It's certainly possible to dive from Monterey at that time of the year.
Last time I was there was March/April and although I didn't have the
time to go diving, I did see plenty of people who were.

I've a trip report from another time I was there if you're interested:
http://www.peardrop.co.uk/monterey98.htm

- Keith

I dived around Monterey for about 5-6 months one summer - might have
been about March - July/Aug.

Unfortunately this was almost 10 years ago and I don't recall that much
about it. The diving was nice, I didn't have a problem with just my BSAC
tickets. It was nearly all shore diving, but I did once dive off a small
inflatable we paddled out over the kelp, and you can hire dive canoes
too. (You just tie them to the kelp and go diving, then navigate your
way back.

Depth is about 15m, but you can get to the edge of the continental shelf
if you try hard enough. One beach, (Monastery Beach?) will get you to
the edge very quickly.... Then the bottom slopes down to a mile or so...

Don't worry about the kelp. As long as your kit is relatively neat and
close to you, it won't pose a problem. Remove any knife from your leg you
might want to carry... The best way to break the kelp if it gets tangled
round you is to bite it. (seriously, don't bother faffing with a knife!)

If you are lucky you'll get buzzed by a sea otter, or one of the harbour
seals.

The Aquarium at Monterey is worth a visit, as is the resurant in
Castroville just up the coast where you get deep fried artichoke hearts
and garlic mayonaise (garlic from Gilroy a bit further up the coast
where they have an anual festival and you can smell the garlic for miles
around :)

Other shore dives I remember were called Lovers Cove and Butterfly House.

Don't let blue skys & sunshine fool you - the water IS COLD. I was diving
in my dry-suit all the time.

And if you are intersted in history, theres the whole cannery row stuff,
the sardine trade and Steinbeck... (And the near extinction of the local
native American tribes)

Good luck!

Gordon

i dived monterey in late may 2002 and had a blast, if you are used to diving
uk coastal waters then it will be a home from home, its got very similar
conditions but more wildlife to look at. at some sites, the bottom falls
away quite sharply to mega thousands of feet only very close to the shore so
make sure your weighting is right ;-) i used a wetsuit and remember the
yanks use aluminium tanks so you  will need quite a lot more lead.
the main things i remember from diving there was the abundance of life there
with hardly a square foot of seabed without some kind of overgrown
crab/urchin/slug thing waiting to greet you. the kelp forests are brilliant
too. and all those seals,
middy

For information on diving in the Monterey and San Francisco Bay Area, check
out this group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ba_diving

Monterey has good shore diving. If you don't have a buddy with you,
then one can probably be found via the dive centre in Monterey Harbour.
They also hire gear out. I got my cylinders & weights from them.

There used to be a great event run every March on Monterey Beach. It
was thed the "Chocolate Abalone Dive". Lots of lumps of chocolate
moulded that have been moulded in Abalone shells were thrown into the
sea. Each one had a raffle ticket which equated to a prize. At 11:00 am
a whistle was blown and hundred's of divers all go off the beach to
hunt for the chocolate Abalones. It was enormous fun and a great
underwater scrummage.
There was an entry fee which went towards the local deco chamber and
charities.

Sadly it will not happen this year.

See http://www.saintbrendan.com/cdnmarch/kelpvn3.html

Not far from Monterey, near Carmel is Point Lobos.

see - http://pt-lobos.parks.state.ca.us

This is a game reserve. The diving is spectacular. There are Sealions,
Sea Otters, Cormorants and lots of Garibaldi fish (bright yellow!). I
saw an 8ft Leopard shark there. Watching a Cormorants go by underwater
is quite something.
If you want to dive there, you must book in advance as they limit the
numbers of divers each day.