Underwater

Area	Point Pinos
Size	230' L x 40' W x 40' H
Depth	270' - 310'
Current	can be very strong
Nearest harbor	4 nm from Monterey
Nearest access to emergency	4 nm from Monterey
Dist. from shore	2 nm from shore
Average visibility	50', pitch black
Boat traffic	fishing spot
Unknown factor	high
Overall risk	high to extreme
Overall difficulty	challenging dive

Article in San Francisco Chronicle html full article pdf front page
Article in Advanced Divers Ezine #4 (need to register, free)
The Art Riedel Sr sank in 1990 a couple of miles off Point Pinos. I found the wreck with Phil Sammet, Ken Gwin and Denzil Wessels in 2005. The 270' - 310' is misleading, 270' is the top of the A-frame that sticks up from the wreck. Most of the wreck is below 290'. Due to the currents, the distance from shore and the fishing boat traffic, this is a more challenging dive than some other 300' dives like Uncle Phil's Crack. Fortunately we didn't see any fishing lines or nets on the wreck. Lots of things can go wrong and the margin for error is thin. This dive involves a lot of planning and should be done only by very solid advanced trimix divers with experience at forecasting weather and currents, with the planning of 2h+ offshore dives, and with anchoring on a deep wreck.