In So Cal and North Baja - what region has best dives

[dlwalke]

I'm asking partly for an upcoming vacation that will be tagged onto a work trip...and also as I'm beginning to fantasize about retirement locations (still a long way off, but its fun to think about). FWIW, I also like to kayak quite a bit and interesting coastline also figures into the mix.

BTW - Are there even affordable communities in So Cal? I added in Northern Baja after doing a little bit of web searching for home prices in places within 100 miles or so of San Diego. Every place I searched listed median home prices as 750K or so. I presume that there ARE people of modest means. Like working at Jack in the Box or community college teachers or plumbers and so on. Where do they live? They can't all be homeless?

Thanks

 

[MrRoo]

Honestly no, there isn't anywhere cheap to live. A condo in a bad part of town, 1200 sqft, and shiit will cost you around $400k right now. If you are a new house buyer in CA it is very hard.

 

[Otter]

I'm asking partly for an upcoming vacation that will be tagged onto a work trip...and also as I'm beginning to fantasize about retirement locations (still a long way off, but its fun to think about). FWIW, I also like to kayak quite a bit and interesting coastline also figures into the mix.

BTW - Are there even affordable communities in So Cal? I added in Northern Baja after doing a little bit of web searching for home prices in places within 100 miles or so of San Diego. Every place I searched listed median home prices as 750K or so. I presume that there ARE people of modest means. Like working at Jack in the Box or community college teachers or plumbers and so on. Where do they live? They can't all be homeless?

Thanks

Housing is wacko. If you are new to the area, its very difficult. People of modest means generally rent and that is even crazier. I know folks that spend $1800 and up for a small 2-bedroom apartment in an 'ok' part of town.

I was born and raised in SoCal and I have been trying to figure out where ELSE to retire to. As for Mexico, I am not expert but I would look further south...maybe the La Paz area especially if you want to dive.

 

[Skull]

Right now you will be hard presed to find anything affordable in No Baja for gringos...period. The commute accross the border @ San Ysidro and/or Otay Mesa is 1-3hrs starting at 4am every single day... However if you buy an older two , three or four on one in any beach community in San Diego you ar going to get a deal. Housing is dropping like a rock its off by 30% from the highs last year in Ocean Beach and Point Loma. Great investment and you only have to qualify for the percentage of the loan that you will be living in. The banks assume rents will cover the rest. ...least thats how I did it. Move to Normal Heights, City Heights and Clairmont and you get even a better deal. Move inland to El Cajon, La Mesa, Santee and Lakeside and the prices are down right affordable to any tradesman , teacher or social wortker. Move up to the highlands like Ramona, Crest and Alpine and you can buy some nice ranch property but hellish commutes to town.

Is it as cheap as Atlanta ...I don't know my brother just bought a house in Atlanta for $400,000.00 + and he commutes 45 miles one way ...sounds the same as here. You want cheap with great diving move to Dunkirk or Fredonia NY and dive Lake Erie...through the ice. Oh thats right with global warming and all you can dive pretty much all year.

 

[Roughwaterjohn]

Don't listen to the preceding crazy people, they're just trying to pull one over on you. $750 is barely median price for a tiny little duplex in a bad part of town, and there are a lot of bad parts of town. Milk is $25 a gallon here and bread $15. Gas will set you back over $10 per gallon, if you can find it. I wouldn't even think of moving here. Oh, and tell your friends. Did I mention the temperatures get up over 1500 degrees in the summer?

 

[Otter]

Don't listen to the preceding crazy people, they're just trying to pull one over on you. $750 is barely median price for a tiny little duplex in a bad part of town, and there are a lot of bad parts of town. Milk is $25 a gallon here and bread $15. Gas will set you back over $10 per gallon, if you can find it. I wouldn't even think of moving here. Oh, and tell your friends. Did I mention the temperatures get up over 1500 degrees in the summer?

He is of course exaggerating, it hardly ever breaks 1200F even in the summer.

That being said, I just paid $3.35/gal for gas (at the cheapest ARCO I know of), so he is pretty close theer!

 

[musicalmike]

To answer your question, both areas have some great diving.
Are you planning to boat dive, beach dive or kayak dive?
I think anytime your out on the water looking back at the land you have something nice to look at. If your boat diving, then you might be better coming up to So.Cal. and diving the Channel Islands (Catalina). If your beach diving, then the Laguna/Newport area has some good spots.

 

[Skull]

dlwalke ...to be honest roughwaterjohn has got me ...truth is you have to be able to endure 300days of rain to truly enjoy San Diego. The temperature rarely gets above 75 deg ...then again it rarely goes below 75deg so you have to be able to endure very static climate conditions ...its enough to make a sane man nuts. The diving is at best 7mm usually drysuit diving and most of the underwater topography is similar to the above water topography ...we live in a desert and the ocean mirrors that. ahemmm!!

Bring your retirement with you ...you'll need it for beer money!

 

[headhunter]

I'm with everyone else here in saying that home values are pretty high. People working in places like Jack in the Box generally can't afford to buy. Some community college teachers can afford it, but probably not many. Many plumbers make a good living especially if they're union pipe fitters.

I think it's much more convenient to dive in SoCal than in No Baja.

Christian

 

[Island Hoppa]

hey
i live out here in coronado luckily i dont pay a thing housing is free cause im military but have many friends that own and rent in the diego area. it really is crazy like everyone is saying. unless you want to rent in chula vista but who the hell wants to retire there. san diego and so cal are nice dont get me wrong but there are alot of other nicer places to retire to. like florida in my opinion. i am from the east coast, northeast to be exact and have been in diego for a number of years. diving is ok if you like the cold, sometimes finding a day of good vis is view and far between. especially right now with the surge. i dived la jolla cove and shore this weekend and could not see past my hand as i extended out my arm. the good conditions will arrive soon. but after diving southeast asia, the souh pacific, florida, the caribbean, and micronesia for a couple of years california is like a kick in the face. cold water diving is just not for me, im used to it now but i dream about reefs and 200 feet of visibility. but where else in this country can you see that. florida perhaps, thats where im headed. best of luck to your future retirement and have a good vacation.