La Jolla beach dive next weekend

[geoff w]

I'm going to a wedding next weekend (Nov 20) in La Jolla and staying at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis Club, which looks like it's right at the Underwater Park. I've never stayed there or dove there. I'll probably only be able to get in one dive, assuming I can even convince my wife to get wet. Any suggestions on the best dive to do mid to late morning? Is the dive site right off the beach there, or do I need to drive somewhere? The reservations clerk at the hotel didn't have a clue about diving.

Anyone already planning on diving there next Saturday?

Any recommendation on where in the area to rent a tank or get air fills?

 

[pfulks]

OEX is one playa del something road right there next to your hotel. They only fill air though, if you want nitrox, you have to go to Ocean Enterprises and thats 8 miles away on balboa. But they fill banked 32%

The diving is simple, just walk straight out from the flag pole area right next to your hotel (dead end of vallecitos st.) and into the water. Kick out about a 100 yards and drop, go straight out and you will hit the canyon, your choice of depth based on your experience. Its a really easy dive. I would suggest a night dive also, it is about 1000 times better at night.

 

[JTinSD]

Power Scuba dive at La Jolla Shores that day.

It's a no-dues meet-up group, just join and sign up for the dive and you will have instant dive buddies for the day.

 

[geoff w]

OEX is one playa del something road right there next to your hotel. They only fill air though, if you want nitrox, you have to go to Ocean Enterprises and thats 8 miles away on balboa. But they fill banked 32%

I talked to OEX yesterday. They are moving shop locations and don't have tanks available at this time. Any other suggestions for renting a tank close by? Otherwise, I'll have to rent one and bring it down with me

 

[JTinSD]

I talked to OEX yesterday. They are moving shop locations and don't have tanks available at this time. Any other suggestions for renting a tank close by? Otherwise, I'll have to rent one and bring it down with me

Close by? Everything else is driving distance. House of Scuba or Ocean Enterprises are closest.

I will be out of town, but if I was going on the dive, I would just bring a tank for you. Try posting on the Power Scuba meet-up site, explain your situation, and maybe someone will make the offer to bring an extra tank. It's a really good group.

 

[geoff w]

Saturday morning we dove right off the beach at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis club, which was a short block from the park where all the dive classes and Power Scuba meetup start from. I walked over to the park to get some basic info, then we geared up and walked out from our room. This place really is as easy to dive as everyone says - surface swim out about 100 yards (about out as far as the end of the pier), drop down to the bottom at 45 feet at the edge of the canyon, then swim out as deep as you want to dive. We saw lots of dead squid everywhere from about 50 to 80 feet deep - it looked like they just finished spawning since they all looked like they recently died, there were a few that were almost dead, and we saw lots of their egg beds. Besides the squid, we had a cormorant swim down and join us at 80 feet, then we started swimming back through the sand dollar beds. Good visibility (probably about 35 feet), easy navigation and almost no surf made for an easy dive (and a happy wife). Walking straight into the shower in our room after our dive, still wearing our wetsuits, was the icing on the cake.

It started raining a lot more after we got out of the water, and by Sunday the waves were up and the water was no longer clear. We just timed our dive perfectly!

The number of dive classes out in mid-November was especially impressive. Probably well over 40 students in various classes all marching in and out of the water was something I don't see by me

 

[Power Scuba]

It was good to meet you, Geoff. See you down in SD again some time!

Bill

Saturday morning we dove right off the beach at the La Jolla Beach and Tennis club, which was a short block from the park where all the dive classes and Power Scuba meetup start from.