Hello from the UK, looking for info on California

[Gareth J]

Hello

New to the forum. I am a UK (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland), citizen.

I dive extensively in the UK, Scapa Flow (Orkney), Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales, England, Isle of Man and the Channel Islands and have dived a lot of Northern Europe, Normandy, South of France, and Norway.
Regularly dive in Malta, at least once or twice a year. Have dived in the Red Sea over the years, originally learning to dive in Israel.

This years main trip was to Iceland (in August) to dive Silfra, and Pingvallavatn.

Trying to decide what to do next year and thinking about Southern California. I regularly travel out to Placentia California (going there at the end of September before travelling down to Mexico) for work.

I dive with my partner a lot, although I'm love wreck diving and deeper diving, my partner is more interested in underwater photography so prefers shallower dives.

We would normally go liveaboard (if in the Red Sea) am happy to be shore based. Whilst we will certainly bring our own drysuits, it may be better to use local dive kit (ours are all DIN fittings).
Looking for interesting sites, Boat Dives, Photogenic Dives. We are happy in the water (our dive times in Iceland where around the hour in 4 degree C water - 39F).
More than happy at 30m (100 feet). Trimix qualified, open circuit and closed circuit, although plan to be open circuit if we do visit California.

So recommendations on Dive boats, Dive operators, and places to dive.

Thanks in advance

Gareth

 

[Lopez116]

Actually DIN is not uncommon down here. On the boats I've been on, I would say there are almost always divers using DIN valves.

The water is incredibly warm for SoCal right now. Around 72-73 at the surface. A 7mm wetsuit, boots, gloves , and (optional) hood are enough. Don't need a dry suit right now, but if that's your preference, that's fine too.

You can shore dive the Laguna area, but it will be very difficult to exceed 50' or so if depth is what you like. Also, we've been having some strange weather lately and the surf has been high, causing viz to drop. Laguna will actually close the beaches for diving if it gets too rough.

Your best bet is likely to dive Catalina from a day boat that leaves out of Long Beach or San Pedro. There are more boats out of San Pedro, but my preference is the Sundiver Express out of Los Alamitos Bay marina. It's a fast boat and will make the crossing to Catalina in a little over an hour. All the other boats are about 2.5 hours and slow. But, they do have more in the way of bunks, food, drinks, showers, etc. if that is important to you.

Kyaa is the name of the captain the runs the Sundiver Express on most days. She is very knowledgeable of the local conditions and sites. You won't dive a wreck over there, though. Mostly nice reefs, some kelp, good viz, and bluer water. You can definitely get deep if that is your thing.

If you contact Kyaa, she can also setup a custom trip for you on her smaller (but even faster boat). You can dive the oil rigs (pretty cool when conditions are good) and then Catalina (or even the backside of Catalina - even better diving) all in one day.

Sorry if I sound like an advertisement for Sundiver. I just prefer their fast boat (the Sundiver Express - not to be confused with their slower boat, the Sundiver).

Another option for diving Catalina is to take the Catalina Express (high speed ferry) to the island and dive from there. You can stay overnight if you'd like and dive from a dive charter on island. Or, shore dive the casino. IMO the casino isn't great right now since it's lacking kelp.

If you really want to dive a wreck, I think you would be remiss if you didn't try to get out to the Yukon in San Diego. Marissa charters and Horizon charters are a couple ops down there.

Have fun!

 

[Gareth J]

Actually DIN is not uncommon down here. On the boats I've been on, I would say there are almost always divers using DIN valves.

The water is incredibly warm for SoCal right now. Around 72-73 at the surface. A 7mm wetsuit, boots, gloves , and (optional) hood are enough. Don't need a dry suit right now, but if that's your preference, that's fine too.

You can shore dive the Laguna area, but it will be very difficult to exceed 50' or so if depth is what you like. Also, we've been having some strange weather lately and the surf has been high, causing viz to drop. Laguna will actually close the beaches for diving if it gets too rough.

Your best bet is likely to dive Catalina from a day boat that leaves out of Long Beach or San Pedro. There are more boats out of San Pedro, but my preference is the Sundiver Express out of Los Alamitos Bay marina. It's a fast boat and will make the crossing to Catalina in a little over an hour. All the other boats are about 2.5 hours and slow. But, they do have more in the way of bunks, food, drinks, showers, etc. if that is important to you.

Kyaa is the name of the captain the runs the Sundiver Express on most days. She is very knowledgeable of the local conditions and sites. You won't dive a wreck over there, though. Mostly nice reefs, some kelp, good viz, and bluer water. You can definitely get deep if that is your thing.

If you contact Kyaa, she can also setup a custom trip for you on her smaller (but even faster boat). You can dive the oil rigs (pretty cool when conditions are good) and then Catalina (or even the backside of Catalina - even better diving) all in one day.

Sorry if I sound like an advertisement for Sundiver. I just prefer their fast boat (the Sundiver Express - not to be confused with their slower boat, the Sundiver).

Another option for diving Catalina is to take the Catalina Express (high speed ferry) to the island and dive from there. You can stay overnight if you'd like and dive from a dive charter on island. Or, shore dive the casino. IMO the casino isn't great right now since it's lacking kelp.

If you really want to dive a wreck, I think you would be remiss if you didn't try to get out to the Yukon in San Diego. Marissa charters and Horizon charters are a couple ops down there.

Have fun!

Lopez

My planning is more for next year, probably August, my partner is a teacher, so it will be during her vacation period.
That said, I would like the opportunity to dive the Kelp Forests on one of my work trips.

We dive mostly in drysuits, the wetsuits we have are for warm water diving, so mainly 3mm. Even in Malta, because we normally go out in early or late season, we use drysuits.

The issue of hiring or bringing our own kit is partly related to weight limits on the flights.

With regard to sites, we are more interested in getting the best out of the trip, so if the sites are shallow, that's Ok, if they are deep that's cool. Again scenic or wreck we like both so probably a mix would be best.

Are there any local diving clubs, is it worth contacting a local dive club?
Its great to have recommendations for boats or dive facilities, rather than taking pot luck on the basis of websites.
It might be sensible to split the visit, to San Diego and Catalina/Channel Islands.
When is the diving season? In the UK we can dive all the year round, but because the weather, generally you would have to say Easter to late October. Again, April is very unreliable. But its not unusual to have to cancel diving due to weather in the summer, we lost a day from a weekends diving in late July due to poor weather.

Thanks very much for the feedback.

Gareth

 

[Lopez116]

No problem.

Our diving season is also pretty much year round. But, as you say, there are seasons that are bother than others. Best diving here for viz purposes is in the winter (Nov-Feb). March - May are sort of hit and miss in terms of viz and swell, although you can get days of very good viz. . Summer diving is nice as the temps are warmer and viz is decent and storms are rare. My favorite time month is November (water is still pretty warm and you can get some great viz days). Diving at Catalina the viz is pretty reliable year round, but you can have some truly epic days of over 100' at times. (You won't get that shore diving - great viz shore diving here is around 30').

If you would like to shore dive from Laguna or the LA area, there are many clubs and yes, they will welcome you. South Coast Divers dives in Laguna every Saturday (conditions permitting). They are a nice group, although the group can get big at times). Laguna Sea Dwellers and South Orange County Dive Club are two others who dive in Laguna as well. They will welcome you, no problem.

I think the way to go to really see the best of SoCal is to take a charter boat out to Catalina. All the boats here do 3 dives in a day and it will be an all day affair (depart at 7am or so and back around 430).

 

[bowlofpetunias]

I've had some lovely diving both boat and shore diving in Calif. When we were on Catalina in June we didn't dive but the lack of kelp was heartbreaking. I am not sure where in Calif you will currently be able to find a decent Kelp forest. DrBill told us if the water stayed warm he figured it would be at least a couple years before there would be much growth. Probably just as well you are planning the trip for a year from now.

I suggest you pop into the California Regional Forums to make some contacts there. DrBill is a Marine Biologist who has worked on Catalina for years and years. He's usually good about answering pm's if you send him one.

With your diving experience you will be a good addition here... welcome and see you in the Threads

 

[spoolin01]

There are short-term liveaboards that leave from Santa Barbara and Ventura harbors for the northern Channel Islands. I've been on the Peace from Ventura many times and like it, but there are several others.

 

[drbill]

Just replied to your PM. The predicted El Nino is on its way, adding insult to injury from the warm water Blobs that have plagued SoCal the past year. Kelp in the dive park and at this end (southeast) of Catalina remains minimal but there are reports of decent kelp forest up at the northwest end. Local boats do go up that way. Also, the colder northern Channel islands can be reached by overnight and short liveaboard trips out of Ventura (Peace boat) and Santa Barbara (Truth Aquatics) so if you have time you can combine both groups of islands.

I've been diving in a 3/2mm full wetsuit the past 16 months. Bottom temp at 100 fsw last weekend was a toasty 74 F. Looks like I'll be using it this winter too. Dry suit most likely NOT necessary unless you or your partner chill easily.

 

[drrich2]

Some people recently helped me try to wrap my brain around the major themes of the area in Southern California Brain-storm'in... People discuss operators, land-based vs. live-aboard, mainland vs. Catalina, etc...

Richard.

---------- Post added September 16th, 2015 at 09:30 PM ----------

Oh, if nobody mentioned it yet, California Diver Magazine is online, and you can read a lot of stuff for free there.

Richard.

 

[Gareth J]

drrich2


Thanks for the link to your thread. Haven't finished working my way through it yet, but it appears to tick a lot of the boxes we are interested in. The only major difference is we both dive and quite fancy the idea of a liveaboard out to the channel Islands. I also like the idea of a day trip out to Catalina for 2 or 3 dives, and the opportunity to dive one of the oil rigs.

Gareth

 

[covediver]

August multiple day trip out to San Clemente Island. Truth Aquatics runs a fine boat trip out of Santa Barbara if memory serves. Keep in mind that "liveaboard" in most parts of the world means "stateroom" and by comparison California liveaboards are downright spartan by comparison (multi-tiered bunks below decks). Day trips or live aboards to the northern Santa Barbara Channel islands are good that time of year (Santa Barbara, Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, and San Miguel Islands, I am biased to favor those locations; a dive off the dock at the Anacapa landing cove is the finest kind and the source of my screen name). A few operators are starting to offer boat diving along the Malibu-ventura coast, a concept that looks pretty interesting, and every so often someone will run a daytrip to Naples Reef off the coast west of Goleta (Santa Barbara).