Monastery Beach can be extremely dangerous to dive, a friend of mine resqued a shark attack victim there about 12 years ago. On local dive maps there is even a little great white icon there, he even has a name that I can't remember offhand. And the surge is nothing compared to the waves you have to contend with getting in and out of the water. Because of the slope of the beach there, and the depth of the canyon just a few hundred feet offshore, waves crest and break in as little as 10ft., which means that shorediving Monastery Beach is like surfing Teahupo'o on bad days.
I've been thrown a number of times, and nearly lost gear as well.
That being said, it's my favorite place to dive in Monterey. Diving by the breakwater/Coast Guard pier reminds me of the cattle boats in FL. Not my idea of a good time, but it is safer.