 Printer-Friendly | Back  On a good day in Monterey, many boat divers think about heading south into Carmel Bay. While Carmel does offer some of the best dive spots on calm days, some of the more exposed and more interesting Monterey sites should not be overlooked. One of my top Monterey sites has got to be Aumentos Reef.This massive underwater mountain is located offshore of Esplanade Street in Pacific Grove. Aumentos is Spanish for “the enlargement,” a very descriptive name for this massive piece of reef. The bottom around the reef is, for the most part, rock and sand that gently slopes from about 60 feet down to over 120 feet. As one approaches the shore, the flat bottom juts up from about 85 feet to about 40 feet in a massive wall. Aumentos is at the outer end of the Monterey Bay and is swept with clear water. This site has some of the best visibility in the Bay. The top of the reef is covered with a thick carpet of Corynactis anemones. Some patches are bright red, others are orange, and still others are beautiful lavender. Between the patches of Corynactis are colonies of bryozoans, yellow zoanthid anemones and patches of brightly colored sponges. This is the place to look for the unusual. Look for chestnut cowries among the sponges or nudibranchs feeding on bryozoans. Life on this rock is limited only by the available real estate; every square inch is covered. Many will argue that you do not have to go very deep to enjoy Aumentos, and some of the best diving is shallower than 60 feet.  On the seaward side, the wall drops nearly vertically, and is covered with fluffy, white Metridium anemones. As one heads deeper, the wall is spotted with bright red Tealia anemones and encrusting sponges. Between the anemones and rocks are plenty of fish, but not much worth spearing. This is a great place to look and photograph marine life, not hunt it. Big schools of small blue rockfish can often be seen swimming just off the reef, and surfperch and rockfish may be found on the reef itself. Small greenlings, gobies, and sculpins are common, along with larger lingcod, cabezon, and the occasional sheephead. This is a great place for fish portraiture. Friendly fish are easily framed by the rocky cracks.On the inshore side the reef drops off in steps to 50 to 55 feet and remains at this depth until one encounters Inner Chase Reef. The shallow area is composed of massive, square angled blocks that create a broken ridge top. This is a fun area to explore with deep cracks and valleys. Look for tiny shrimps, small fish and nudibranchs in the nooks-and-crannies of the reef. Aumentos Reef may not be divable every day, but when the weather is right it’s my top pick for a Monterey boat dive. The combination of a healthy invertebrate population, clear water, and plenty of little fish make this a photographer’s and sightseer’s playground. Check it out the next time you are in Monterey. Dive Spot At A Glance  Location: Approximately 1/2 mile offshore of Pacific Grove, Monterey Bay.Access and Entry: Boat dive only. Small boats may be launched from the Monterey Breakwater or kayaks from the Coral Street Beach. To locate the reef start way out and line up the fork in the large cypress tree near the foot of Esplanade Street with the intersection of Esplanade Street and Shell Avenue (first fork in Esplanade). Motor on this lineup until the bottom begins to rise up. Those with GPS may find it at 36° 38.319’ N, 121° 55.273’ W Depths: 40 to 120 feet. Visibility: Good, 15 to 40 feet. Skill level: Intermediate or better. Photography: Great wide-angle of reef scenes; great macro for Corynactis, nudibranchs and other invertebrates. Hunting: Aumentos is part of the new Pacific Grove Marine Gardens State Marine Conservation Area. Taking of all living marine resources is prohibited except recreational take of finfish and the commercial take of kelp by hand. Hazards: Watch for currents and boat traffic. Bruce Watkins is a contributing writer to California Diving News and author of A Diver's Guide to Monterey County and A Diver's Guide to Northern California. © Copyright 2007, all rights reserve, by Saint Brendan Corporation, P.O. Box 11231, Torrance CA 90510, mail@cadivingnews.com. No part of this may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system/website, or transmitted in any form by any means without prior written permission of the publisher. IMPORTANT NOTICE: The contents of this publication/website are opinions of the individual writers. The publishers of California Diving News and its contributors assume no responsibility for any mishap claimed to be a result of use of this material. Diving is an adventure sport and with it comes inherent risks. Improper use of diving equipment or improper diving techniques may result in serious injury or, in extreme circumstances, death. Readers are admonished to use their own best judgement in each individual situation. |
