Snorkeling

[horsemen]

my wife will be getting back from her deployment in mid sept during the time she was gone i got my ow.she had me go ahead and do it and see what she would need to work on and what i felt would be hard on her to do.

well we have our own wet suits and all our own personal gear so when she gets back i would like to just go Snorkeling some wear that would be cool and also at the same time have the fun of the beach and boogie boarding we normal went to Santa Monica by the pier to boogie board but i don't know if that would be a good area for Snorkeling also so in this area wear is a good place to be able to do both or should i just pick a place to do Snorkeling on its own and if so wear.

 

[Frank O]

Hi Horseman,

I've done a lot of skindiving (a.k.a. freediving) up and down the coast in Southern California. Here are some notes on locations:

-- Santa Monica area is just sand, nothing worth seeing.

-- Malibu has a few decent areas. I've snorkeled/freedived in the kelp at Leo Carrillo Beach, for example, and enjoyed it.

-- In the other direction, there are some nice coves at Palos Verdes for snorkeling. However, there's often a big hike down and up the bluffs. Christmas Tree Cove is one of my favorites, but it's pretty much a goat trail to get down there (but far better with snorkeling gear than with scuba). Pt. Vicente Fishing Access is also a nice place to snorkel.

-- In Orange County, some of the beaches around Laguna are good (Shaw's Cove, Diver's Cove, etc). You want to hit the areas with the rock reef rather than the sand. Also, Crystal Cove State Park is good, as is Little Corona.

The thing about all of the above is that the snorkeling will greatly depend on conditions. By September, the visibility should be getting decent (recently there's been a lot of red tide; this morning at Palos Verdes the water was very green). However, visibility still varies a lot from one day to another.

The two places I think are absolutely best for snorkeling in Southern California are (a) Avalon on Catalina Island (either the Casino Point underwater park, or Lovers Cove); and (b) La Jolla Cove. Both involve a little bit of travel, but if you find yourself close to either one you'll probably have a much greater experience than with any of the other beaches.

Hope it works out well!

 

[MaxBottomtime]

RAT Beach would also be a good option. You could boogie board there and snorkel just a hundred feet or so south at Malaga Cove.

 

[pasley]

The first place I thought of was Malaga Cove/RAT Beach as well. Bit of a walk down the hill, but a good beach and great snorkling if the red tide is gone by then.

Other good locations would be Old Marineland (long Point) particularly around the point at the cobble beach in the cove. That would be good snorkling.

Cyrstal Cove in Laguna Beach, or Crescent Bay would be good too.