. Weekends fill up very early, but it's usually possible to make a reservation in the week without too much difficulty.

If you'd rather dive from a boat, and there are numerous excellent sites, details can be found at California Dive Boats I used Monterey Express, which is one of the boats listed, and picks up from the dock in Monterey. Owner and Captain Tim Doreck was helpful and friendly. A "two tank" dive trip (two dives in a morning or afternoon) costs $80.00. You should note that, while the trip cost includes cylinders/air (single steel 80s) you are expected to have all other gear, including a weightbelt and lead. I'd been warned about this, but it did catch out a couple of visiting Americans on the boat.

We dived a couple of sites offshore from Carmel, in a series of underwater pinnacles, going down 20 metres or so. There was plenty of invertebrate life, and diving among the massive kelp, with the sunlight streaming through was almost a religious experience. However, there was less fish life than I'd seen on the shore dives. Between dives, and after the second dive, they provided hot and cold drinks and snacks. There was the usual American service ethic, but it wasn't as overpowering as I've experienced before in Florida, where I almost had to fight the divemaster to be allowed to put my own gear together. When we docked back in Monterey, Captain Tim thanked everyone for their custom before telling us all to "get the hell off my boat". Everyone laughed, so he must have been joking.

Should you be there in June, the local squid population is mating. Night dives involve suspending bright lights from the boat to attract the squid, and you spend the dive hanging in mid-water while thousands of them dance around you. It certainly makes for a different and enjoyable dive. If you're going to do a number of dives, it probably makes sense to take your own gear with you, and then rent a weightbelt and lead (and a cylinder if you are shore diving) locally. The cost of an unaccompanied dive, with all gear is about $75.00. The largest dive centre in Monterey is Monterey Bay Dive Center Monterey Scuba Diving but I used the smaller Glenn's Aquarius II Dive Shop, Aquarius Divers which is on the coastguard pier, alongside San Carlos Beach. Having sampled both, I felt that the smaller operation was more in tune with my needs as an individual, and they weren't just taking my money.

For anyone used to UK waters, Monterey provides interesting and relaxing diving with good visibility. Don't go thinking that it's tropical diving. Warm, it ain't.

Dave Barratt
Newman Sport Diving Club
Coventry

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