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Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at Monastery Beach North
This is an easy-access site toward the Southern end of Carmel River State Beach. Come here when the main beach, just to the South, is packed. Because this shoreline is wide open to the Pacific swells, you should consider yourself an advanced diver before negotiating the entry. Head South on Highway 1 out of Carmel. Just as you start to see the first roadside beach, you're there!
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3LilMonkeys
Nov 12, 2006, 12:00 AM
scuba
I've been diving the Monterey Bay for about a year now and finally got around to Monastery. Wish I would have done it much sooner as this site is awesome. The entry was challenging but not as rough as I had thought it would be. I can definitely see how it can get really bad really quick. Marine life is the best I have seen in the Monterey Bay-- shot a nice lingcod and saw several others. The things I didn't care for on this site were: the sand (it is the perfect size to get into everything and jam it up good); a healthy surface swim; and the fact that I lost my favorite gun! Long story but my own stupid fault. There is a nice AB Biller 42" in about 50' of water for some lucky SOB to find. The rapidly dropping bottom contour is impressive, but make sure to have a dive plan everyone agrees to before exploring the drop. This site was awesome at 30' and at 110'. This is a great spot but make sure you know what the conditions are forecast, and do a good site survey before entering your first time.
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