-=> Quoting Barry Henline to All <=-
 BH> I am in the process of writing a Scuba Diver's Guide to the USA. I
 BH> would like  information on public sites and private areas that are open
 BH> to the public to  dive. Pleas send me the name of your favorite site
Barry: My favorite local dive sites:
1. Salt Point State Park, Sonoma County, California
located approximately 2 hours north of the San Francisco Bay Area
on Route 1. Approximately 100 campsites. "Inn" type Lodgings nearby
range from $60/night to $250/night depending on season for those
who prefer hotels instead of camping out.
Camping costs $14 per night, $5 for extra vehicles. The campground
has running water and flush toilets, but no showers or RV hookups.
Salt Point State Park includes a protected Marine Sanctuary near shore
in Gerstle Cove, outside the sanctuary there are adjacent areas that
offer good spearfishing and free-diving for Red Abalone in season.
The diving facilities include restrooms with change room, outside
showers (sorry, cold water only), paved parking lot adjacent to the
entry/exit point which is Gerstle Cove beach. The beach consists of
cobblestone to boulder sized rocks, so walk carefully. The marine
sanctuary is an excellent dive site, typical of the California
north coast kelp forest ecosystem. Depth ranges from zero at the beach
to 40 feet at the outer boundary of the sanctuary. Depths to 60' are
within reasonable surface swim from the beach, but a boat is recommended
if divers will be outside the sanctuary. There is a prevailing North-to-
South longshore current that can exceed 1 knot at times.
Water temp is 48 to 54 degrees F year round, daytime air temp ranges
from 45 degrees F in winter to 80 in summer.
Visibility occasionally exceeds 40 feet, but 5 to 20 feet is more usual.
Gerstle Cove is an excellent site for night dives since the depth is
relatively shallow and the deeply indented cove makes it unlikely for
divers to get swept out to open water.
The nearest dive shops providing air fills are in Bodega Bay, 55 minutes
south of the park, or at Gualala, about 40 minutes north. 
Kayaks and small zodiacs can be launched from the beach at Gerstle Cove,
but for larger boats requiring trailer launching, the nearest launch ramp
is about three miles south at Ocean Cove. This ramp is privately owned
and a fee is charged for use. The approach road is unpaved and Ocean
Cove is generally closed from December 1 to March 31. The ramp is shallow
and consists of unpaved natural rock, and I would not try to launch
anything larger or heavier than an 18' RHI or Zodiac there. 
2. Monterey Bay. This is the most heavily visited dive area in Northern
California, with several hundred divers every weekend in good weather.
There are many dive sites in the Monterey area, some accessible from
beaches, some requiring boats. There are two fully paved launch ramps
in Monterey, parking for a tow vehicle and boat trailer is $12.00 per day.
There are at least two full-service dive shops in Monterey, one of them
is right on the Coast Guard pier, near the launch ramps. Camping is
pretty limited in the area and most divers planning overnight stays
use hotels. Hotel prices range from $40 on up, and reservations are
recommended. The "Day's Inn" in Seaside offers a "diver's special"
which includes breakfast, air fill coupons at a local dive shop, and
ground floor rooms if available. There is also a gear rinsing area
adjacent to the pool, with hose and pegs to clean your equipment.
Monterey dive sites are mostly kelp forest ecology. There are also
extensive areas of sand flats in the 30' to 60' depth range that offer
good spearfishing for halibut. South of Monterey is Point Lobos
State Reserve (a marine sanctuary), also Carmel Bay and Big Sur which
both offer excellent diving. Several dive charter boats operate
out of Monterey and Moss Landing and offer 1 to 3 day (or sometimes
longer) dive excursions along the coast south of Monterey.
-Laurence Charlot-
Sacramento, CA
--- HyperMail! v1.20
---------------