Posted by shark-92107 on December 04, 2002 at 11:35:46:
In Reply to: Diving Scripps Canyon and local dives shop question posted by Karen on December 03, 2002 at 15:52:58:
Visibility - Expect 15-20 feet at depth. Less than that means a storm came through. You might get as much as 30 feet (the best visibility I ever got in the area was between Christmas and New Year's a couple of years ago).
Water temp - Cold for San Diego, warm for San Jose. No more than 55 degrees F at depth, with 52-53 being more likely. Bring the dry suit.
Other - Topside is usually clear and sunny during the day, although sometimes there is a morning marine layer or fog. Wind picks up in the afternoon, so morning dives are less choppy (less of a problem if boat diving). You can use CDIP (Scripps Pier) to monitor the local conditions.
Depth - The hard, vertical walls with the good stuff on them are generally in the 100-125 fsw range. If you're lucky, there will be a squid run and the edge of the slope/dropoff (very roughly 40-50 fsw) will be covered with squid egg casings.
As far as HP100 rental cylinders, you might try Aquatech in National City or Diving Locker in Pacific Beach. Also, some of the local dive charter boats have large cylinders available.