Posted by Eric S on November 09, 2002 at 22:10:08:
I've been talking to a guy that has a 65 ft. boat in Bodega Bay and I have him half convinced to give diving charters a try.
Many people have tried in the past and failed due to not enough divable days in a year and they were also all based out of Ft. Bragg/Albion which is a pain to get to. Compound this with boat payments, minimal advertising and you have a recipe for failure.
But what if there was a liveaboard that ran out of Bodega and headed north to the best spots (and there are a lot of them) starting with Fort Ross Reef, Ocean Cove pinnacles, Outer Gerstle pinnacles, and going all the way to Gualala with hundreds of cool dive spots, then continuing into Mendocino county with Arena Rock, Bull Rock, Colby Reef, Pinnacle X, Ft. Bragg Bank, and also hundreds of way cool spots in between all those.
And for the real brave and adventurous, a once in a lifetime peek into the abyss of Delgada Canyon (which would be the furthest northern point).
All this on the comfort of a decent size boat, that BTW is payed for.
I think it's only a matter of time before someone does this. More and more people are diving up here and the dive industry in this area is lagging way behind. I see some definite opportunity, maybe at least on a part time basis (weather permitting).
Sure it is rougher and colder, the vis is not always that great, but there's no bacteria or turds in the water after a rain (I couldn't believe that!).
The ocean here has a different kind beauty that perhaps only a small percentage of the world's divers would be able to appreciate. I for one thrive on it and so do all my friends. Everyone that I introduce to the area loves it and want's to come back, so I think it has potential to become the "hot" new cold water diving spot. Just keep thinking..."Warm water sucks!"
If such a service was provided would you people from around the state reading this post consider giving it a try?
I will use the responses posted as further proof to the owner of the boat that people ARE interested.
I almost forgot to mention: Cordell Banks and the Farallon Islands (Non shark season).
According to Bruce Watkins PhD, the Farallons (on a good day) is, hands down, the best diving he's ever done in the world.
Thank you