Well you're just North of the areas where the largest abalone in the WORLD happen to reside, so don't despair. There are also more lingcod and red rockfish there too. And you might be surprised to know that the viz in Mendo is often better than down the way in Sonoma County. Smile, you could be looking for parking in Palos Verdes, or La Jolla...
Mendo-wise, it's pretty nice to have a paddleboard or kayak, as the beaches there are the easist ways of getting out, but are also the most dove out. If you can go out of places like Russian Gulch, or MacKerricher and head up or down to the rocks outside the areas reachable by those poor bastards that just kick, your stringer will be much heavier.
What I'd do first is ask around at the local shop(s) to get the numbers of a local dive club. You can get a lot of info real quick from a club as well as meet some lifelong friends. Give SubSurface Progressions in Ft Bragg a call/ visit and ask Larry or whoever there the same- where's the club, where are the spots and when's the next group trip? They'll have a blackboard there with times, dates and contact peoples.
So just let your fingers scroll the yellow pages under SCUBA, or diving and call around. And being only 18 with only 15-20 jumps is nothing to be embarrased about. Given the opportunity to be there again, it'd all still be fun. Different, but fun.
