Novice dives are suitable for both novice divers, and more experienced divers who either haven't been in the water for awhile, or have not dived in Monterey before.
LOCATION: The intersection of Cannery Row and
Foam St.
LEVEL: Novice
ENTRY: Beach, Stairs
DEPTH:10-60ft (3-18m)
PARKING: Lots at the breakwater and on Cannery Row. (Metered)
The coast guard breakwater is familiar to anybody who did their certification dives in Monterey. It's used extensively as a training beach. It is therefore usually crowded on weekends and during the summer. The same attributes that make it so popular also make it a good site for the novice diver. The beach has a very shallow slope and the surf is almost always practically nil. The site is bounded by the stone breakwater on the south, and a sparse kelp forest on the north. Lots of sessile invertebrates inhabit the breakwater rocks, and the sand has a large field of the tube anemone Pachycerianthus fimbriatus .
This is the best place to see California Sea Lions. Just swim out towards the end of the breakwater and they're all over the place! Be careful anytime you're near the end of the breakwater though, since boats are constantly coming and going around it. Also, a lot of people fish off the north side of the breakwater, so if you're in close you may run into someone's line.
This is also a good spot for a night dive. Octopi are plentiful here at night, and cruising over the Pachycerianthus in the dark is quite eerie. Navigation is easy because of the bright lights along the breakwater.
Viz isn't the greatest here, but it's almost always divable. There are cold water showers available, a large suiting-up area, and both Aquarius dive shop, as well as Backscatter Photo have stores within walking distance.
LOCATION: Behind the Spindrift Hotel on Cannery
Row
LEVEL: Novice
ENTRY: Beach
DEPTH: 10-45ft (3-14m)
PARKING: You can park in city lots between Wave and Foam St.
(Metered)
McAbee is another easy site for a first or second Monterey dive. The beach isn't as shallowly sloped as the breakwater, but it's still an easy entry. There's lots of old junk laying around on the bottom from when the canneries were still open. There is some kelp here, and the typical invert and fish life for the southern bight of the bay. This is also another good spot for a night dive.
Take note of the signs along the city streets that prohibit suiting up. Deal with your gear on the beach.
LOCATION: Intersection of Oceanview Blvd. With
17th St. in Pacific Grove.
LEVEL: Novice (North side, Experienced)
ENTRY: Beach (North side, rocky)
DEPTH: 10-50ft. (3-15m)
PARKING: There are two lots, and parking on the street.
Lover's Point is a LITTLE more challenging than the two previous dives. There are three places where you can enter the water. The first, and easiest, is the main beach. This is a wide sand beach that can be reached by a wide concrete ramp that runs down from the park. It's a longer swim from here, but the entry is much easier.
The second entrance is the smaller beach a little farther towards the end of the point. It can be reached by a staircase. The entry is rocky and shallow during low tide, so when it's even moderately rough it can be difficult. Either way, you should swim out away from the point at about a 45 degree angle until your about even with the end of the point, otherwise it's very shallow. Also, when there are waves, this is one of the favorite local surfing beaches, because the waves curl around the point. You should stay away from the rocks when it's like this. You don't want to get pounded by a wave, or nailed by a surfer.
On the north side of the point there is a rocky entry that leads to a more wave exposed, and generally believed to be a better, site. This is a little more challenging than the south side, and should probably be in the "experienced" category.
Lover's Point has an extensive kelp bed in the summer, and it can be a chore swimming out. Take your time and don't wear yourself out. The bottom consists of large granite boulders and reefs interspersed with large areas of sand. The invert cover here tends to be greater than the breakwater or McAbee, and there are large beds of sand dollars in some of the sandy areas.
The farther out you get here, the better dive you're likely to have. In close the rocks are primarily covered with a dense growth of foliose red algae, and not many inverts.
This is another good spot to do a night dive, and if you have a boat that you can launch from the breakwater or the municipal wharf, you can get to the outer edge, particularly the area about halfway to Hopkins, which is really nice. The city of Pacific Grove is touchy about the effect of divers on the tourists who come to sunbathe. They have had a number of ordinances restricting diving from Lover's Point at different times of the day, week, and year. Frankly, I don't do much diving from the shore here anymore, so I don't keep current with what they are. Check with the dive shop when you get your tanks filled to find out what they are. My impression is that they're not strictly enforced, but better safe than sorry.
LOCATION: Intersection of Coral St. and
Oceanview in Pacific Grove.
LEVEL: Novice
ENTRY: Beach, rocky
DEPTH: 10-30ft. (3-10m)
PARKING: On street
Coral Street Beach has a gently sloping entry, with lots of slick rocks in the shallows, so be careful. It's kind of a swim to the main kelp bed, and it doesn't get below about 30ft. unless you go to the outer edge.
I'm probably not the best person to rate this beach. Every time I've been here it's been surgey and the viz has been poor. However, I know a lot of people who like it here. The bottom topography is certainly interesting, with lots of big rocks and crevices, and the invert cover is good, with more tunicates and bryozoans than at some of the other novice sites. I did see the largest monkey-faced eel, Cebidicthys violaceous , I've ever encountered while diving here.
It can get rough here, so pay attention to the surf conditions. Remember it's a long walk over slippery rocks till you get deep enough to swim. Not the kind of place you want to get hit by a wave.
The residents sometimes get upset with divers suiting up in front of their houses, so it's a good idea to not change clothes here, and don't set gear in the street.
LOCATION: Point Lobos State Reserve.
LEVEL: Novice.
ENTRY: Beach (concrete ramp).
DEPTH: 10-80ft. (3-24m)
PARKING: Lot by boat ramp.
Whaler's Cove is one of two places in Point Lobos where diving is permitted, the other being Bluefish Cove. All entrances and exits MUST be made at the boat ramp. Whaler's is a very sheltered cove that is usually divable in all but the worst conditions.
Whaler's is a spectacular site, with lots of invert and fish life, and a dense kelp canopy. The bottom is predominantly rock with a sand channel running down the center. There's a cave that you can swim through (ONLY on CALM DAYS!), but I prefer to dive the rocks near the outlet of the cove.
Be careful to watch your depth, as it's easy to get deep here, and stay away from the caves on rough days.
Point Lobos is a wildlife refuge, and that includes marine life. It is STRICTLY prohibited to disturb any of the flora or fauna. And yes, that means no fishing or shell collecting. The number of divers per day is also strictly controlled. The limit is 15 dive teams of 2 to 3 divers each. Each diver must present a valid C-card and picture ID to enter, and reservations are an absolute must on weekends and holidays. The number for reservations is (408) 624-8413. You can also e-mail in your reservation. If you get there early, you can usually get in on weekdays without calling ahead.