Central/North Coast Dive Jargon

"Hey, Fred: how was your dive?"

"Great! I pulled a limit of hubcaps. But I did the Monastery Crawl to get out of the water. I'm still trying to get those pesky monster berries out of my suit."

Say what? Anybody know what this guy is talking about?

Every group invents its own specialized vocabulary to describe new things unique to the group. Doctors have their own language, as do lawyers, as do divers. Over time this jargon is used more commonly and is adapted into the mainstream language. This is how language evolves.

Local variations in jargon are interesting to observe from afar, but can be downright frustrating if you're trying to communicate. I once recall listening to two British chaps talk about football (what we call soccer), and thought they were from another world.

So if you plan to visit one of the spectacular dive sites of Northern California, here is a short guide to some of the local dive-speak:

Dry sacking: taking the limit of game for another. An illegal activity.

Hubcaps: big abalone, really big abalone. How big is big? Many would require a hubcap to be over 10 inches, but most would use that term to describe abalone over nine inches. Abalone are also referred to as abs, baloneys, and snails, but these terms are not unique to Nor Cal.

Minestrone Kelp: after a period of heavy swell, bits and pieces of multi-colored kelp are ground into little pieces and collect in the surf zone, not unlike minestrone soup.

Monastery Crawl: an exit technique where divers crawl out of the surf on hands and knees. This technique takes its name from Monastery Beach, where the steep, gravel entry makes walking out difficult, if not dangerous.

Monster Berries: coarse sand that finds its way into the most uncomfortable places. This is another term originating at Monastery Beach, where the big surf drives coarse sand deep into wetsuits, dry suits, cameras, etc. Used particularly for sand found in the crotch of your bathing suit.

SOL: for South Of (Point) Lobos. Many consider the best, and also most advanced. diving along the Central Coast to be south of Point Lobos. This is a rite of passage for beginner divers, a pinnacle to aspire to. Also, SOLR: South Of Lobos; a macho term for heading south, regardless of weather.

Ten Country: a dive site where 10-inch abalone may be found.

Upgrading: once a limit of abalone is reached, a diver continues to pick abalone replacing a smaller abalone with a bigger (hubcap?). This activity is illegal.

Bruce Watkins is a regular contributor to California Diving News and hundreds of his articles and photographs have appeared in various magazines. He is the author of A Diver's Guide to Monterey County, published by Saint Brendan Corp. He will be a featured speaker at SCUBA Show 1999, June 25-27 aboard the Queen Mary.