La Jolla recommendations?

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Macattack

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Hi - We're flying into Socal next week and wanted to do some guided shore diving at La Jolla (maybe 1 cove, 1 kelp, 1 night). Any recommendations for a reasonable shop? Will need to rent BC's etc. Thanks for any thoughts.
:D
 
Can't help with the recommendations (haven't done any guided dives), but there really isn't any kelp accessible from shore in La Jolla (at least not without a scooter). If you want kelp dives, look to get on a boat to Pt Loma.

Have fun!
 
Yeah, I'd say take a boat, you can hire a guide and rent BCs through them if you want. pretty reasonable prices for 3 tanks (including air fills, great sites, food). Loisann.com, waterhorsecharters.com, or marissadivetickets.com. You'd probably wind up paying the same renting tanks, filling them, and paying for a DM to dive not as good spots by shore.
 
@Macattack: Rent your gear from Sport Chalet at the UTC shopping mall (a few miles away from La Jolla Shores). It's going to be cheaper than at Ocean Enterprises in Clairemont Mesa. If you're renting gear from Sport Chalet over the weekend, you might be able to squeeze 2-3 days out of a "one day rental" -- pick up gear on Friday, return on Sunday before closing. It's been a while since I've rented gear, so call ahead to ask about this policy.

If you're interested in having a local diver show you some La Jolla Shores dive sites, I'd recommend signing up for the Divebums.com email list. It's a fairly common occurrence for out-of-towners to ask to dive with locals. There are friendly, experienced local divers doing these dives all the time.

If you dive La Jolla Shores, you can grab lunch at Jeff's Burgers or The Cheese Shop only a couple blocks away. I can highly recommend the "Dofino" on pumpernickel at The Cheese Shop. :D

Just a heads up...
Dive conditions here in San Diego haven't been stellar recently. Expect vis at depth to be 10-15 feet and the water temp at depth to be in the mid-to-low 50s °F. Wear appropriate exposure protection (at least a 7mm one-piece wetsuit).
Can't help with the recommendations (haven't done any guided dives), but there really isn't any kelp accessible from shore in La Jolla (at least not without a scooter). If you want kelp dives, look to get on a boat to Pt Loma.
There's usually a good amount of kelp in the La Jolla Cove area. It's not quite as lush as in Point Loma, though. I agree that the Point Loma kelp beds via boat dive are a worthwhile trip. I'd prefer to do a dive in the kelp beds over a dive at Wreck Alley any day, but that's just me.
Yeah, I'd say take a boat, you can hire a guide and rent BCs through them if you want. pretty reasonable prices for 3 tanks (including air fills, great sites, food). Loisann.com, waterhorsecharters.com, or marissadivetickets.com. You'd probably wind up paying the same renting tanks, filling them, and paying for a DM to dive not as good spots by shore.
Cost (boat dive + gear rental + private DM) > Cost (free shore dive + gear rental + private DM or free "local")

There used to be dive shop (OEX) at La Jolla Shores where you could get airfills. Unfortunately, OEX sold its place of business, and as of April 1, will be operating a few doors down from where they used to be. It looks like, at least for the time being, OEX will not be selling airfills, but there is a nearby (possibly better) alternative. A couple of former OEX scuba instructors purchased a compressor and are doing fills out of the liquor store next to Jeff's Burgers. Contact Chris Shordon (619-206-2485; chris@lajolladive.com) in advance if you need to get fills. Current price is $7/tank or $40 for a 10 fill card. Although I haven't used this new service yet, I spoke with Chris and he said that he can arrange to be around on most days, particularly on weekends when they conduct classes at the Shores.
 
Contact these girls, that's their stomping grounds. Scuba Diver Girls Scuba San Diego Scuba Diving

BTW, if anyone gets a chance to dive with them, they are a hoot and a half!
Here's a YouTube video dive report that one of the Scuba Diver Girls posted recently:


That's what happens when you're shooting video in the surf zone!
Sounds like a good time. At $70 a dive, the price is in line with what other ops would likely charge. I'm guessing that a non-pro local would do it for substantially less, though. Donation of a sandwich + drink + a smile?

If you hire the Scuba Diver Girls, let us know how it goes...
 
Thanks for the info!!
 
There is kelp at La Jolla Cove. You need to swim to around Buoy A, which is .25 miles from shore. However, as others have noted, the kelp coverage at La Jolla Cove is not dense. Here is a quick video from a recent dive at La Jolla Cove that shows the kind of kelp coverage you can expect at La Jolla Cove. At the 14 second mark of this video, a soup fin shark will swim from right to left. Don't blink or you will miss him.

[vimeo]19884924[/vimeo]
 

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