recommendations for diving in northern California

I will be in the bay area for the week of the July 11 and I was thinking about bringing my dive gear and camera and arriving a few days earlier.

I am familiar with the area but haven't dove it.

Any recommendations in the Monterey Bay area (dive shop or charter)?

Anywhere else?

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Andy

I will be in the bay area for the week of the July 11 and I was thinking about bringing my dive gear and camera and arriving a few days earlier.

I am familiar with the area but haven't dove it.

 

Any recommendations in the Monterey Bay area (dive shop or charter)?

Anywhere else?

 

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Monterey Bay has some world class kelp diving locations. If you are not familiar with the area then a guided or boat dive would be the best way to do it. For boat dives, the Monterey Express is a well-regarded operation (http://www.montereyexpress.com/ but the site is eye-bleedingly dated). If you need any gear, or if you would like to arrange a guided shore dive, I recommend Bamboo Reef as I've used them for many years (http://bambooreef.com/cms/storeaddresses.html).

If you have the time, spend an extra day in Monterey and see the Monterey Bay Aquarium (also a fun thing to do in case diving conditions turn bad), or hike Point Lobos Natural Reserve. Whatever you end up doing, have a great time!

-Gina

Agree with Gina the the aquarium is well worth the trip. And don't forget to stop by Backscatter and say Hi.

Have fun,

Steve

Thanks for the input.

I appreciate it.

I will try to fit in a day trip to Monterey.

I would love to do some photography in the kelp.

Thanks

Andy