SoCal diving in June

Please register or login

Welcome to ScubaBoard, the world's largest scuba diving community. Registration is not required to read the forums, but we encourage you to join. Joining has its benefits and enables you to participate in the discussions.

Benefits of registering include

  • Ability to post and comment on topics and discussions.
  • A Free photo gallery to share your dive photos with the world.
  • You can make this box go away

Joining is quick and easy. Log in or Register now!

DougieG

Contributor
Messages
71
Reaction score
12
Location
Wisconsin
# of dives
50 - 99
Hello, my 17 year old daughter and I will be in L.A. in June. We are considering squeezing in 1 day of diving. We are both PADI rescue divers, but have only dived in warm water locations. I understand the water in southern California is cold, but we thought we might give it a try. We are most interested in seeing the kelp forests and diving with sea lions. Any suggestions regarding dive ops/dive sites would be most appreciated!

DougieG
 
Try to squeeze a dive in at Catalina Island in that case. The water can get cold at times, but the thicker wetsuits help if you are not drysuit certified. I think Eco Divers or Hollywood Divers does charters. I haven't actually done dives in LA as I stick to SD primarily. Have fun!
 
It's hard to guarantee sea lion sightings. Your best odds are at certain sites that are either a bit far (Coronados islands just south of the border, or the rookery at Santa Barbara Island, which is far enough that you generally need an overnight boat), or sites that may be a little advanced for you given your lack of cold water experience (oil rigs.) For maximum safety and enjoyment, I recommend taking the ferry to Catalina and renting gear hiring a guide from Catalina Divers Supply. The dive park there is beautiful; it's a marine preserve so there's tons of life. There are stairs to make it easy to get in and out, and there are nearby benches to gear up so you won't have to walk far with all that heavy stuff. The guides are excellent; they will help you figure out your weighting needs with those thick 7mm suits, explain how to deal with kelp, and show you some cool stuff. The town of Avalon is adorable, and it's a great day trip.

ETA: I can definitely promise kelp in the dive park at Catalina in June. Based on my experiences, I'd give you about 5-10% odds per dive of a sea lion sighting there, which is better than you'd get just about anywhere on the mainland.
 
Looks like the Express Ferry is full for June 18th or 19th. Any other ideas on how I might get to the island. Thanks again,

DougieG
 
Looks like the Express Ferry is full for June 18th or 19th. Any other ideas on how I might get to the island. Thanks again,

DougieG
There's a helicopter but it's $$$. You're probably better off driving up to Ventura and doing a day boat.
 
...Yeah, ideally if you're coming on a weekend during the high season, you book more than a couple weeks in advance. Those are the only days you have available?

Here's another option not yet sold out. It's probably not as good a fit for you. Eco Dive Center in Culver City runs boat charters every weekend to Catalina and other islands. They have a boat going to Catalina on the 19th.
BOAT TICKET: Catalina Island 06/19/2021 7:00AM 3 Dives - Magician Dive Boat
This is not a substitute for the ferry; you won't set foot on the island, and you won't be diving in the park. You'll go to three sites of the captain's choosing; they will all be suitable for OW divers. The boat will be crowded, and you will have to gear up fairly quickly without assistance. There may be an OW class on the boat, but you won't get to hang out with them. There will be a site briefing, but there won't be a guide for you unless you call the shop to hire one, and if you do, it'll probably be at least $100 plus the price of another boat ticket. The boat will look a bit shabby and nothing like a luxury tropical liveaboard. You will need to go to a dive shop the day before to rent gear, and return it the day after; you probably won't have time the day of the trip because the store will be closed before you get back. You can do a weight check in the water and come back for more lead if you really need to, but it's pretty inconvenient. The food will be basic but tasty, probably something like pasta and salad as the main dish, with snacks and dessert so you're eating before and after every dive. If you have ever been seasick, you should probably take some meds, as the crossing takes over an hour and can be rough sometimes. You will need a good boat coat, preferably one you can wear over your wetsuit between dives. You should bring at least $30 cash for crew tips for the two of you.

Or go with the helicopter option. Looks like IEX has two spots left on the 18th, for now.
 
La Jolla Cove is a shore dive just north of San Diego (plan for a 2 hour drive from LA) that has kelp and sea lions. A bit of a swim to the kelp bed. Check wave height before you go. It can be a rough entry and exit.

There are local shore dive guides you can hire. Google dive guide La Jolla Cove.
 
I know you stated Kelp and Sea lions... but as a fallback.

Crescent Bay Beach is a easy dive spot.. you might see some Seals at the rock?

on a weekend though.. get there early (like 5:30 early)

Dive shop is near for rentals and air fills
Beach Cities Scuba
925 N Coast Highway
Laguna Beach, CA 92651

Dive Sites in So Cal ... a work in action

Catalina would have been the best... but its down to that whirlybird to get you there.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/perdix-ai/

Back
Top Bottom