StephenP

Off the Monterey and Pacific Grove waterfronts the underwater environment consists of kelp forest, rocky and sandy bottoms. Around the Monterey Peninsula, kelp forests have diminished by at least 80% compared to historical averages prior to 2014. However, even with this loss there is still some nice diving at Aumentos Reef off of Pacific Grove and off the Hopkins Marine Station near the Monterey Bay Aquarium. This two minute video is from two boat dives done in August, 2025. My dive buddy Cheryl ran a reel out from the anchor. One the way back, the reel fouled but she managed to wind the line onto the reel. She is resourceful in that way. Video was shot with a Sony A7IV, 28-60mm lens and a WWL-1 in a Nauticam housing.

humu9679, you're welcome

Thanks TimG and ACHiPo for the hospitable welcome!

San Carlos Beach in Monterey, CA is the most dove site in the area. This beach, also known as the "The Breakwater" as it is bounded by the Coast Guard Breakwater, is popular because it is the most sheltered spot from wind and waves, and has parking nearby. There is a kelp forest along the Breakwater wall. One reason for the kelp is that the purple urchins are kept at bay by the divers who cull them. Diving conditions here are highly variable. In the spring-summer when the sun shines strongly, the plankton can bloom resulting in green water with 1-2 meters of visibility. However, in the winter the combination of less sun with lots of water movement can have the visibility reach as high as 20 meters. This video was taken on such a day last winter. Mola molas are often seen in Monterey as they come in to feed on the jellyfish. Video was shot with a Sony ZV-E1 and 16 mm lens.

Greetings Fellow Underwater Imagers: My name is Stephen Pacetti and I live in the San Francisco Bay Area. I have been diving and taking underwater photos/video for over 30 years. I started out with an Ikelite Aquashot that used a disposable camera loaded with ISO 400 print film. Next was a Nikon N70 film camera in an Ikelite housing. As the digital photography era arrived, I started with an Olympus C-5050 (5 megapixels!), and progressed onto a Olympus C-8080 (Light and Motion Tetra), Nikon D100 (Subal), Nikon D200 (Subal) and Nikon D7100 (Nauticam). As I wanted to dabble in underwater video I shifted over to a Panasonic GH5 and then a GH5 II (Nauticam). Now, I am using a Sony A7IV for stills and a Sony ZV-E1 (both Nauticam) for video. For editing, I use Lightroom and DaVinci Resolve. Alas however, my age and medical status are beginning to slow down my diving. I hope to continue and look forward to this site for inspiration. My local diving is in Monterey, CA which is cold water, but can be very good depending on the conditions which are highly variable. And I have done warm water trips to many of the popular places. I was (am) a member of Wetpixel, but finally realized that site doesn't work anymore. If you have any questions about diving in Monterey please let me know! Cheers