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California Diving Adventures

Los Angeles County has more to offer the traveler than Hollywood, amusement parks and the big city. The mild climate makes diving in Southern California a year around affair for travelers and locals alike. Several full service dive stores and charter boats are in the area.

Leo Carillo Beach is the favorite spot of many local divers. There are excellent facilities including campgrounds and restrooms. There are several areas dive. There is the northern parking. This area is a long stretch of beach with a large kelp bed that stretches it's length. When the surf is down this is a great site but when surf is up it is definitely a beach break. The bottom is primarily sand out to the kelp then it changes to reef systems. Dolphin and other larger marine animals are frequently sited here as well as the smaller "macro" varieties. The other area is best approached from a parking spot on HWY 1 on the ocean side of the street. The area is usually crowded with surfers and a broken ankle from the uneven bottom in the entry area is not unheard of, but the diving is great and lobster are found here during season.

These three beaches are found a mile or so apart just south of Leo Carillo. They all offer great views, restrooms and a heck of a walk to the water. This long walk with dive gear discourages many divers and makes these dive spots uncrowded and pristine. Suiting up at the car and then walking down the hill can be very tiring but the rewards are well worth it. The kelp beds are full and healthy. Game fish abound and lobsters may be taken during season. The reefs that support the kelp beds are varied and interesting. Each park is labeled with a sign on the highway and parking is on a paid honor system.

Arriving early is a good idea at Point Dume. The parking is only free until the attendant shows up. Leaving Hwy 1 onto Westward Ave. and follow it to it's end. At the end you will find a vacant parking gate and another parking area. Pull into this area past the lifeguard tower(used in Bay Watch)to the end where there are restrooms and showers. At the southern most tip of this area you will see a sheer cliff face with climbers repelling on it. Enter the water in front of this rock and swim to the exposed pinnacles you see a hundred yards or so off the point. There are two pinnacles that break the surface. The rise, one for 40 feet the other from 70 feet. They are often used as haulouts by sealions. This area is on the brink of a submarine canyon where the depths can become quite deep. Currents are also a concern, making this an advanced only dive spot. It is one of the few spots with consistently good visibility due to the up welling from the deep waters and the strong currents. There is much to see here. You can see pismo clam beds, sand dollar beds BIG game fish and lobster.

Paradise Cove is a good dive site in that it is an easy entry and exit. Many instructors use this spot for training dives. It is protected from the north westerly swell by point dume and its south facing direction. The facilities are good. There is a restaurant and bathrooms. In the water you can find the remains of a artificial reef comprised of a few old cars dropped on the bottom. The main drawback of this sight is the hefty price for parking. Last time I was there it was 12 dollars a car!

 A mile or so south of the signal at Paradise Cove is a small beach at Escondito Creek Park on PCH and walk across the bridge, down a few steps and into the water. This site, like Paradise Cove is protected by it's south facing direction and is usually an easy in, easy out dive locale. Several kelp beds lie off shore the first being in 30 feet or so and the other at 40 feet or so. The second bed is preferable as it is a long surface swim and thus gets little pressure. From the bridge facing due south the bigger kelp bed would be at one o'clock.

 Latigo Canyon has the same general characteristics of the other two dive sites in this section accept that the entry is a little more difficult. This is definitely a high tide dive site. The entry area is littered, litterally paved with uneven round stones of varying sizes and shapes. If you get hit by a wave here and fall down, it will hurt. The area is located at Latigo Canyon Road and PCH. Turn toward the ocean on Latigo Canyon Road, unload your gear at the gazebo and park your car back up the road. Once in the water you will be rewarded with horn sharks, leopard sharks, lobster and a plethora of other creatures. the best diving can be found in and around the kelp beds off the point. Very close by is Coral Beach. It is within eyesight of Latigo Canyon and is a good alternative if the rocks make you nervous.

Redondo's submarine canyon can be reached from the beach. Park your car in the metered parking near veteran's park. .Enter the water in front of the restrooms/showers and swim straight out to sea. You'll pass the pilings of one of the old Redondo piers at around 45 feet at the lip of the canyon. Depths can get quite deep in the canyon so care is advised. Do not stray near the existing pier as it is illegal to dive on it. At depth one can find many an unusual creature who lives in the canyon. Visibility can be quite good when there is an up welling present.

Of several Old Redondo Piers, here the third to be built is inferred here. Park on Esplanade, between Topaz and Sapphire streets. Enter the water just north of the jetty at Topaz St. Entry is usually easy and the collector diver can be rewarded with the find of an old cork bottle or broken dishes from the turn of the century.

Christmas Tree Cove offers some of the best visibility on the Palos Verde Peninsula. It also has some of the nicest kelp beds. The bottom terrain is varied and holds many different species of wildlife. This dive spot is near the intersection of Paseo Del Mar and Via Neve. It is difficult to get to the beach as the only access is provided by a steep dirt path.

Point Vicente Fishing Access is located very near to the old Marineland, just west of the Point Vicente lighthouse. The access to this beach is a long steep trail and not for the out of shape. You can enter from several different locations in this area. You can enter from the sandy beach in the center of the cove and swim to the best diving to the east. Although it can be a long surface swim, it can be easier than entering over the rocks in some conditions.

White point is another on of the "easy" spots for diving in California. Many instructors use this beach for their checkout dives. One of the reasons is the fact that you can almost drive your car to the waters edge. This site has a unique feature in the presents of hot water springs. In fact, Japanese-Americans built a bath house here prior to W.W.II. The remains are still visible.

Orange county is famous for its long stretches of sandy beaches. Here there are many available shore dive sites. Many have good topside facilities and quick access to a local dive store for air fills between dives.

A bout a mile south of Newport Harbor, in Newport Beach, at the intersection of Ocean Blvd. and Poppy Ave you will find Little Corona. This spot does tend to get a little crowded but can offer the diver some unusual marine life. Between 100 and 150 yards out to sea can be found the best diving. Here the reefs start in shallow water and run out to more than 30 feet. Many of the rocks are covered with eel grass and can give the macro photographer a good place to find those little critters. The beach offers restrooms and showers and access is good although parking is limited.

Scotchman's Cove lies within the Crystal Cove State Park and there is a minimal parking fee. The fee is worth it though as this area has excellent facilities including restrooms and showers. This area used to be "known" for it's game fish and although their numbers have thinned out somewhat over the years, you will still more than likely see many popular game fish here. There are several reef systems that extend may hundreds of yards off shore and some have remarkable topography. There are small walls and many cracks an crevices to keep a diver occupied.

Shaw's Cove is on of Laguna Beach's most popular dive sites. Due to it's protection from the swells it is used by instructors for their check out dives. The best diving can be found at the western edge of the cove on and around the point. There are small caves filled with wildlife and rocky reefs that extend beyond the point. Entry can be made off the beach or from the rocks. Shaw's Cove is located at the intersection of Fairview Street and Cliff Drive.

Rocky Beach is on of the areas largest underwater dive sites. Directly off shore there is a large kelp bed surrounded by smaller reef systems. There are several areas to enter the water and conditions will dictate the best to use. Rocky Beach is located on Cliff RD near Jasmine Street.

Moss Street is a good dive spot for those who don't like the crowds. Moss street is nearly one mile from the downtown area just off of Highway 1. The best diving is on the reef systems at the south-eastern side of the dive site.

San Diego is one of the cradles of west coast diving. For many years divers have enjoyed the temperate climate and good shore access. There are sandy beaches and rocky shores. San Diego has everything to offer the modern recreational diver. Submarine canyons, wrecks and large kelp bed await the many happy divers who enter her waters. Several full service dive stores and charter boats are in the area.

La Jolla Canyon is one of San Diego's most popular dive spots. There are good facilities, plenty of parking and easy entry into the water. Several hundred yards off shore is a dramatic vertical drop into the La Jolla Submarine Canyon. At this point the depths exceed 700 feet and most divers get quite a thrill looking over the precipice. The area is part of an ecological reserve so disturbing any of the marine life is prohibited.

Gold fish Point received its name from the abundance of the California State Marine Fish the Garibaldi. In this location they are quite approachable and often times they will not wait for the diver to initiate contact in their search for handouts. The area is part of an ecological reserve so disturbing any of the marine life is prohibited. The area is located off of Cave Street, several miles north of San Diego Harbor.

This site offers good facilities and as such tends to be crowded during the summer months. The underwater topography is varied and diverse. Depending on which way you turn parallel to shore you may find ledges and shelf like structures toward Goldfish point. In the opposite direction you'll find reef formations full of fish. Again, this site is part of an ecological reserve so molesting the marine life in any way is prohibited.

Stairs are used to get you to the water for a rock entry. Diving is best here at high tide as the reefs are exposed at low tide. There are several very interesting formations on the reefs and San Diego has many moray eels and other critters that love to pose for a photo.

Five minutes in a boat out of San Diego Harbor and you are ready to anchor up on the mooring at the site of the Ruby E. She was a 150 foot Coast Guard Cutter who gave up her life for the Wreck Alley Artificial Reef project. She sits upright in 70 feet of water. When she was sunk there were holes cut to afford divers access to her inner holds but in the last six years since she has lain on the bottom she has become over grown with marine life and much of her internal structure has collapsed making penetration a "for trained persons only" activity. Silt outs can happen in certain areas and there are several tight squeeze locations. You will have to make serveral dives in order to see all of Ruby E.