PRO SCUBA DIVE CENTER

Dealer Website:  http://www.proscubadivecenter.com/

  Scotts Valley, California

Where are the best dive spots near you?

• San Carlos Beach Park-Monterey-Beginner-Intermediate:
  • San Carlos Beach and Breakwater is the most popular dive site in Monterey and is often crowded with dive classes on the weekend.  There is lots of parking and a variety of underwater sites at this location.  The Breakwater Wall is very popular and easy dive with lots of critters.  It is covered with several varieties of sea cumbers, sea stars, nudibranchs, anemones, crabs and many others.  Near the end is a large resident colony of sea lions.  The Middle Reef is another popular training and dive site.
• Metridium Fields:
  • On the North side of San Carlos Beach, submerged 2 foot in diameter pipe aligned with Reeside Avenue will guide you to a rocky reef covered in large white cauliflower-like anemones known as Metridiums.  They are a beautiful surprise as they suddenly appear.  At the end of the pipe, swim due north for about 75' to hit the Metridium Fields.  It is a great place to look for nudibranchs, octopuses, rays and other critters.
• McAbee Beach-Monterey-Beginner-Intermediate
  • Continuing south McAbee Beach is located next to the El Torrito Restaurant.  You will need to park across the street in the private pay lot and not in the restaurant parking lot.  This is a gently sloping sandy beach and an easy entry and exit.  The reefs parallel the shore and are great places to explore for a variety of nudibranchs, anemones and other invertebrates.
• Lover's Point-Pacific Grove-Beginner-Intermediate
  • West Side has a steep stairway that leads to the water’s edge.  This is an open ocean dive, so conditions are very important.  Be very cautious during low tide as there is an abundance of eel grass that you have to cross.  This side of the point is open to spear fishing and is a popular spot.  The abundance of black and purple sea urchins has devastated much of the kelp bed and habitat.  You can still find a few fish, large boulders covered with anemones, brittle stars and sea cucumbers.  East side is a very different dive environment.  Access to the water is made by walking across a sandy beach.  There are several concessions on site including food, kayak rentals as well as bicycles.  This is a much shallower dive site.  The reefs are parallel to shore and harbor many of the local Harbor Seals who are very curious and will follow divers while nipping on your dive fins for attention.  They are a great photo opportunity.  Frequently we see sea hares, Hopkins rose nudibranchs, thornback rays and shovelnose guitar fish.
• Otter Cove and Coral St.-Pacific Grove-Intermediate-Advanced
  • These two sites are South of Lover's Point and are also open ocean dive.  Navigation is very important as safe entry and exit points are limited due to potentially strong longshore currents.  Plan entry and exit on a high tide to avoid the heel grass and cobble stone bottom.  There are a variety of rock fish, boulders, ling cod, cabezon, anemones and sea cucumbers.  There is a large kelp forest offshore for you to explore.
• Monastery Beach-Carmel-Advanced
  • There are several dive sites at this one location, and all are very challenging and potentially hazardous depending on conditions.  The plunging breakers are a hazard as is the very steep beach and sand that is like marbles and rolls under your feet.  North Monastery is located on Highway 1, just south of Carmel.  Monastery Beach sits on the edge of the Carmel Bay Submarine Canyon and provides easy access to very deep water close to shore.  It holds one of the most pristine kelp forests in the region.  This is an advanced site with a potentially hazardous entry/exit and should be dived with someone who is experienced with the area and only on calm days.  The wash rock is in the kelp forest and the area is rich in a variety of nudibranchs, invertebrates, large ling cod and a variety of kelp bass.  It is a preserve and closed to harvesting of any sea creatures.
  • South Monastery is located to the South of North Monastery and also has a very steep sandy beach.  Do not ever attempt to enter or exit the water between the two sites.  The beach is at its steepest and the plunging breaker are channeled into the area making it very hazardous.  The reefs run parallel to shore and the area between the reefs is a great place to spot the Wolf and Monkey Face Eels that inhabit the area.  Offshore there is a reef system that is covered with invertebrates, sea stars and anemones.  We frequently see large Angel Sharks, ling cod and Thornback rays.  Visibility at both sites ranges from 5' to more than 100'.
• Point Lobos State Park Reserve-Carmel-Intermediate-Advanced
  • Point Lobos has several dive sites within the reserve as well as miles of hiking trails and picnic areas.  Diver access is limited to 30 divers per day and reservations are recommended.  The cove used to be used as a whaling station and the local museum is well worth exploring.  Whaler's Cove has a boat ramp which makes entry and exit much easier than Monastery Beach, although the reefs cape and critters are very similar.  Coal Shute cove has a small but interesting cavern that should only be entered at high tide and after ensuring that none of the resident sea lions are using it as a nursery for their pups.  If you are truly lucky you may see some of the Leopard Sharks who come to the cove to have their young.  Visibility can range from a few feet to over a 100'.  Our dive club usually celebrates New Year’s Day with two dives at this site.  The bottom ranges from sand to large boulders and pinnacles that rise from the bottom to well above the surface.  Blue Fish Cove is separated from Whalers cove by a series of pinnacles.  It is a long swim, but an easy paddle in your kayak.  It is unspoiled and receives about 5% of the dive pressure of Whalers.  Deeper water is throughout the cove along with large boulders and pinnacles for you to explore.  Occasionally a GPO (Giant Pacific Octopus) takes up residency in the cove.  The seascape both above and below the surface has appeared in a number of movies.  The critters will be very similar to what you would see at the Monastery Beach dive sites.

What would you see at the dive site(s)?

• See above descriptions.  The offshore sites that are only accessible by boat host similar seascapes and critters, although in greater abundance and variety.  The two charter boats are the Escapade and Beach Hopper II.  Both load passengers at K-Dock in Monterey and are available through Dive Central.

When is the best time to go?

• The best dive conditions and visibility are during the late fall, winter and early spring.  The visibility can be as much as 100'.  During the summer and early fall we frequently have an opportunity to see Mola Molas and a variety of jellyfish.  The Sea Nettles (Brown Jellies) and white Moon Jellies are two of the most common.

Recommended gear for the dive? 

• We recommend that a good quality 7mm wetsuit is worn along with a 5mm hooded vest.  We personally wear this from April through October.  Water temperatures will range from 52F-60F depending on depth and if there has been a recent upwelling.  From November through March we usually wear a good quality dry suit with the appropriate undergarments.  I personally wear the SCUBAPRO 7mm Everflex wetsuit and 5mm hooded vest and am very warm whether diving recreationally or teaching a class.  The Evertech Dry Breathable Dry Suit  and undergarments make the colder water on deep winter dives very comfortable.  We wear a quality BC with sufficient lift for the extra weights used, the regulator and octopus are especially important.  Gloves range from dry gloves during the cold period and 3mm or 5mm neoprene the rest of the time.  

How do you get to the dive site?

• The majority of the sites that we dive have shore entries.  Our dive club (Scuba Squad) does at least one dive a month and we alternate between shore dives and boat dives.  Boat diving reservations must be made in advance.

What is the dive depth and visibility like?

• Depth and visibility will vary with the individual dive sites.  The beginner sites mostly have a maximum depth of approximately 60'.  The intermediate sites can have stronger currents and depths up to about 75'.  The advanced site can have depths well over 100' and the North Monastery has depths over 1000'.  Good buoyancy control and navigation skills are very important in our area.

How many dives a day can be done?

• The actual number of dives will depend on the individual.  Usually the boats book two dives.  When teaching dive classes, the students are limited to no more than three dives.  Most people plan their day with doing at least two dives depending on the driving distance and difficulty of the dive site.

Who takes the divers out?

• Pro Scuba Dive Center offers both dive training and tours to the local dive sites on boats or by shore.  Boat diving here is very different from some warm water environments.  Our dives are not led dives and each diver and buddy pair are responsible for their own dive planning, navigation and conducting their dive.  Dive Masters arranged prior to booking the dives.  Each boat has at least one safety diver along with the Captain of the boat.  Dive briefings are given prior to divers entering the water at each site.  All boats are equipped with first aid kits and emergency oxygen.

How do divers sign up or learn more?

• Pro Scuba Dive Center is both a NAUI Platinum Training facility as well as a SCUBAPRO Platinum Dealer.  We train divers from entry level through the professional development system to Instructor and Instructor Trainer.  Our website is proscubadivecenter.com and a video tour of our facility is on the site.  All of our training is done wearing premier SCUBAPRO equipment and our rental equipment is the same.  Cheryl and I have been diving the California coastline for more than 40 years and lead dive trips to many international locations as well.