Earliest date to go spearfishing?

Hey guys!  Hope everyone has been staying warm and dry with all the crazy weather.  I saw on NWS there was a "storm warning" (bigger than gale warning) last weekend, I don't know what that looks like right on the coast but it must have been nuts.

That said, what do you guys think is the earliest date you have ever gone diving after the winter storms are done rolling through?  Or does it not matter to you (like, do you just keep an eye on the swell and go if it has been down for a week or so)?

I'm really itching to make a trip to Monterey but these storms look to have churned up the water pretty good lately.  Any ideas welcome!

I have gone during a storm when there was a little break.  To many factors to say when the best time after a storm is as each spot will probably be different.  After storms I usually stay away from rivers, streams or other areas that pour into the ocean as they are murky awhile after the storm because water keeps pouring out when the rain stops.  If it's a bigger storm with huge waves other areas further out may be screwed also. 

Use the coastal cams and dive reports to get an idea on if it's worth it but generally a few days after a storm you can find somewhere worthwhile to dive.  Sometimes the water visibility just sucks because of algae or other issues that have nothing to do with a storm. 

Personally I am going nuts and haven't been out all month. 

I dove Stillwater Cove, sws, a week and a half ago in between the storms and it wasn't good, not horrible about 10ft vis at best. Swells were about 6-8 ft so that kept me inside the cove to the left where the vis is generally worst because there were occasional breakers breaking to the cove on the right.
The vis has generally been better outside the cove in general, but it is always a crap shoot. I'm fortunate to have family there to visit so if I don't go into the water it's not a wasted trip.
The swells this weekend is supposed to be 6-9ft. That could change. Watch the web cam they have at pebble beach.
If you do go, let us know how it went. Be safe though.


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That said, what do you guys think is the earliest date you have ever gone diving after the winter storms are done rolling through?  Or does it not matter to you (like, do you just keep an eye on the swell and go if it has been down for a week or so)?

To echo the other answers, there is no season or date, just conditions . . . .

I went up north of Albion between the two last big storms. I had about 10 - 12 vis, which I thought was pretty decent. That said, it was a freakishly calm window, for a couple hours the swell dropped to 2.8 feet with a long interval, maybe 18 seconds, can't quite remember. Glorious really! But there's been a hell of a lot of mud since then

Taking my overseas relatives kayak sight seeing this Sunday down in Monterey, so should have a rough vis report by then. Unfortunately we're not diving, just getting out there with their three kids and hoping for some sunshine and otters! But I'll definitely be scoping the vis from topside.

I went kayaking down in Monterrey. Not a dive report as it was a "take the relatives out" kind of morning. But I have a reasonable sense of vis from kayaking and then usually jumping in. There was a pretty decent swell pumping in today, definitely need to time your entry and exit to avoid getting dumped. Once out, I could definitely see the bottom in roughly 20 ft of water, but not nearly like the crystal clear you get in Monteray pretty often. In fact, dark things were just dark things. From the surface with a mask on, you definitely would have had to get to the bottom to know what's what. That said, it was clearer than 9 out of 10 days I've seen up in N Sonoma or Mendo counties. Good luck, dive safe (strap your stuff really well just in case!)

Guys thanks for all the advice, sounds like you guys just go all year round which is awesome to hear!  I've only been spearfishing since last summer so still a bit new to me. 

Might try to get out there in a month or so with a buddy when work is a little less crazy and a free weekend pops up.

I did see almost all of the Monterey does not allow uni diving so my uni crazy friend will have to live with fresh fish instead...