California Dive Center, San Bruno — GRAND OPENING!

Telia anemones of huge proportions adorn the vertical rock faces.

Monterey divers expect a lot from their charter boats, and the boats and their crews serve up both quality service and dive sites. When the weather is good they always head south to Carmel Bay, where the most asked for dive site is the Pinnacles. There are many reasons for this, but, in general, the Pinnacles offer great diving at a variety of depths.

There are a number of pinnacles between Pescadero Point and the Castle House. The least visited of these is East Pinnacle (see CDN March 2000), and the most popular are the Inner and Outer Pinnacles located between 3/4 and one mile off the Castle house.

The Pinnacles are a special places. They are far enough offshore to have better visibility than sites nearer to the beach, and they are constantly swept by nutrient-rich currants. The nutrients feed a variety of plankton and seaweeds, which in turn are preyed upon by invertebrates and fishes. The pinnacles generally supports a thick bed of giant kelp, and the rich water leads to a profusion of life on an enormous underwater mountain.

The Inner Pinnacle juts up from the 100 foot bottom to about 15 feet of the surface. The sides of the rocky, underwater mountain drop away at about a 45-degree angle and are carved out with a series of canyons and small caves. Strawberry anemones are one of the more prolific creatures in the shallows, and grow in large colonies covering entire rocks with a royal carpet in shades red, orange, and lavender. Orange puffball, red volcano and the dark-blue cobalt sponge also add color to the reef. This area is great for both wide-angle and macro photography. You may photograph the grand color of the entire reef, or focus on one small critter.

Lingcod

The outer pinnacle is separate from the inner and is located about one-quarter of a mile southwest. It is composed of a group of rocky plateaus that vary between 45 to 70 feet below the surface. The sides of pinnacle drop steeply away to the 100 foot bottom, while the upper structure is highly textured with narrow channels and valleys that are marvelous to swim through.

Large anemones dot the rocky walls and surge channels in shades of red, white and green. California hydrocoral is common here. This coral forms branch-like structures some 6 to 18 inches across and adds purple and pink to the collage of underwater color. The Pinnacles are nothing short of nudibranch heaven and scores of species are commonly found here. Triton nudibranchs, the white-lined nudibranchs, dendronotids, and Phidiana nudibranchs are common to these exposed reefs.

Telia anemone

Look for small gobys and sculpins hiding in the rocky crevices of the reef. Larger rockfish are found hiding among the strands of kelp. Still larger lingcod and cabezon may be found on rocky perches or back in caves.

Because this area is exposed to the open ocean many pelagic species may also be observed here. Large Medusa jellyfish with their long trailing tentacles can often be found just outside of the kelp bed.

Look out into the open water every now and then, you may see a blue shark or sea lion. Carmel Bay is also home to many whales and dolphins. Although you rarely see them underwater, they often accompany the boat to and from the Pinnacles.

Dive Spot At-A-Glance
Location: The Pinnacles are located between 3/4 and one mile offshore between Pescadero Point and Cypress Point in Carmel Bay. Throughout most of the year the Pinnacles may be located by finding the extensive kelp bed offshore from the large pink house with a high tower, nicknamed “The Castle House.” However, after a period of winter storms there may be no kelp at all visible on the surface and a depth finder comes in handy in locating this dive site.
Access: You may launch your own boat from the Monterey Coast Guard Pier (no charge) for a 10-mile ride around the Monterey Peninsula, or at Stillwater Cove on the 17 Mile Drive (fee; reservations only, 408-625-8507). This spot is commonly dived by Monterey’s charter boats.
Skill Level: Intermediate or better.
Depths: 15 to 100 feet on the inner Pinnacle, 40 to 100 feet on the outer.
Visibility: Quite good-20 to 70 feet.
Photography: Great wide-angle photography, as well as many little critters for macro photography.
Suggested Charter dive boats serving the Pinnacles: Monterey Express, call 800-422-2999.