El Sugundo

[ausdiver99]

Hi.

I may need to travel to El Segundo in early June for a 1 day conference. Can any one tell me what the diving is like around there? If it's so-so, is there another locattion close by? I'll arrive into LAX and drive from there. I'm PADI Deep + Wreck qualified, with a preference to dive wrecks and walls.

Regards
Peter
Melbourne Australia

 

[kelpmermaid]

is home to the second oil refinery on the west coast, hence the name. It is immediately next to LAX itself and LA's Hyperion water treatment plant -- not a dive site.

You might want to look into diving Redondo Beach, south of the pier --- it isn't spectacular, sand bottom, no kelp, but there are interesting things as you head down into the underwater canyon.

You could also hop on a boat, if you have time, and go out to Catalina, or take the ferry over to Avalon and do the underwater park. There really aren't many local wrecks (think San Diego) - and the only one I can think of where you might find a boat going is the Star of Scotland off the Santa Monica Pier -- dark, cold, and murky. The closest boat departure points would be Redondo Beach, San Pedro, and Long Beach, in that order.

Links to explore:

www.ladiver.com
www.californiadiveboat.com

Actually, boats might go to other wrecks like the Olympic or Valiant - check boat trip destinations on their websites. The oil rigs off of Orange County are another thought...

 

[RSdiver]

Get out to the Channel Islands which is about 25+ miles offshore from LA.
*Click here* to see a map of the Channel Islands off LA

I am very partial to the Truth Aquatics boats in Santa Barbara (1.5 hours from El Segundo depending on traffic), but there are other very good boats also.

Here are several UW photos I've taken in the Channel Islands + other CA

 

[kingdiver]

I've been there!

 

[diverjed]

West Coast Diving in the USA (Especially Calif) is some of the best of the best in country, if not world. It's almost like Florida, you can find a charter practically anywhere.