Any good swamps out there?

[ZzzKing]

I'm a certified Texas Swamp Diver and DIMWIT advocate. OW/AOW/EAN certified. 4 years diving w/ 100+ dives, 20+ in drysuit. Looks like I'll be heading to the SD area the first week in May and I'm on a fact finding mission. Can any of you locals help me out?

The facts:
I'm thinking of staying in La Jolla.
I'll be traveling with a diving wife and a swimming/snorkeling 5 YO.
We'll be participating in activities other than diving. (yeah, I know...)

Questions:
What would be a good place to stay?
Are there places where I could dive while my wife and daughter snorkel and play on the beach?
What is a good dive/snorkel operation that could assist a budding young snorkeler in her enjoyment of the ocean life?
What exposure protection would be appropriate in early May? (3mm? 5mm? 7mm? Dry?)
What are some good dive sites in the area?
Any of you guys want to go diving?

Thanks for the help!

 

[MaxBottomtime]

http://www.oeexpress.com/dive-sites-san-diego-la-jolla.html
La Jolla Cove would be your best bet. There is a park above the beach with grass and showers/restrooms. The snorkelling there can be excellent to yucky, depending on conditions. Just a bit north is La Jolla Shores. The diving is great, but the canyon wall is a long swim from the beach. Snorkeling can be done in front of the Marine Room restaurant at the south end of the beach. Some of the local dives boats go to Pt. Loma kelp beds where your wife and daughter could snorkel above you while you dive.
Sea World, Scripps Aquarium, San Diego Zoo, San Diego Wild Animal Park and LegoLand are in the area, so there's lots to do with a five year old.

 

[ligersandtions]

The only advice I can offer is regarding exposure protection. If you have a drysuit, I would recommend diving in that if you want to do more than one dive per day. If you want to do just one dive and/or stay shallow, a 7mm wetsuit would be fine, but definitely not as comfortable as diving dry.

I have never made it down to SD to dive so I don't know about any of the spots down there....but I have heard the diving is pretty great, so I'm sure you won't have any issues finding good dive sites and nice buddies to share them with!

 

[tc]

If you want to meet a lot of socal divers the Wednesday you're here is chamber day- come up and get in a couple of dives at Catalina!

(Link is in my sig)