Castle
HouseThere is a mile-long stretch of rocky reef along Pebble Beach's famed 17 Mile Drive that begins at Sunset Point and stretches southeast to Pescadero Point. This is a picturesque part of Monterey County, where the dive sites are overlooked by wave-carved granite cliffs and cypress-covered hills. The Castle House is a famous landmark that overlooks one of the better sites.
The Castle House has a boxy design with a flat roof. Its image would seem more appropriate on a hillside above the Rhine River than in Monterey. Beneath the Castle House is a gently sloping rock and sand bottom that begins about 20 feet deep and gradually drops to 70 feet. Tracks of sand wind through patch reefs, massive granite boulders and sheer-sided pinnacles. Directly off the house is an arch big enough for a diver to swim through. The topography of small canyons and swim-throughs lends itself to exploration and makes a perfect backdrop for wide-angle photography.
These rocky reefs are covered with just about every hue of the rainbow - red Tealia anemones; red and lavender corynactis; and yellow, orange, and cobalt blue sponges. There is color everywhere. Amongst the cover of invertebrates hide a menagerie of crawly things. Every rock is home to some wonderful little critter to behold and to photograph.
Nudibranchs from each for the four suborders are represented here with common sightings of the gaudy horned nudibranch and Hilton's nudibranch. These aeolids consume anemones and other cnidarians and have the ability to eat, but not discharge, their prey's stinging cells. Their stinging cells are transported through the gut into the gills and these nudibranchs can then use the cells of their prey in their own defense. These nudibranchs are as deadly and unpalatable as they are beautiful.
The fish life here is varied and impressive. Monkeyface-eels are uncommon in small holes at the bases of rock piles, and an assortment of sculpins and greenlings hide amongst algae and invertebrates. Healthy schools of rockfish glide through kelp beds and camouflaged cabezon sulk on the bottom.
During the winter months large lingcod migrate from deeper waters
to mate and lay
eggs in the shallow reefs. The larger, female lings take on a deep
yellow, almost orange color, as they get older. After mating, the
female lays her eggs in a rocky crevice and returns to deep water,
leaving the male to guard the nest. A single male may protect as many
as three or four nests. Should you shoot a nest-sitting male,
predators will quickly devour the eggs. Spearfishers know better than
to shoot lings this time of year.
Monterey's charter boats often stop here for a second, shallow dive. Divers are rarely disappointed since the variety of marine life and bottom topography makes the dive interesting for beginners and experienced divers alike. I keep wondering, however, "Who lives in the house?"
Location:
Along the 17 mile drive in Pebble Beach, between Sunset Point and
Pescadero Point.
Access and entry: Boat dive only, and this location is frequented by charter boats. Divers may launch their own boats at the Monterey Breakwater or at the Pebble Beach Club House Pier. For reservations to use the Club House Pier, call 408-625-8507.
Skill level: Beginner to advanced.
Depths: 20 to 70 feet.
Visibility: Good, 20 to 40 feet.
Hunting: Fair spearfishing for, cabezon and rockfish; good winter lingcod hunting.
Photography: Good macro photography for fish and encrusting invertebrates; good wide-angle photography in caves and kelp beds.
Hazards: Watch for big waves and swell, thick kelp, and boat traffic.
Bruce Watkins is a frequent contributor to California Diving News, lecturer and author of the book A Diver's Guide to Monterey County.
