Monterey/Santa Cruz diving/spearing

[SmashingBaby]

G'day everyone,
If anyone is interested in exploring the lesser known dive spots around Monterey Bay and even get wet in Santa Cruz since there has been ZERO swell, I'm completely up for it. My goal this summer is to spear a decent sized halibut, so if you're into spearfishing or doing some good photo scuba dives, come out with me and the boys.

Cheers
scsponger@hotmail.com

[Tikkagirl]

I didn't realize there are any dive spots in Santa Cruz, I thought it was all surfer territory. Where do you dive there?
My husband and I dive in Monterey about once a month and are trying to check out new dive sites in the area. We need to have a bit of advanced notice since we have to ditch the baby at grandmom's and have to let her know a day or so beforehand . It would be great to go diving with people who know where the best spots are! How often do you go out?

[reelfreak]

Smashing Baby, if you don't already know about it you should check out Spearboard.com . If you are half as addicted to spearfishing as I, you'll love it............Lot's of hardcore spearo's , many seem to be in CA......

[SmashingBaby]

Well, I wouldn't consider anything in Santa Cruz a dive spot. Diving up here is weird, usually done only for technical training courses. Night dives at the wharf are always really really interesting. We usually do a scavenger hunt to see who finds the weirdest thing. Someone once found a bound and gagged Ken doll complete with real concrete blocks on his feet. (Then again, someone did actually find a dead body there once too).
I think of Santa Cruz as a place to go looking for fish to hunt, not as a recreational dive at all. I know of a few places up north that are diveable, of course, anything north of Monterey is going to have crap visibility. I know a few hunters that regularly go up to Davenport landing, but that is WAAAAAAY to sharky for my taste. (Yet for some reason the same thought doesn't come to mind when I'm spearing at Fort Ross)

So I guess what I'm trying to say is diving in SC sucks, but has the potential to land some decent fish. If you're looking for good vis and lots of relief, don't go here. Any time we're looking to have fun and take pictures, we suck it up and make the drive to Monterey. But if we're bored around town, we'll just go exploring, usually finding nothing more than 8 feet of vis.

[Lordhelmet]

Wow i would love to do somke diving/spearfishing around the area. no way anytime soon unless i get a major raise. Oh well.