Monterey Diving

<body bgcolor="#000000" text="#F0F0F0" link="#FFFF00" vlink="#0077FF" alink="#00FF00"> <p align="center"><img src="images/monterey.GIF" width="312" height="123"></p> <hr width="90%"> <p><font size="6">T</font><font size="4">he Monterey area, including Monterey Bay, Carmel Bay, and the area in between, is one of the most popular dive destinations in the world, and for good reason. While many tropical dive-wimps may find the water a bit too chilly, the colder water of the temperate ocean is home to a fantastic variety of life with which even the most prolific coral reefs can't compete.</font></p> <hr width="90%"> <h3><font size="4">Climate, Weather, and Conditions</font></h3> <p><font size="6">M</font><font size="4">onterey is blessed with a fairly mild climate year-round. We rarely see temperatures below 45 or above 85. The only problem is that you can't use season to predict which of these you'll see here. As Mark Twain said "The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco" Well, he could have just as well been talking about Monterey. In summer and spring we often have morning fog. It sometimes hangs around all day, so it can be quite damp as well as chilly. Bring a thermos of something warm (soup or hot chocolate, not caffeine or alcohol), and some kind of clothing to keep warm between dives.</font></p> <p><font size="6">T</font><font size="4">he best time to dive Monterey is autumn and early winter. Due to seasonal upwelling, spring and summer tend to be the times of colder water temperatures and poorer visibility. Winter can be exceptionally good, IF you can catch a calm day, as this tends to be the stormy season. </font></p> <p><font size="6">A</font><font size="4">verage conditions in Monterey vary with the seasons as I mentioned above. Visibility tends to be 10-30 feet, though days of much greater viz do occur once in awhile. Water Temperature can get up to around 60ƒ , but is usually in the mid to lower 50's, and 48ƒ is not uncommon in the spring. A 1/4-inch wet suit should be considered the MINIMUM thermal protection for this area.</font></p> <p><font size="6">T</font><font size="4">he water can get pretty rough here at times, too. If you plan on driving a long way to get here, or flying in, you'd do well to check the </font><a href="http://www-atm.ucdavis.edu/~wxauto/fos/fwus/FWUS01.KMRY"><font size="4">local forecast </font></a><font size="4">, as well as </font><a href="http://sapphire.cse.ucsc.edu/MosaicMet/"><font size="4">Real-Time Weather Data</font></a><font size="4"> before you make the trip. Especially if you plan to do any boat diving, or shore dives in Carmel Bay, pay attention to wind and wave conditions. It often gets worse in the afternoon, so if you think it might be marginal, plan your diving for early morning. Don't be afraid to cancel dive plans. People die here when it gets rough. You can also get some up-to-date sea conditions from </font><a href="http://thunder.met.fsu.edu:80/nws/cgi-bin/buoy.cgi?46042"><font size="4">Buoy 46042</font></a><font size="4"> at the mouth of Monterey Bay.</font></p> <hr width="90%"> <h3><font size="4">Where to Dive</font></h3> <p><font size="6">W</font><font size="4">hile there are a few guides to diving in Monterey around, I just couldn't resist making my own. Between my friends and me, we've probably dived everywhere you'd want to around here, and more than a few places you wouldn't, so I thought I'd put </font><a href="guide.html"><font size="4">my own little guide </font></a><font size="4">on here.</font></p> <hr width="90%"> <h3><font size="4">Marine Life</font></h3> <p><font size="6">D</font><font size="4">ue to the nutrient rich (and butt-cold) water that is upwelled along the Central California coast in spring and summer, the amount of life in the ocean around Monterey is tremendous. As I mentioned before, the variety here is just amazing. While tropical reefs tend to be dominated by cnidarians (coral, sea fans, etc.) and porifera (sponges), almost every invertebrate phylum is well represented here. In a patch of rock face the size of your hand it's not unusual to be able to find 5 or 6 different phyla (a phylum is the largest taxonomic division of the animal kingdom) without even trying hard.</font></p> <p><font size="6">I</font><font size="4">n order to introduce you to some of these organisms, I've put up links to a few sites that show pictures and/or give information about the things that live here. We are lucky in that Monterey is located in a zone where we get organisms that represent the faunas of both Southern California and the Pacific Northwest. So, while some of these sites may be meant to showcase animals from only one or the other of these regions, most of the organisms can still be found in Monterey.</font></p> <p><font size="6">O</font><font size="4">ne such site is the </font><a href="http://www.clever.net/kerry/creature/creature.htm"><font size="4">British Columbia Creature Page, </font></a><font size="4">which has a number of great photos of marine animals.</font></p> <p><font size="6">A</font><font size="4">nother is CalPoly's </font><a href="http://www.calpoly.edu/delta.html"><font size="4">Marine Biology Database</font></a><font size="4">. Here you can do a search for whatever type of critter you want.</font></p> <p><font size="6">B</font><font size="4">esides these sites, I'll be putting up a </font><a href="critter.html"><font size="4">Critter of the Month</font></a><font size="4">. This consists of a picture of the beast, plus as in-depth a description of it as I can put together.</font></p> <p><font size="6">A</font><font size="4">lso, the </font><a href="http://www.atmnet.net/~mdmiller/"><font size="4">Slug Site</font></a><font size="4"> is a great page for nudibranchs, both West Coast and from elsewhere.</font></p> <hr width="90%"> <h3><a href="shop.html"><font size="4">Dive Shops and Such</font></a></h3> <p><font size="6">T</font><font size="4">here are three dive shops in Monterey:</font></p> <ul> <li><a href="shop.html#bamboo"><font size="4">Bamboo Reef</font></a><font size="4"> </font></li> <li><a href="shop.html#aquarius"><font size="4">Aquarius</font></a><font size="4"> </font></li> <li><font size="4">and </font><a href="shop.html#mbd"><font size="4">Monterey Bay Dive Center</font></a><font size="4"> </font></li> </ul> <p><font size="6">I</font><font size="4">f you're too lazy to drag your tanks back to the dive shop, there's </font><a href="shop.html#air 1"><font size="4">Air One</font></a><font size="4">, a mobile tank-fill service. </font></p> <p><font size="6">T</font><font size="4">here is also a custom wet-suit maker, </font><a href="shop.html#mbws"><font size="4">Monterey Bay Wet Suits.</font></a><font size="4">, and a few dive charters, the </font><a href="shop.html#cypress"><font size="4">Cypress Sea</font></a><font size="4">, the </font><a href="shop.html#prince"><font size="4">Silver Prince</font></a><font size="4">, the </font><a href="shop.html#star"><font size="4">Pacific Star</font></a><font size="4">, and the </font><a href="shop.html#express"><font size="4">Monterey Express</font></a><font size="4">. There is also a photo shop that specializes in underwater photo and video, </font><a href="shop.html#backscatter"><font size="4">Backscatter</font></a><font size="4">, and a place that makes custom video housings, </font><a href="shop.html#light"><font size="4">Light and Motion.</font></a></p> <p><font size="6">I</font><font size="4">f you happen to be in the Bay area and need to something from a dive center, try </font><a href="shop.html#scubau"><font size="4">Scuba Unlimited</font></a><font size="4">.</font></p> <hr width="90%"> <h3><font size="4">Places to Stay</font></h3> <p><font size="6">O</font><font size="4">ne of the most frequently asked questions I get is about where divers visiting the area can find a room. Being the dedicated webmaster that I am, wanting to do the most for readers of my site, and divers in general, I took it upon myself to do some in-depth research into overnight accommodations on the Peninsula.</font></p> <p><font size="4">Screening volunteers to be my companion in checking out double occupancy rooms made the effort of putting this list on the web worthwhile. By the way, the list still isn't complete, so interested applicants can send me e-mail, with picture attached as either a GIF or JPEG.</font></p> <p><font size="4">Okay, before I get flooded with messages, most likely complaints from offended web surfers, I admit that I'm only joking, and apologize to anyone who might have been offended by my sense of humor. But hey, it's my page. If you really don't like it, go somewhere else. But send that GIF first.</font></p> <p><font size="4">Before I piss off everyone out there, here's the </font><a href="hotl.html"><font size="4">List of Hotels</font></a><font size="4">.</font></p> <hr width="90%"> <h3><font size="4">Newz</font></h3> <p><font size="6">C</font><font size="4">heck out my </font><a href="newz.html"><font size="4">Current Events</font></a><font size="4"> page. This is where you can find local dive news and event announcements.</font></p> <hr width="90%"> <h3><font size="4">A Word About Emergencies.</font></h3> <p><font size="6">I</font><font size="4">f the worst does happen, and you have a diving accident, you should be prepared by at least knowing the best way to get help. In the Monterey area, we have a marine rescue unit. If someone is injured in a diving accident, call 911 and be sure to tell them that it's a DIVING accident. There is a recompression chamber in the area, and medical personnel trained in dealing with dive-related injuries. If you develop symptoms of a dive injury, go to the emergency room at the Community Hospital of Monterey Peninsula (or CHOMP, for short). They'll assess you there, and refer you to the chamber if necessary. You can't go directly to the chamber; they won't treat you. I will mention, however, that this is the last FREE, all-volunteer chamber in the country. If you have to go, the chamber treatments cost you nothing. It is supported by donations. If you dive here, you really should help support the chamber. At most of the dive related businesses around here there are donation cans. It doesn't hurt you to drop a little money in there once in awhile, and it may save you or someone you care about. For more information, take a look at the in-depth write up of the PG Ocean Rescue in my </font><a href="safe.html"><font size="4">Diving Safety</font></a><font size="4"> section.</font></p> <hr width="90%"> <h3><font size="4">The Fun Stuff</font></h3> <p><font size="6">N</font><font size="4">ow, what everyone wants to know about, </font><a href="shark.html"><font size="4">Great White Sharks. </font></a><font size="4">If you're at all squeamish, or nervous about diving here, don't link to this page. Take heart in knowing that attacks are extremely rare given the number of divers that come here.</font></p> <hr width="90%"> <p><font size="6">T</font><font size="4">he real purpose of this page is to make a dive trip to Monterey a better experience for you guys out there, while allowing me to go on (and on and on.....) about a subject that I love. To this end, I thoroughly encourage you to e-mail me at </font><a href="mailto:garyvilla@earthlink.net"><font size="4">garyvilla@earthlink.net</font></a><font size="4"> with any suggestions for things you'd like to see here, links you think should be included, and corrections of anything you <strong>think </strong>I got wrong.</font></p> <hr width="90%"> <p><font size="6">I</font><font size="4">f you're planning a trip to Monterey, or you're just interested in the area, here are a bunch of </font><a href="misc.html"><font size="4">other web pages from Monterey.</font></a><font size="4"> Some are Marine related, while others aren't.</font></p> <hr width="80%"> <div align="center"><center><table border="1"> <tr> <th colspan="2"><a href="index.html"><font size="4">Return to Diving Page</font></a></th> </tr> </table> </center></div><hr width="80%"> <p align="center"><a href="copy.html"><font size="4">© Gary Villa, 1995-All Rights Reserved</font></a> </p> </body>