Diving
in California
California
is our home ground. We have been diving in California regularly last 15
years or so.
One has to admit that diving in California is
different. Water is around 55F through the year, and dips into 40s
during the summer months because of the upwelling. So you need 7 mm wet
suits or dry suits, and lot of weights to compensate the buoyancy of
these suits- more than anybody wants. Average visibility
is 20 ft, but could drop to less than a foot. Still when it hits 100 ft
there is no other place I want to be. Kelp forest in California
sustained by nutrients from the deep canyons are home of the lots of
marine creatures. Nudibranchs, crabs, octopus, worms, abalone,
scallops, jelly fish, rock fish, surf perch, ling cod, halibuts, horn
sharks, Mola Mola, bat rays, sea lions, seals, sea otters
and migrating whales are just a few residents in California ocean.
North Coast: North of San
Francisco Bay is where we free dive for abalone. Coast is mainly rocky
and divers hike down cliffs for abalone. We dove Russian Gulch
in Mendocino, Van
Damme, Sea Ranch, Anchor Bay, Salt Point, Still
water Cove and lots of other places between. If you want to dive, dive
with somebody who knows the site.
Monterey Peninsula: Majority of the Northern
California divers are certified in Breakwater in Monterey. Every
weekend, hundreds of divers are there for their first ocean experience.
Breakwater (San Carlos Beach; Coast Guard Pier) is normally well
protected and has very easy shore access. Numbers of local dive shops
can set any divers up for the dives there. All around the Peninsula
there are numerous numbers of dive sites to explore. Ben's favorite way
to dive is aboard Monterey
Express with Captain Tim. Kyoko still likes to dive off shore at
Monastery Beach and Point Lobos.
Channel Islands: We have dove
Channel Islands once or twice a year through 2004. Our favorite
liveaboard operator is Truth
Aquatics. During summer water temperature in Southern Channel
Islands (St. Catalina and San Clemente) could go up to
60s, and in general the visibility is better than in Monterey or North
Coast. Channel Islands are the place where many hunters take games:
fish, lobsters and scallops. One needs to know what s/he is doing
and the license.
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