SoCal Dive Reports - Let us know about your dive!

[azstinger11]

Well by George good for you !
What document are you using to determine where you will be diving ?
Books ? Word of mouth ? Dive shop ?

SDM

For LA County Diving we have been relying on the County’s excellent 3Rs program and from the sites visited during ADP (speaking of which, this summer’s class starts July 6th!). We have used San Diego’s 3Rs for shore diving info as well down here. In Orange County and for a wider variety we also like Dale Sheckler’s, A Diver’s Guide to Southern California’s Best Beach Dives.

As far as suitability we mainly use NOAA and CDIP forecasts, day of we use a few surfing websites and mobile apps to get real-time weather conditions.

 

[Sam Miller III]

@azstinger11

You apparently have it together - Very impressive procedures for analyzing possible dive locations .

So encouraging that you don't only dive Shaw's or Divers cove and have branched out north and south. ​

So many great aquatic programs in SoCal that create divers rather than the current norm of people who dive - A huge difference !

In the original LA Co ADP I presented a slide show on OC dive locations; Dr. Otto Gasser presented LA Co and the late great charter boat skipper Roy Hauser presented the channel islands.

Dale's book was patterned after "Diving West" which was the first California dive guide published in the early 1970s. My dive partner the late Ron Merker (@Dr bills basic instructor) and I authored the OC section. You can still locate copies in SoCal used book market but I assume are becoming increasing rare - but a good comparison of then & now

For 15 years I taught a extremely intensive ADP at Orange Coast College. One of the rainy day -big surf - experiences was a tour of OC dive locations I also presented it to interested divers as a public service for several years after OCC, my last was about 25 plus years ago. That tour was photographed by John Rice who was employed by S/C until it closed its doors- I often question what ever happened to John's movie ?

One summer my son. who is now a ER/Hyperbaric Doc, wanted to dive every dive location in OC- we began with the Newport train and ended up at the barge at San Clemente. I some how suspect he is the only one of his generation to have dove ALL of OC!

Good luck to you and your diving

Sam Miller, 111

 

[Scuba Lawyer]

Well by George good for you !
What document are you using to determine where you will be diving ?
Books ? Word of mouth ? Dive shop ?

SDM

I look out the window of my house, check out the sea conditions and vis then ask myself, WWSMD?.*



[* What Would Sam Miller Do? ]

@Sam Miller III

 

[Sam Miller III]

O the horror !

I look out my kitchen dining area window while having breakfast at the lovely Pacific Ocean
If I want a panoramic view I go into my living room which has a 270 degree view of the arroyo (ditch or canyon ) and our play ground called the Pacific ocean.

Should I ? or should I not ?

Yes, my dear friend life is difficult in Kalifornia where recreational diving began....

Sam

CE @Marie13

 

[Mystaadam]

Has anyone been out to Casino Point lately? If so, how have the conditions been?

 

[dive1bb]

Dove La Jolla Shores and Point Loma the past couple of days. Always fun to travel down to SoCal for some diving!

Shores: Serious thermocline around 30ft and relatively clear at depth, about 20-30ft viz. Max depth 105ft. Water temp around 52. Checked out Secret Garden and a few other spots. Love checking out the structure down there. Saw a large octopus, some lobster, lingcod, and all the usual suspects.

Loma: Like the shores, it got chilly below 30ft. Vis varied between 15-20ft with light currents and surge. Opened up quite a bit at depth. Max depth 85ft. Much more life out here than at the shores. Played hide and seek with a sea lion and hung out with a 4ft Giant Sea Bass juvenile. Decent amount of kelp and plenty of fish. Discovered quite a bit of colorful nudies on the rock walls, too.

 

[Sam Miller III]

@dive1bb

FYI
I just posted this to another thread -- might be of interest to you...a dive into history
Where it all began..

The 1949 National Geographic magazine article "Goggle fishing in California Waters," Vol ZCV #5,May 1949, is considered by most serious diving magliophile/bibliophile as the fountainhead of magazine articles devoted to spear fishing and the beginning of recreational diving in the US.
And it all took place in La Jolla Cove

Universally known as the "Bottom Scratcher issue," by diving "Magophiles" Pages 615 to 632 are jammed packed with the photographs of Lamar Boren, who later gained fame as the photographer 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 library and bucket list to dive !

There is a historical significance of articles 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.

So by visiting and hopefully diving La Jolla Cove you are diving "where it all began" in California by the Bottom Scratchers spear fishing club - made

Only a few remain who were participants of that bygone era and they are rapidly dwindling in numbers, soon they all will be gone... The last Bottom Scratcher was Jim Stewart whos Bio is in the legends of this board

I would suggest that you goggle the Nat/Geo article, (perhaps bring a copy with you for visually comparing 1949 vs 2019-the difference 70 years makes) and while in California dive into history - La Jolla Cove -- where it all began!

During your down time I would recommend a trip tp the Scrips Aquarium, perhaps a leisurely stroll on the historic Scrips pier

Cheers from California -- where it all began

Samuel Miler, 111

@Marie13 CE

DD

 

[dive1bb]

@dive1bb

FYI
I just posted this to another thread -- might be of interest to you...a dive into history
Where it all began..

The 1949 National Geographic magazine article "Goggle fishing in California Waters," Vol ZCV #5,May 1949, is considered by most serious diving magliophile/bibliophile as the fountainhead of magazine articles devoted to spear fishing and the beginning of recreational diving in the US.
And it all took place in La Jolla Cove

Universally known as the "Bottom Scratcher issue," by diving "Magophiles" Pages 615 to 632 are jammed packed with the photographs of Lamar Boren, who later gained fame as the photographer 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 library and bucket list to dive !

There is a historical significance of articles 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.

So by visiting and hopefully diving La Jolla Cove you are diving "where it all began" in California by the Bottom Scratchers spear fishing club - made

Only a few remain who were participants of that bygone era and they are rapidly dwindling in numbers, soon they all will be gone... The last Bottom Scratcher was Jim Stewart whos Bio is in the legends of this board

I would suggest that you goggle the Nat/Geo article, (perhaps bring a copy with you for visually comparing 1949 vs 2019-the difference 70 years makes) and while in California dive into history - La Jolla Cove -- where it all began!

During your down time I would recommend a trip tp the Scrips Aquarium, perhaps a leisurely stroll on the historic Scrips pier

Cheers from California -- where it all began

Samuel Miler, 111

@Marie13 CE

DD

Thanks for sharing this, Sam! I found...


...on my Google adventures. Thought it would be nice to share it here, too.

 

[Mystaadam]

Did two dives at Casino Point last Friday for the birthday. First dive was cut a bit short due to a buddy having a regulator issue; we were probably only under for 15 minutes max and never really made it past 30 feet. Water was pretty clear with some current, roughly about 30-40 feet worth of viz.


Upon returning to the water for our second dive, the current had picked up and viz at depth was no more than 20 feet at best. Water was pretty warm (mid 60s) until about 60 feet down before we hit a thermocline. Unfortunately no giant sea bass sightings (spoke with some other divers later that day and it seemed like we all missed out. Maybe the fellas were taking a break from the point that day.) but we did come across several of the older “wrecks” in the park. Max depth was 82 feet. 2nd dive lasted 48 minutes.


Glad there was no green water but it seemed as if a good amount of the kelp in the west side of the park isn’t as healthy in past years.

 

[dive1bb]

Did two dives at Casino Point last Friday for the birthday. First dive was cut a bit short due to a buddy having a regulator issue; we were probably only under for 15 minutes max and never really made it past 30 feet. Water was pretty clear with some current, roughly about 30-40 feet worth of viz.


Upon returning to the water for our second dive, the current had picked up and viz at depth was no more than 20 feet at best. Water was pretty warm (mid 60s) until about 60 feet down before we hit a thermocline. Unfortunately no giant sea bass sightings (spoke with some other divers later that day and it seemed like we all missed out. Maybe the fellas were taking a break from the point that day.) but we did come across several of the older “wrecks” in the park. Max depth was 82 feet. 2nd dive lasted 48 minutes.


Glad there was no green water but it seemed as if a good amount of the kelp in the west side of the park isn’t as healthy in past years.

Happy belated birthday! Sounds like a great day of diving overall