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Below is the active list of scheduled boat dive trips. Be sure to contact the charter directly for confirmation, rates, booking and other info.
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Author |
: Bruce Watkins |
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Location |
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Monterey County
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Date |
: February 18, 2010 |
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There are dive sites that offer up grand vistas with spectacular topography. Then there are sites that are all about the marine life--where the joy of diving is expressed through the color and intricacies of the little fish and invertebrates. South Monastery is such a dive. This is not a challenging dive, just lots of little critters to see, along with reasonably calm conditions.
South Monastery is located just south of Carmel and is one of the most relaxed beach dives in Central California. Divers will find plenty of parking and a restroom at the south end of Monastery Beach, and most divers enter past the restrooms, near the rocks. It's a short swim to the edge of the kelp bed, a good place to begin your dive. Many divers head down the slope to a comfortable depth, and then keep the rocks to their left as they head out toward Point Lobos.
If you look to the left from the entry you will see a ridge of granite. This ridge extends underwater and the topography below the water is very similar to what you can see above. The granite reef is an extension of the near-by shoreline, and the bottom consists of fields of large rocks dispersed on a gently sloping sand bottom.
The granite is covered with a colorful assortment of invertebrates. Coralline algae covers the tops of most rocks. Nudibranchs forage under the cover of the algae along with crabs. As one drops deeper, the algae cover gives way to orange bryozoans and yellow, orange and white sponges. Tube worms including feather duster, serpulid and sabellid worms dot the granite faces. Among these sedentary invertebrates is a grand assortment of nudibranchs of every color--purple, red, orange, yellow and white. Clown nudibranchs and Hermissenda are particularly common here.
The nooks and crannies of the rocks are filled with photogenic little critters. Dock shrimp and decorator crabs take shelter here. Intensely colored red and orange sea cucumbers anchor their bodies deep within the cracks and extend feeding tentacles into the water column. These are fascinating to watch as each tentacle takes its turn delivering food to the central mouth.
South Monastery is a great place to watch and photograph little fish. Here divers find numerous greenlings, sculpins, gobies, and rockfish. The topography makes this a perfect place for fish watching. Simply kneel on the sand bottom near a rock outcropping, breathe slowly, and watch the fish come out and go about their business.
As one drops deeper the rich invertebrate life gives to sparser, but larger invertebrates. Huge fish-eating anemones dot the rocks here. Some have red tentacles with red, white diamond studded bases; others have blood-red bases with gold and green and red faces with white tentacles.
In Northern/Central California the predominant wind and swell normally comes out of the Northwest, making north-facing beaches divable only on the calmest of days. This changes in winter as most storms drive a south swell. This is the time to hit north-facing beaches like South Monastery.
Dive Spot At A Glance
Location: Along Highway 1, next to the wide beach just south of the Crossroads Shopping Center in Carmel.
Access and entry: Short walk to the beach from Hwy. 1. Small inflatable boats and kayaks may be launched from the sand beach on very calm days. Avoid entries from the center of the beach.
Skill level: Intermediate to advanced with beach diving skills.
Depths: 15 to 60 feet
Visibility: Generally good, 15 to 50 feet.
Hunting: This site is within the Carmel Bay State Conservation Area and nothing may be taken.
Photography: Good macro and wide-angle photography.
Hazards: Steep beach with plunging breakers; coarse sand does not provide sure footing. This beach has very dangerous surf on rough days. Previous beach diving experience is suggested before diving here.
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