Palos Verdes weather and ocean observations

[blue steal]

Was out driving around pennisula today, (to lazy to ride my bike), and thought I'd give my observations.
OML. The trail was open so hiked out along for a few minutes. Very nice trail. A bit cool with overcast conditions at 11 am. The cove area looked like it had very little Visibilty. No waves to speak of.
Neptune cove. Again mostly overcast and cool. Light winds, VIS looked a little better, but not great. No waves.
Honeymoon and Christmas tree. Hazy conditions, very little wind, surf maybe 1', VIS from bluff top could barley see rocks at 5-8' below surface. Couple of freedivers at Christmas tree.
Flat rock. Sunny on this side of the hill, a bit windy at bluff top, no waves, VIS looked a bit better here than the other places. Probably the best bet.
Malaga cove/Haggerys. Very calm, sunny, VIS not the greatest.
Anyway, just my .02 cents worth.:goodmorning:

 

[SP Otter]

Nice report... thanks.

 

[blue steal]

i was orginally planing on riding my bike around from torr-sp, but i stopped at pacific wilderness to sign up for the Mr. C on sunday, then drove around to check the usual spots.

 

[FrankPro1]

Did a bit of Kayaking today, from White Point to PBC. I wanted to do some scuba, but I had a minor reverse block at the 120 reef yesterday and had to recover from it. Wind was supposed to be 13 knots, but it really wasn't that bad. Some rollers and white caps out in the distance but inshore was nice. White point seemed to have decent visibility, with the PBC area looking a little murky. The swell is coming out of the south right now, so Flat Rock and Hag's should be the best area.

 

[ScottBuck]

Hey, the little group that I dive with on fridays wants to try your neck of the woods we have been hearing good things about Old Marineland. Need some advice on best places to dive (not just for Old Marineland but all the dive sports in the area, I've seen you picture FrankPro1 I know you know where the good spots are) and a headings from shore to get the areas. I dove Once out at PV and did it on probably the worst surge day in the last 20 years so it wasnt a great dive but I hear you guys talking and maybe you can point us in the right direction. Thanks, Oh and we're not tring to weasle in on your good spots just looking to broadin or horizons.

 

[FrankPro1]

Thanks, Oh and we're not tring to weasle in on your good spots just looking to broadin or horizons.

Don't worry, I didn't take it that way. Marineland, White Point and Malaga Cove are the most traveled dive spots on the peninsula. White Point and Malaga are pretty average So Cal reef systems, but Marineland is wonderful. There are two reefs at Marineland. 120 reef is located just off the beach at the Terranea resort. It is called 120 reef because you take a 120 compass heading after swimming directly out from the cobblestone beach. At 120 you can find a variety of animals and plant life on small reefs in about 20-35ft. Long Point is the second dive site located at Marineland. In order to get to the Long Point dive site you must either enter at the point 'Long Point' or take a 15-20 min. surface swim from the cobblestone beach. After getting out past Long Point, you should look for a storm drain grate and metal pole on shore. Descend about 150 feet out in about 35 feet of water between the metal pole and storm drain grate. Once you descend, dial in 180 degrees and head down till you hit 55-65ft of water. In this area you'll find large pinnacles which are covered in life. In the 35-45ft range there are still some pinnacles but are less numerous and not as large. Long Point is where you get the true Marineland experience. Here you'll find all the normal reef suspects of the 120 reef but also blue banded gobi's, black eyed gobi's, LingCod, Cabazon and a multitude of Nudibranch's. On one dive I've heard of people seeing more then 14 varieties of nudibranchs "Mo2vation being the diver"! Personally my record has been only four, including Spanish Shawls, Yellow Dorids, Porter's Chromodorids, and Hermi's. Long Point is a great site which cannot be passed up by any So Cal diver. Certain things must be noted though. Do not attempt a dive at Marineland in high surf! The cobblestone shores and rocky entries are dangerous in anything larger the 1-2ft swells. Even 2ft swells can be difficult to manage here.

There are lots of other sites located on the peninsula as well. Christmas Tree, Neptune's and Honeymoons being my favorite. These sites are not for everyone. They require hikes down and up steep goat trails. The entries can also be difficult, with slippery algae covered boulders and rocks. Christmas Tree has consistently good visibility averaging 15-25ft in calm conditions. I've seen over that on quite a few occasions as well. Neptune's is a spectacular site. It has the largest pinnacle system I've ever seen. It is the most difficult dive site hike/entry on the peninsula, but I find it well worth it. Send me a PM if you feel up to doing Neptune's or one of the other more "off the beaten path" dives. I'm usually free Tues/Thurs mornings and after 12 on Fridays.

Here are some aerial maps, which have helped me quite a bit:
http://www.rossoverstreet.org/scuba/GIS/Old%20Marineland%20Divers%20Map%20Rev14.jpg
http://www.rossoverstreet.org/scuba/GIS/Christmas%20Tree%20Cove%20copy.jpg
http://www.rossoverstreet.org/scuba/GIS/Neptune%20to%20Xmas%20Tree%20Divers%20Map%20Rev1.jpg