Considered to be one of the best dive sites in the United States, California’s Monterey Bay offers visitors a world-class diving experience. The area boasts kelp forests with a wide range of marine species and waters where divers can examine marine mammals up close.
How much does it cost to scuba dive in Monterey Bay?
If you’re new to Monterey (or cold water) diving, a guided shore dive is a great way to learn about the area and explore one of our many, excellent dive sites.
Guided Tours.
Dive Tour Prices |
Price |
1 Dive |
$80.00 per person |
2 Dives |
$100.00 per person |
Is it safe to dive in Monterey Bay?
People are also enticed by Monterey County diving for more practical concerns. They love the area’s strong diving safety and excellent visibility. If you like the idea of anywhere between 10 and 30 feet of clear visibility, you’ll simply want to scuba dive in Monterey.
How cold is scuba diving in Monterey?
Dive Conditions: Year-round water temps are in the mid to upper 50s at the surface and in the upper 40s to low 50s at depth. Cold-water diving experience is a necessity, and either a dry suit or at least a 7mm thick wetsuit (with gloves, hood and booties) is highly recommended.
Is Monterey good for scuba diving? – Related Questions
At what age should you stop scuba diving?
After all, according to certifying agencies like PADI, SSI or other scuba diving organizations, there is only one scuba diving age restriction. You can begin to dive when you are 8 years old, and there is no maximum age.
Why is Monterey water so cold?
Roughly from the Monterey Bay all the way to Cape Mendocino, the marine layer is particularly cold and foggy due to coastal upwelling. Coastal upwelling is the process by which the strong and persistent northwesterly winds bring deep and cold water to the surface at the coast.
How cold of water can you scuba dive in?
As a general rule, diving in water below 60 degrees fahrenheit is considered cold water diving. At these temperatures, divers must increase exposure protection to defend against hypothermia, and will often adjust other pieces of gear to cater to the specific cold water environment.
Are Monterey beaches cold?
Pebble Beach Weather & Climate
The mild climate of the Monterey Peninsula ensures that the average temperature highs range from 60-71 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. The summer months can be accompanied by a morning fog, with the weather heating up when the marine layer burns off in the afternoon.
Is scuba diving diving cold?
Whether you’re scuba diving in cold or warm water, in the sunny tropics, or the icy Arctic, being chilly on a dive is never fun.
Wetsuits and Semi-Dry suits.
Water Temperature |
Average Diver |
Diver Prone to Cold |
10-17°C (50 to 65°F) |
7mm wetsuit to semi-dry |
drysuit or semi-dry |
Is Monterey Bay cold?
Monterey weather is mild all year long. The average high is the 60s most of the year with lows around 50 each night. Make sure to pack plenty of layers for your stay, as we don’t get the warm sunny days here that are usually associated with California.
Why is Monterey so famous?
Monterey is California’s hot spot for ocean lovers. It’s home to the world-famous Monterey Bay Aquarium, where you can come face-to-face with otherwise elusive marine life such as cute sea otters, giant ocean sunfish, and hypnotic jellies. You can explore the very same tide pools that captivated John Steinbeck.
Why is the water so blue in Monterey?
Coale said it’s thanks to a microscopic plant known in the science world as coccolitophores. They’re tiny organisms, only five microns in diameter. If you lined them up, would be the width of a hair. Coale said it takes a very specific set of conditions to get the water this blue.
Why is Monterey so popular?
What is Monterey Most Famous For? There are plenty of things to do in Monterey, a quintessential north Californian ocean town in the USA. Facing wide Monterey Bay, it’s famed around the globe for its abundance of marine wildlife and uber-fresh seafood.
What is the best time of year to visit Monterey CA?
The best time to visit Monterey is between April and May. Spring offers warmer temperatures, fewer crowds and food festivals dishing out delectable eats, including Pebble Beach Food & Wine and the Artichoke Festival in Castroville.
Is Monterey worth a visit?
You won’t run out of fun activities in this picturesque coastal community. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is an absolute must, a place where you can marvel at marine life and learn how to help preserve our oceans. On Cannery Row, you’ll find luxurious waterfront hotels, great shopping, and abundant dining options.
What is Cannery Row famous for?
Millions of visitors flock to Cannery Row every year. While it’s now known for the incredible restaurants, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and a massive population of adorable sea lions, Cannery Row has a lengthy and fascinating background.
Why did Cannery Row shut down?
This era officially allowed Monterey to be named the “Sardine Capital of the World.” But that quick luck would soon run out. Just five years into Cannery Row’s biggest boom, the canning and fishing industry died from sheer lack of sardines. The entire bay became depleted of its biggest source of income it ever had.
Can you walk Cannery Row?
No visit to Monterey is complete without a stroll on Cannery Row. Our walk included the Cannery Row Monument that depicts John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts as well as other notable people from the area.
What happened to Cannery Row?
Cannery Row itself is now a tourist attraction with many restaurants and hotels, several of which are located in former cannery buildings, and a few historic attractions.
Do they still can sardines in Monterey?
After more than a decade of abundance, the thirteen canneries and the sardines, eventually disappeared and were replaced by quaint tourist shops, seafood restaurants and, of course, the Monterey Bay Aquarium.