Favorite Dive Sites / Where you want to dive in the future?

[ligersandtions]

Okay, we don't want the Beach Crabs to die out, so I wanted to start a thread about your favorite dive sites (that you want to dive again) and sites that you may not have tried before but would like to dive in the near future. After we establish some good sites, we should make a schedule and try to get out and dive these sites.

I'll start....one of my favorite sites is White Point. I also really liked Crescent Bay in Laguna, but would love to make it all the way out to Deadman's next time.

Sites that I'm dying to try out include Marineland and Point Dume.

I'm also willing to try Malaga again, but I'm not entirely convinced that there's anything other than chocolate milk out there! I also don't know many of the Malibu sites, but would definitely like to try them out as well.

So what are your favorite sites? Where are you dying to try out? Let's make some plans and try all the dive sites the area has to offer!

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Marineland is my favorite site. I've got 305 dives there alone, so I'd better like it. Shaw's Cove can be amazing, as can La Jolla Shores. Long Wharf is a nice historic site, but I've never had more than eight feet vis in a half dozen dives there. Nicholas Canyon is a nice, shallow kelp dive with tons of nudis.
Refugio is a mellow kelp dive with tons of amenities.

 

[Beachlover]

Hey Nicole, great topic! Good idea to keep things alive with the Beach Crabs!
I like white point,shaws cove, and moss st.. Marineland is nice,although I have'nt done it in a
couple of years.Christmas tree is a site that I've only done a couple of times many years ago and would like to try it again. I've never done any diving in San Diego, so it would be nice to try there,too. I am also guilty of liking Veterans!!

 

[Teamcasa]

Does La Bufadora in Baja count?

 

[Beachlover]

Does La Bufadora in Baja count?

I forgot about the " blow hole"! I would love to dive there as well.

 

[ligersandtions]

Hey Nicole, great topic! Good idea to keep things alive with the Beach Crabs!
I like white point,shaws cove, and moss st.. Marineland is nice,although I have'nt done it in a couple of years.Christmas tree is a site that I've only done a couple of times many years ago and would like to try it again. I've never done any diving in San Diego, so it would be nice to try there,too. I am also guilty of liking Veterans!!

Christmas Tree looks like it would have amazing visibility since it's such a long freaking walk down and divers avoid it a lot of the time. We walked about 3/4 of the way down, and then climbed down some rocks into an area we wanted to try....the surf was up a bit, and I got knocked on my butt and lost my fin....but I'd like to try it again one day!

I've never done any diving in SD, but I also would love to do that as well. And I haven't made it out to Moss St, but you said it's cool....what's there anyways? My socal shore diving book is in the truck and I'm at work, so I can't look it up right now!

hehe, and Vet's is great....it has its time and place....but it's not necessarily a site I'm dying to dive most days (although it can be a killer night dive!).

Does La Bufadora in Baja count?

Only if you'll sponsor a BC trip down there....what do you say, Dave?

 

[ligersandtions]

Marineland is my favorite site. I've got 305 dives there alone, so I'd better like it. Shaw's Cove can be amazing, as can La Jolla Shores. Long Wharf is a nice historic site, but I've never had more than eight feet vis in a half dozen dives there. Nicholas Canyon is a nice, shallow kelp dive with tons of nudis.
Refugio is a mellow kelp dive with tons of amenities.

I'm still working up the courage to dive at Marineland....you scared me with your talk of people getting pummeled and having heart attacks when I asked about it six months ago! I'm almost ready though....just need a cart of sorts to get my gear to the entry, and then I should be ready!

 

[MaxBottomtime]

It's actually not that difficult compared to other P.V. sites, but many divers haven't learned the most important lesson...when not to dive. Four foot surf is not a big deal at La Jolla Shores. Three feet can be manageable at Vet's, but anything over two feet at Marineland will make you consider giving up diving. Claudette and I were bounced out of the water on our knees once. The waves pushed us deep into the cave. I felt the water recede quickly and prepared for the worst. Claudette told me she looked behind her and saw a wave overhead that was nothing but gravel. When conditions are good, diving the point in front of the hotel is better than Catalina. There is a lot more invertebrate life, and during the spring you can find up to two dozen species of nudibranchs on one dive.
Most divers enter from the cove and opt for the 120 Reef because of the shorter swim. It's only a hundred yards or so, but the reef is boring and looks like any other SoCal nearshore reef. If you like Garibaldis, urchins and sea stars, the 120 Reef will suit you, but if you want to experience the best SoCal has to offer you need to make the 1/4 mile surface swim to the point or enter from the rocks there. This can be life-threatening in anything but the flattest conditions. If I could only dive one shore divesite for the rest of my life, it would be Marineland.

 

[JMdiver]

Crescent Bay, Christmas Tree Cove (by boat only), Nicholas Cyn., & White Point. Would like to do the point at OML. In SD 7 Fathoms & the Yukon which are boat dives also.

John

 

[FishNut]

Humm...... Leo Carillo Little Cove, Deer Creek,Nicholas Canyon, Fernald's Point, Coral Casino, Tajhius, Shaws, Dead mans, Would Like to try Old Marine Land, Moss St., ummm...... I know there are more just not sure of them