need quick help on diving around San Diego

[becca31]

I haven't been diving in CA but am going to San Diego for a work trip. I will go a day early to do some diving. I'm sure this has been asked a hundred times and I'm sorry that I haven't done my research but our travel coordinator wants to book the flights now, so thus the post.

I will have a 1/2 day. I will be staying in San Diego. What is the best area to go around SD? Coronados Islands?

I'd really appreciate your input. Thanks.

 

[fisheater]

I can't help too much on exact locations, as I'm a Nor Cal diver. However, I must ask if you have experience in cold, low vis diving.

Calif boats expect all divers to be able to plan and execute their dives on their own, including navigating back to the boat, often through kelp. The DM will stay dry, unless there's an emergency.

If you don't have such experience, I HIGHLY recommend that you hire a private DM to dive with you. Maybe you could take a specialty course.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Depends on what you like to see.

The Coronado Islands are quite far (20 miles?) from where a lot of the SD boat dive ops are located. It's generally known as a good place for novices and basic OW students, since there are several fairly shallow dive sites. Underwater you'll see a lot of brittle stars there. There are some seals and sea lions that make their homes nearby. If you're lucky, they'll come out to play with you. Honestly, though, the aquatic life at other, nearer dive sites is much more abundant and interesting than what you'll see at Los Coronados.

If you like wrecks, the Yukon and RubyE are relatively close by in Wreck Alley.
If you like kelp, the Point Loma Kelp beds aren't too far either.
Shore diving can be done easily at La Jolla Shores and La Jolla Cove.
On the way out to the Coronado Islands is the Hogan wreck. That's a fun one but more advanced than Los Coronados.

One of my favorite dive sites is Scripps Canyon. It's an impressive wall dive, but access can be limited from shore. Not too many boat dive ops schedule it because it's an advanced dive and there are easier dives to satisfy a broad spectrum of experience levels nearby in the kelp.

For an out-of-towner looking to do 1/2 a day of diving, I'd recommend diving: (1) Point Loma Kelp beds or (2) Wreck Alley.
The topography in the kelp beds can be rather interesting (Train Wheels, Ancient Sea Cliffs, 7 Fathoms), the marine life is abundant (nudibranchs, rays, fish, sometimes sharks), and it's so close. If you've never dived in kelp, you're in for a treat.

For SD diving this time of year, most people wear a 7mm wetsuit or drysuit with appropriate undergarments. A thick hood, booties, and 3mm or thicker gloves are a good idea. Expect water temps to be approx. 52°F at depth and 60°F near the surface.

SD boat dive ops to check out include: the Lois Ann, Waterhorse Dive Charters (Humboldt), and Marissa Dive Charters.

If you need to rent gear, Sport Chalet has multiple locations in the area.
There's also Ocean Enterprises in Clairemont Mesa.
Call ahead to do rental price comparisons. If you rent gear at Sport Chalet on Friday evening, you can return it by closing on Sunday evening and only pay for "one rental day."

 

[becca31]

Thank you thank you!!!! I will check out this info.

 

[Hatul]

Depends on what you like to see.



One of my favorite dive sites is Scripps Canyon. It's an impressive wall dive, but access can be limited from shore. Not too many boat dive ops schedule it because it's an advanced dive and there are easier dives to satisfy a broad spectrum of experience levels nearby in the kelp.


For SD diving this time of year, most people wear a 7mm wetsuit or drysuit with appropriate undergarments. A thick hood, booties, and 3mm or thicker gloves are a good idea. Expect water temps to be approx. 52°F at depth and 60°F near the surface.

SD boat dive ops to check out include: the Lois Ann, Waterhorse Dive Charters (Humboldt), and Marissa Dive Charters.

If you need to rent gear, Sport Chalet has multiple locations in the area.
There's also Ocean Enterprises in Clairemont Mesa.
Call ahead to do rental price comparisons. If you rent gear at Sport Chalet on Friday evening, you can return it by closing on Sunday evening and only pay for "one rental day."

Can I ask you how you do a shore dive to Scripps Canyon? I used to go there with the UCSD dive club over 10 years ago, but the club had a key to a private area to access the beach. I'm not sure if this dive club still exists.

Adam

 

[surfinusa555]

I've never dove it but I've heard good things about La Jolla Cove Scuba Diving in San Diego - La Jolla Cove

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Can I ask you how you do a shore dive to Scripps Canyon? I used to go there with the UCSD dive club over 10 years ago, but the club had a key to a private area to access the beach. I'm not sure if this dive club still exists.

It's nice to know a fellow Seadeucer. As far as I know, the dive club still exists. My friends DM for the UCSD scuba classes (taught through RIMAC), and the deep dive for AOW class is always done at Scripps Canyon.

Unfortunately, in the last decade the UCSD dive club has gone through some significant changes. As you know, it used to be filled with both UCSD students and San Diego community divers who had no true university affiliation. The community members paid a nominal fee to part of the club ($10/yr.?) and received free air fills at Ocean Enterprises. It was a really nice mix of people. They did a few trips during the year, had a couple of RIBs, and granted access to Scripps Canyon through the padlocked gate over at La Jolla Farms. Over the years, UCSD administrators decided that the way the club was run, in particular access to Scripps Canyon, created unacceptable liability on the part of the university. That was the beginning of the end of having access to the La Jolla Farms padlocked gate.

For a few years thereafter, there were rumors that former community members of the Seadeucers continued to have access to the padlocked gate. Stories circulated that...ahem...someone "forgot" to return one of the two Seadeucer padlock keys to UCSD. Legend has it that dives continued to occur several times a week for that time period. A Yahoo Group was created by the former community members of the Seadeucers to coordinate dive outings. There were still dive waivers, DMs, and check-out dives, but all of this occurred under the auspices of a separate entity from the on-campus dive club. And then...one day...someone lost The Key. Obviously this unfortunate turn of events caused much consternation within the Yahoo Group. Scripps Canyon shore dives didn't happen for a little while.

And that's where I'm going to end this tale. There are some active divers that I could put you in touch with who might know a convenient way to shore dive Scripps Canyon. Feel free to PM me.

On the record, the only two ways to dive Scripps Canyon now are:

1. By boat (launched from Mission Bay or La Jolla Shores boat launch area)
2. By parking near SIO, gearing up by your car, and walking up the beach -- it's a looooooong walk.

Another local dive club called the Dive Animals has a couple of small boats that run out to Scripps Canyon periodically. You have to pay your annual dues (used to be $35) and contact a designated "operator" to reserve a spot on an upcoming boat trip to the site. I recall paying something like $10 to do a 2-tank boat dive with the Dive Animals. It's really the cheapest way to access dive sites by boat if you're a local (and don't own a boat or have a friend who owns a boat). The only downside is that the DA boats don't have bathroom facilities.

 

[DiveNav]

I haven't been diving in CA but am going to San Diego for a work trip. I will go a day early to do some diving. ......... I'd really appreciate your input. Thanks.

If you want you can check out (virtually dive them in 3D) several dive sites in San Diego with our simulator.
In San Diego area we have:
La Jolla Canyon: Vallecitos Point, Murray Head and "The Choke" (but this one is 600ft deep )
Scripps Canyon: Sumner Branch
HMCS Yukon

Alberto (aka eDiver)