I got certified using a wet suit. I think it was a 7mm suit so I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't cold at all.
Didn't get a chance to see the ship close by but we might have been at a different location. We were diving off of San Carlos Beach in Monterey. One of the cool places that we saw was the Metridium Fields. There was a giant rock covered in metridium anemones and it was quite a site. I had never seen anemones like that. They looked like giant cauliflowers! Wish I had a camera with me.
Saw a ton of jellyfish, a variety of anemones, starfish, gobies, sandabs, sea cucumbers, decorator crabs (I think), urchins, etc. One of the coolest things I saw was birds diving into the ocean and picking off fish!