Left coast divers

[Bubble Chaser]

This is more of a travel question but I thought I'd put it out here for all to chime in...I will be traveling to Palm Springs CA for a short business trip sometime in April. My question is, are there any great dives in the area and what should I expect as far as conditions. I will only be on the ground for a few days and will be in and out of meetings so I may only be able to get a few dives in nearby. I appreciate any info you could provide and am curious about your experiences in the area.

 

[AzAtty]

Palm Springs is a desert, so don't expect much in the way of diving. There is a dive shop in Palm Springs Get Wet Scuba Divers - Palm Springs, and they may be able to provide more information. Most people go to Palm Springs for the spas and the golf. If you can squeeze in an extra day, pop over to the coast if you want to dive.

 

[on_two_wheels]

Good luck. As was said, it's a desert. What's worse, it's considered high desert. Not even any lakes within a short drive. Big Bear Lake is probably the closest and that's at altitude and REALLY cold. Unless you can plan an entire day, this won't be a dive trip for you.

 

[Teamcasa]

.... Big Bear Lake is probably the closest and that's at altitude and REALLY cold.

Scuba diving is not permitted in Big Bear.

Like others have said, make a blast out to the coast.

 

[Noboundaries]

Think golf.

 

[DwayneJ]

Come out to San Pedro or Long Beach and take a dive boat to Catalina Island.

Southern California's Scuba Diving Boat Schedule

 

[BlueC5Kitten]

How about North Cali? I'll be in the Bay area on Monday, and will have the afternoon open...with two days of meetings afterward.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Fort Ross is the closest beach dive to San Francisco at 90 miles north. The nearest boat diving is in Monterey, 110 miles south.

 

[cmburch]

Abalone season opens Tuesday for freedivers north of San Francisco - Sonoma and Mendocino Counties. Afternoons the winds tend to pick-up so normally morning diving is usually best. Monterey is about 1.5 hr south of San Jose Airport and about 2 hrs south of San Francisco Airport. Rush hour starts around 3pm.

Here is a Dive Report from Point Lobos last weekend Cold Water Kitty: "Night Dive" at Beto's Reef

People have been reporting limited visibility.

Here is the Monterey Videocam Monterey Bay It is not flat, but it actually looks very nice this afternoon. There are kayakers and something big just jumped out of the water. GWS?