How do I dive in California!?

[shucksun]

Casino Point is great place to begin CA diving. But the costs in time and $ getting there as an out of town visitor on a short window is demanding. Another option for your schedule is the Spectre dive boat which runs Fri. trips to the Channel Islands. For another 45 minutes in the car, you could get three solid boat dives in on Sat, and if your tough, dive Laguna Beach (Shaws) or Veterans Park Redondo on your way home Sunday. There is chance they might let you spend the night on the boat Thur., which would save you lodging. If you contact them in advance and tell them this is your first time in the CA, they may be able to pair you two up with another diver who can be a big help in navigating back to the boat.

Weekday Dive Trip

Veteran's Park

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Dive boats out of Long Beach and San Pedro are about the same price you would pay for a day at the Casino Point Park. You wouldn't have to hire a taxi or haul your gear from the Catalina Express Terminal to the Casino and you can make three dives, be fed and even sleep in a bunk depending on which boat you take. The Sundiver boats and Giant Stride go out on Fridays but most boats are weekend only so you might have to take a Sunday off to drive home.
California Dive Boats : The Official Page

 

[drrich2]

Hi:

Just got back today from a trip. My notes from researching the California dive scene are in this thread. Like the OP, I was overwhelmed at the variety of options/locations available and it look a lot of work to try and narrow it down to what to do. That answer won't be the same for everyone. A multi-day live-aboard is a wonderful cost-effective option when you weigh it against the cost of renting a hotel room and paying for land-based boat diving, for a solo traveler. When you bring more than one person, the average per person cost shifts.

I just got back from a trip with me, wife, 4 year old daughter and mother-in-law sharing what I consider a nice budget hotel (a Best Western Inn); 8 days in Florida cost us a little over a grand or so for the room. Divide by 4, very cheap. Divide by 1, not so cheap.

Richard.

 

[AlmightyApkallu]

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll look into them. I don't really care how much diving I can cram into one trip as much as the frequency in which I can dive. I want it figured out to where I can go diving in California at least once a month.

 

[AlmightyApkallu]

I'll read that write up, Richard. Thank you. It's true, when there is more than one person the plan shifts a bit.

 

[AlmightyApkallu]

Upon further reading, that Spectre out of Ventura looks like a really good deal. All meals included and you get to stay on the boat. The only thing that sucks is that the price doesn't include the tank, which they rent to you for about 20 bucks, so instead of 115 a person it's more like 135. Still, seems like a pretty decent deal as all I would have to do is drive out, dive and drive back with them taking care of the rest. I wonder if for the Friday dives people show up and board on Thursday night and what the curfew for boarding is? And how long is the actual dive day? Like when do they set off and what time do they return, say on a Friday?

 

[merxlin]

Upon further reading, that Spectre out of Ventura looks like a really good deal. All meals included and you get to stay on the boat. The only thing that sucks is that the price doesn't include the tank, which they rent to you for about 20 bucks, so instead of 115 a person it's more like 135. Still, seems like a pretty decent deal as all I would have to do is drive out, dive and drive back with them taking care of the rest. I wonder if for the Friday dives people show up and board on Thursday night and what the curfew for boarding is? And how long is the actual dive day? Like when do they set off and what time do they return, say on a Friday?

As far as I know you can stay on the boat the night before any dive day. They typically leave at 7am. You get 3 dives in and are back between 4 and 5. Make sure you get a packing pass and park in the designated areas.

 

[covediver]

Consider San Diego.
Ocean Enterprises has a dive club that does shore dives at LaJolla.
Boat diving is decent with all kinds of dives for beginners/novice divers (which you may want to try if you have not been boat diving in California).
Anacapa Island diving is usually pretty good. Talk to the operator to see what they recommend.

 

[AlmightyApkallu]

Wanted to give an update from my first dive trip at Catalina Island. I kind of did everything on a whim and I think with some better planning could have saved more money. I stayed at a little motel in San Clemente. It was $230 for 2 nights which I think I could have done better, but this was a Thursday and Friday so meh. I got two tickets, one of which was free, but I guess you have to pay $14 for parking, so all together it was like $90. We rented 4 steel 80's for about $40 so all together, with gas and everything we got out the door for a smidgen under $400. Not terrible. I don't count food because I usually eat out anyways and where we ate was really reasonable (I'm a foodie, what can I say).

A few things I noticed. The biggest was... DO THEY MAKE ROLLING WEIGHT BAGS? I put all of both of our weights, all possible combinations which came up to a grand total of 52 pounds in one weight bag. That was the most difficult part of the trip. Our gear is fairly light and we have dive backpacks then our regulator bags have shoulder straps, it was that damn weight bag. Also noticed that by taking the 11:55am ferry out and the 6:45pm ferry back we barely had enough time to eat and do 2 dives. I think for my current situation this is probably not the best way to go.

I was curious if anyone can provide more information for the Avalon Seaport Village Inn boat + room package. It says $120 per person for round trip boat ride and 1 night stay on the Island. I figure with this I could drive out on a Friday, early. Take an evening boat to the Island. Get in bed early. Get up early and dive in the morning to early afternoon. Take the afternoon ferry back and drive back to Phoenix. This would only cost us $240 per outing which seems super reasonable. Thoughts on that anyone?

As far as the diving goes I absolutely loved it. I was told the viz was about "40 feet" and that it gets better, but I saw that within that 40 or so feet the water was so clear and there was SO much sea life. I loved the beautiful kelp forests and all the marine life. I absolutely loved the diving. Fun fun fun! Does coastal beach diving ever get that good? Places like Cresent Bay and Shaw's cove? We had a bit of a current and tide to deal with but it was not a big deal, we corrected for it pretty easily. We had no trouble and so much fun that we had to force ourselves out of the water and almost missed the last boat! (Can get a long dive out of those steel tanks...) Does this mean on a calm day we could get by doing a beach dive some where like Shaw's Cove?

I still want to look into the Spectre as well, that seems like another good option, but I was hoping there were some beach dives in the OC that might be anywhere near as good as that dive at the dive park. We had a blast! Can't wait till the next time we get to dive. Such a easy drive from Phoenix too.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

When I used to go to Avalon I always went on the earliest boat, usually around 7:00 so I could enjoy the entire day. I wore my weightbelt until I was on the Catalina Express, then placed it in the milk crate on the stern.
Shore diving on the mainland is completely different than Catalina. You will see different fish and more invertebrates but you will have to deal with sometimes difficult entries and poor visibility. Marine life is also different along the coast. The life around Palos Verdes is more abundant than Laguna Beach with many species of rockfish and more invertebrates but involves entries and exits over rocky shorline versus sandy beaches of Orange and San Diego counties.
The Spectre and other boats in Ventura and Santa Barbara will take you to the Northern Channel Islands. Life there is more abundant than Catalina and features anemones, sponges and nudibranchs not found to the south. It can sometimes be a bit colder than Catalina and the ocean may get a bit rougher but the diving is excellent.
Catalina is a great introduction to California diving. With the usually calm water and good vis it can be a relaxing and fun way to "fly" through a kelp forest. Going to Avalon also has a huge benefit over other California sites. You can stop at Big Olaf's after the dives for a triple scoop cone!