San Diego - La Jolla cove - shop / guide?

[Srax]

Hi,

I'm heading down to San Diego for a couple of days and wondering if there's any recommended shops for guided shore dives and gear at La Jolla cove, the shore canyon, etc...

I've searched through the forums here and there's a few recommended dive boats (which I may try later on), but I can't find any shops that people seem to like for shore diving in the area.

Looking online, it seems like there's a lot of 'services' where a DM just meets you at the site with your rental gear (SDEXPEDITIONS / San Diego Snorkeling Tours | La Jolla Cove & Caves / Scuba Diver Girls / http://scubasandiego.com ) etc.. Are these legitimately good services? It seems weird to me, but maybe that's just how it's done here?

Thanks for any info,

S.

 

[Sam Miller III]

1. post deleted-- too historical for MBD of Michigan

 

[cmrangel]

Lots of great shops. I think they are the best around for training and guided dives, etc. is Beyond Land adventure
Beyond Land Adventures - home

 

[mdb]

1. 
   The La Jolla Cove is consider by many as one of the primary birth places of recreational diving . It and the worlds first dive club, the Bottom Scratchers were thrust into national prominence by the 1949 National Geographic article I would suggest that you might want to visit your local library - I suspect they have a copy on the electronic format
2. 
   
3. There are a number of vintage books devoted to spear fishing, the most desireable and rarest is of course Gilpatrics "Complete Goggler," published in 1938.
   
4. 
   Equally rare, perhaps even rarer are vintage magazine articles. The 1949 National Geographic magazine artcle "Goggle fishing in California Waters," Vol ZCV #5,May 1949, is considered by most serious magliophile/bibliophile as the fountainhead of magazine articles devoted to spear fishing.
   
   Universally known as the "Bottom Scratcher issue," Pages 615 to 632 is jammed packed with with the photograpy of Lamar Boren, who later gained fame as the photgraher of the Sea Hunt series, there are 7 B&W photographs, 12 "natural color" photographs (in 1949 color photography was in it's infancy) and with a text written by professional National Geographic staff member. This issue should be on every collector/historian bucket list.
   
   There is a historical significance of articles and books of this era that provide a glimpse in to a the genesis of the sport and should be cherished as great historical documents...The crude early Churchill fins; the homemade equipment; the masks, the jab sticks (pole spears) the lack of thermal protection...All these items were in the process of future development.
   
   Only a few remain who were participants of that bygone era and they are rapidly dwindling in numbers, soon they all will be gone
5. 
   
6. FYI the last member of the Bottom Scratchers recently passed away -- See Passing on this board

Interesting; but what does this have to do with the OP's question?

 

[azstinger11]

Check out power scuba on Meetup.com they routinely have club dives out there and might be willing to take you along.

As for guided tours? Maybe Imperial beach Divers (who have a shop in La Jolla) might. Also worth calling Ocean Enterprises, they are probably the largest dive shop in San Diego. There used to be an air fill only dive shop in La Jolla Shores (part near the beach) that might have done that. Otherwise it's all kayak/snorkeling/etc.

I'm not sure where you are from but expect to dive in a 7mm with hood or dive dry if you are able. The surface swim in La Jolla during the summer is one of my least favorite activities ever. You are melting alive and I almost always ended up starting my dive early just to try and cool down a bit. So if you go, start at dawn to avoid the heat and to stand a chance at a parking spot.

Otherwise you can do some dive charters to say the Yukon/Ruby E/kelp forests/Los Coronados (great diving)/or the Channel Islands.

 

[mdb]

Check out power scuba on Meetup.com they routinely have club dives out there and might be willing to take you along.

As for guided tours? Maybe Imperial beach Divers (who have a shop in La Jolla) might. Also worth calling Ocean Enterprises, they are probably the largest dive shop in San Diego. There used to be an air fill only dive shop in La Jolla Shores (part near the beach) that might have done that. Otherwise it's all kayak/snorkeling/etc.

I'm not sure where you are from but expect to dive in a 7mm with hood or dive dry if you are able. The surface swim in La Jolla during the summer is one of my least favorite activities ever. You are melting alive and I almost always ended up starting my dive early just to try and cool down a bit. So if you go, start at dawn to avoid the heat and to stand a chance at a parking spot.

Otherwise you can do some dive charters to say the Yukon/Ruby E/kelp forests/Los Coronados (great diving)/or the Channel Islands.

Get to the Cove early for any chance of close in parking. Good advice.

Usually a very good dive. Down the stairs and into the ocean.

 

[Sam Miller III]

[QUOTE="mdb, post: 8034253, member: 39668"
]Interesting; but what does this have to do with the OP's question?
[/QUOTE]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He is from Canada -- Just above where you currently reside in Michigan the dive capital of the world -- I would expect that he would like to know that he was diving in a cove that was so darn historic- a place where it all began

But since you are offended I will delete the post
SDM.

 

[tilikum]

No way Sam. A little history never hurt.

 

[diversteve]

www.divebums.com details LaJolla options and many of the shops, divesites etc.

The Sport Chalet's all closed last year though.

IMO the best Kelp is found off the Point Loma beds but you'll need a boat operation for that - either Waterhorse (Humboldt) or Lois Ann. Note that generally the DM stays on the boat so if you need a guide - they should have options available.

Calendar - Power Scuba: San Diego Scuba Diving (and Beyond) (La Jolla, CA) | Meetup is diving the Shores most Thursday nights this month or have a local boat dive most Saturdays,

 

[mdb]

[QUOTE="mdb, post: 8034253, member: 39668"
]Interesting; but what does this have to do with the OP's question?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He is from Canada -- Just above where you currently reside in Michigan the dive capital of the world -- I would expect that he would like to know that he was diving in a cove that was so darn historic- a place where it all began

But since you are offended I will delete the post
SDM.[/QUOTE]

No Sam Do not delete. It is an interesting post.

I am not offended by any of your contributions.

I was wondering what it had to do with the OP's question.

You have answered it.

Sorry for any offense.

I have spent many a hour diving in La Jolla Cove, often on a early
Sunday morning.

I lived off Wind'N Sea beach for several years.