Aquarium Reef

The Monterey Bay has a great many dive sites and each has its unique charm. The Cannery Row of Monterey is very protected from the prevailing wind and swell and allows for comfortable diving conditions. While many sites are available from the beach, several can only be reached by boat or kayak. These are often the most interesting due to limited diver traffic.

Aquarium Reef is named after the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which towers above the dive site. This site is too far to reach by swimming from the beach, but has a nice collection of invertebrate life that can be viewed in a calm and protected environment.

The reef begins near shore and gentle drops to a sand bottom in about 60 feet. The bottom is principally rock, and rock and sand patch reef. This is a low-profile reef, with ridges of granite that run approximately parallel to shore, separated by sand channels. The rock in most cases rarely rises up very far above the bottom. This rock bottom supports a large bed of giant kelp that can be very thick in summer months.

Aquarium Reef is not a place where you need to cover a lot of territory to experience the site or a place where you can expect grand vistas. Rather, it is a place to get your face close to the reef and enjoy the ocean's "wee little creatures." The bottom is covered with all kinds of photogenic invertebrates, if you take the time to look. Dock shrimp are found in most cracks, and hermit crabs scurry around looking for their next meal. Sponges of many colors cover the rocks and make for good backgrounds for your macro photography.

The rocks are home to numerous species of nudibranchs. The most numerous are from the dorid suborder and are relatively flat with one gill plume and two rhinophores (horns). Colors vary from yellow, to orange, to red, to white, and white with black rings. Also common here are aeolid nudibranchs. These are recognized by having four neat rows of gills down the length of their body. The aeolids are more gaudy than their dorid brethren, and the aeolid suborder contains the colorful Spanish shawl and the Hermissenda.

While there are very few fish here that are worth spearing, this is a great place for fish watching and photography. Countless sand dabs and starry flounder are found in the sand channels. Little sculpins perch on top of sponges or hide in cracks. Look for painted greenlings, black-eyed gobys camouflaged among algae on the bottom.

Most divers swim past the unique critters that live on the giant kelp as they head for the bottom. Look for purple ring top snails on the kelp fronds along with bryozoans, hermit crabs and nudibranchs.

Aquarium Reef has a lot to offer divers who move slowly, get close to the reef and develop their powers of observation. Remember with all of this "bottom scratching," you should be careful not to damage the reef. There is plenty of sand next to the reef on which to kneel. That way you can enjoy the critters, and the diver behind you can enjoy them too.

Dive Spot At - A - Glance

Location: Offshore of the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Cannery Row in Monterey, between David and Prescott Streets.

Access: By boat, or kayak launched from McAbee Beach. Area frequented by dive charter boats.

Depths: 20 to 60 feet.

Visibility: Fair, 25-30 feet.

Photography: Great macro for shrimps, crabs, nudibranchs, etc. Poor wide angle.

Hunting: Allowed, but not much to hunt. You should take your spearguns elsewhere.

Hazards: Watch for boat traffic and thick kelp.

Suggested Dive Boat Serving the Area:

Silver Prince - (800) 60-SCUBA

or see the California Scuba Calendar section of this issue for trips to Monterey

Bruce Watkins is a photojournalist residing in Northern California. Bruce is a regular contributor to California Diving News and hundreds of his articles and nearly a thousand of his photographs have appeared in various magazines, including Discover Diving, Ocean Realm, Outside, Rodale's Scuba Diving, and Skin Diver. He is the author of A Diver's Guide to Monterey County, recently published by Saint Brendan Corp.