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Phil Straw asks the following about Santa Clara, CA diving: How many wrecks ? Many off Los Angeles (300 miles south) and several in Puget Sound (about the same distance north); have not yet found any in divable waters (<300') in Northern California since depths drop off very rapidly. There supposedly is a shrimp boat off Monterey in about 220' but I haven't found it yet. There are also wrecks in Lake Tahoe, but I have yet to dive them. This is the thing I miss most about my years living in New England. What kind of Wrecks ? (see above) Local Ocean Charateristics ? Cold (50F), but often with superb vis by Northern diving standards (50'-70' not uncommon). Surf sometimes heavy. Great marine life, spectacular underwater topography. Deep dropoffs (>1000' depth within 1/4 mi from shore) and walls accessible from shore. More colorful nudibranchs than on the east coast. Kelp forests are a unique experience and provide a thriving underwater ecosystem (as well as good hunting, if you are into that). Cave systems ? Some sea caves off Catalina (300 miles south). I have heard reports of underwater caves in Nevada and Idaho, including some very deep systems near Death Valley, but haven't checked them out yet. This is also something I miss about the the East Coast. Dives within the expedition distance ? Mostly Monterey, Carmel, which are two hours south. LA and Puget Sound are within 8 hrs driving. Lake Tahoe is an interesting deep freshwater dive; I have done some scooter practice there. Anyone dived California and in the UK and can compare ? Sorry How about the great whites, are they a problem ? Some talk of this, but I think it's overblown. Thanks in advance, oh yes and what are the Californian ladies like ? Probably more athletic and outdoorsy than you are used to. The long haired blonde natural look is very common, but there is also a sizable pierced and/or tatooed grunge contingent. There are a lot of women divers here, which is certainly a nice change from the Northeast wreck community. John ------------------------------------------------------------------- John H. Heimann Manager, Security Product Mgt. Oracle Corporation Enterprise App. Server Division 500 Oracle Pkwy, Box 659410 415-506-9750 (phone) Redwood Shores, CA 94065 415-506-7226 (fax) -- Send mail for the `techdiver' mailing list to `techdiver@aquanaut.com'. Send list subscription requests to `techdiver-request@aquanaut.com'.
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