Dive Review of Monterey Bay Dive Center in
The Continental USA/Monterey Bay

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Monterey Bay Dive Center, Oct, 2006, by Jon Scott, NH, USA . Report 3076.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$	N/A
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	2-tank boat trip with Monterey Bay Dive Center on their 40-foot Silver Prince on a Saturday morning. Both dives at 3rd Pinnacle in Carmel Bay, a 40-min trip from Monterey (swells and wind making for sickness difficulties for some). Boat was not full with 12 divers (capacity 14) but full enough. Needed to rent equipment as airlines temporarily misplaced gear. Dive shop easy to work with; good quality equipment. Good dive and safety briefings. Nice breakfast (bagels, coffee, etc.)and snacks on board. Good roll-call procedures. Entry off side by giant stride; return by stern ladder; staff assists with fin removal. All gear setups responsibility of diver. Dove with guide/divemaster Jeff Conway, as this was a first kelp forest dive experience and dive partner had not been diving in several years. Site consisted of granite formations/walls with interesting channels to swim through. Every hard surface covered with colorful anemones, urchins and cup corals. Visibility and color both much better and even more spectacular than expected. Abundant fish life. Interesting small critters. 2nd dive stayed in/around kelp forest exploring fish and other life at different levels. Like being on another planet. Much more dynamic than re-creation in Monterey Aquarium. Thick clouds of fish everywhere; after a few minutes clinging to stalks of kelp, you become invisible to the fish and they swarm around. These dives left me hungry for more; dive op and staff made potentially very challenging (cold water, unfamiliar conditions, surge, etc.) dives a blast. Dive Center also arranges/supports shore diving; will try that next time.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	26-50 dives
Where else diving	Caymans & New England lakes
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	surge
Water Temp	56-0°F / 13--18°C	Wetsuit Thickness	7
Water Visibility	20-60 Ft/ 6-18 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	[Unspecified]
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	None	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities	N/A
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

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Dive Review of Monterey Bay Dive Center in The Continental USA/Monterey Bay

Monterey Bay Dive Center, Oct, 2006,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Monterey Bay Dive Center in
The Continental USA/Monterey Bay