diving Palos Verdes from inflatable

[bober99]

I bought a small 10' RIB inflatable with a 5hp 4 stroke engine. I was wondering if anyone had any experience diving Palos Verdes and launching out of Redondo beach. How are the currents and travel in general? Is it normally pretty choppy/rough or pretty accessible via small boat? It looks kind of far like 6-10 miles one way. Don't want to get stuck out there if surf picks up. Thanks.

 

[saintsfan]

1st off redondo only has a hoist to put your boat in and a small hand launch that you wont be able to use for a rib.2nd the closest dive site at pv is malaga cove and thats like 2-3 miles marineland is 6-7.it can get choppy but a 10 rib should be ok but with dive gear for 1 person that little 5hp is going to have a time when the current,swells and wind picks up especially heading back the trip south is usually much better than north.maybe an upgrade in hp say 15 would be a good investment.

 

[dness33]

I bought a small 10' RIB inflatable with a 5hp 4 stroke engine. I was wondering if anyone had any experience diving Palos Verdes and launching out of Redondo beach. How are the currents and travel in general? Is it normally pretty choppy/rough or pretty accessible via small boat? It looks kind of far like 6-10 miles one way. Don't want to get stuck out there if surf picks up. Thanks.

congrats on the new Rib!

I have a 15' Rib with a 50hp which we took out yesterday to scuba dive from for the first time (I usually freedive). We launch out of Cabrillo marina in San Pedro, and it usually takes us anywhere from 30 -50 minutes to get around the peninsula depending on conditions and location choice. Might be a long trek for you with the 5hp. I would definately go out early to avoid the wind, and pick your days wisely. I use this site, which so far has been rather accurate:

http://www.wetsand.com/swellwatch/swellwatch.asp?CatId=295

I would also highly recommend to purchase membership to something like SEA TOW:

http://www.seatow.com/membership/index.html

good for peace of mind............

Have fun!!

 

[bober99]

Is there good rocky structure for lobsters near Cabrillo Marina in San Pedro that one doesn't need to go too far? Preparing for lobsters already!

congrats on the new Rib!

I have a 15' Rib with a 50hp which we took out yesterday to scuba dive from for the first time (I usually freedive). We launch out of Cabrillo marina in San Pedro, and it usually takes us anywhere from 30 -50 minutes to get around the peninsula depending on conditions and location choice. Might be a long trek for you with the 5hp. I would definately go out early to avoid the wind, and pick your days wisely. I use this site, which so far has been rather accurate:

http://www.wetsand.com/swellwatch/swellwatch.asp?CatId=295

I would also highly recommend to purchase membership to something like SEA TOW:

http://www.seatow.com/membership/index.html

good for peace of mind............

Have fun!!

 

[bober99]

How far is it from the Cabrillo boat lanch from San Pedro to Point Fermin lighthouse? Looks like a lot of rocky structure in that area. How close can one get to shore with an inflatable before the surf is too much?

Looking at virtualearth.msn.com at the boat launch, San Pedro Bay seems sectioned off by a breakwater or something that extends past Point Fermin. Is this a solid structure that you need to around or are there passage ways for small boats? Thanks.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Angel's Gate is 3/4 mile from the boat launch. You can only dive on the outside of the Federal breakwall, but everything you can find in Palos Verdes is available in a concentrated area along the wall. I've made more than 50 dives on the wall and have seen Black Seabass, tons of nudis and lobster. A buddy of mine got a lobster thee one night that was estimated to be about 18 pounds. He released it after seeing eggs under her tail.
Pt. Fermin reef can also be productive. Visibility in area between Angel's Gate and Portugese bend can vary between 0-40'. The sediment from the harbor and outfall offshore from White Point can easily be stirred up my wave action. It's best to dive the south side of the hill only when it's been flat for a few days. Between Marineland and Malaga Cove the diving can be awesome. I'd rather dive Palos Verdes on days of good conditions over Catalina.

 

[pasley]

When equipping your RIB don't forget a marine radio. Cell Phone service can be spotty to non-existant at the bottom of the PV cliff face so don't count on a cell phone alone to call for help if you need it. You will also need good anchor line. PV in places can slope off rather quickly to deeper water (160+) just off where you plan to do a nice 60 foot dive.

The area between Redondo Beach and PV shelves and stays farily shallow, but still for 40 feet depth, you will need 120-240 feet of anchor line (scope should be 7x depth, but for light RIB in no wind you might get away with 3x). http://home.comcast.net/~ches-guy/Anchor.htm
http://www.anchorbuddy.co.nz/anchoring.html

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Check out my friend Ross Overstreet's map page for dive site ideas.
http://diver.net/ross/GIS/index.htm

 

[bober99]

Is the breakwall in San Pedro some sort of structure that one can walk on and cast a fishing line or drop a hoop net like a pier or is it inaccessible from shore?

Is one allow to fish/hoop net inside the breakwall?

Thanks again!
Henry

Angel's Gate is 3/4 mile from the boat launch. You can only dive on the outside of the Federal breakwall, but everything you can find in Palos Verdes is available in a concentrated area along the wall. I've made more than 50 dives on the wall and have seen Black Seabass, tons of nudis and lobster. A buddy of mine got a lobster thee one night that was estimated to be about 18 pounds. He released it after seeing eggs under her tail.
Pt. Fermin reef can also be productive. Visibility in area between Angel's Gate and Portugese bend can vary between 0-40'. The sediment from the harbor and outfall offshore from White Point can easily be stirred up my wave action. It's best to dive the south side of the hill only when it's been flat for a few days. Between Marineland and Malaga Cove the diving can be awesome. I'd rather dive Palos Verdes on days of good conditions over Catalina.

 

[pasley]

The break wall for Los Angels, Middle Break wall and Long Beach are large rocks and you are not suppose to go out on it. Lots do and occasionaly a rough wave will catch someone with deadly results. As for fishing inside the harbor, I have seen the water it is not good. The DFG DOES have health advisories to limit the amount and type of fish you eat that come out of these waters. http://www.dfg.ca.gov/mrd/fishcon1.html
including recommendations for you to not consume some species.