Suggested Diving in San Diego???

[headhunter]

I think I'll take everyones advice and bring my 7mm with me. However, being a Michigan diver, 60° sounds warm!!!

While I'm sure that our water is considerably warmer than what you dive in MI, I also wouldn't dive in SoCal in less than 7mm.

Aside from some of the unusually warm or cold stretches, the water is usually somewhere between 52º and 57º. Last year, I think I remember seeing temperatures in the 70º range as well as in 48º range.

7mm should have you feeling good.

Christian

 

[pupdiver]

I think I'll take everyones advice and bring my 7mm with me. However, being a Michigan diver, 60° sounds warm!!!

60 is optimistic. It might be 60 near the surface, but there is usually a thermocline. Under that, it will be immediately colder. Low 50s. I dive a 7mm fullsuit with a 3mm hooded vest and still am sometimes cold. You see quite a few drysuits here also, but wetsuits work fine.

La Jolla has good, reasonably shallow shore dives in San Diego.

 

[vetdiver]

Having just moved here from Boston, I concur that 60 degrees near the surface sounds warm. That said, I can assure you that the only change I've made in my exposure protection (I dive dry) is going from 7 mm semi-dry mitts to 5 mm gloves. The water is warmER, but not warm, by any stretch of the imagination!!! If you convince your wife to dive in a 3 mm or 5 mm wetsuit, I'd plan on expecting a very irritated SO post-dive!!! I'd recommend a 7 mm with hood and gloves.

 

[awall54308]

Vet Diver...I definetly do not want to have an irritated wife I want to dive more than just 1 day. I will leave the 3mm wet suit at home.

 

[divekim]

Now, if you decide on the shore diving make sure you let us know ahead of time. If you're going to dive La Jolla and want to stay shallow you will want someone who knows the area with you otherwise you will be doing a sand dive and possibly leave disappointed.

I think besides knowing that you want to dive shallow sites the biggest question is what do you want to see? Are you into kelp and schools of fish or do you like to search for critters?

Kim

 

[mario_speedwagon]

San Diego diving is very cold, I dove in a 7mm and I was freezing 10 minutes into the dive, your going to feel the thermal at around 15 to 20 feet. We did shore dives off of La Jolla Shores last year in July, outside temp was about 77 degrees felt like a 120 degrees in a 7mm which you will have to wear all the way into your entry point, and then you will have the surf to contend with by this time you'll need a nap because your totally exhausted especially after a nice surface swim to get to the canyon. Once you get in there is good diving but you will get cold fast, personally I can dive in cold water and it doesn't bother me; we just dove Catalina Island last weekend (drysuit cert) 66 degrees at surface 57 average bottom temp, and I did these without a hood. I have dove Catalina with a 5mm and I was fine; but San Diego, your going to need the 7mm and hood too. I too recommend going to Long Beach and catching the ferry to Catalina, the diving is the best in the state.

 

[mario_speedwagon]

Also, check out the picks in the thread called "viz is back in Catalina" the pics this guy took are good......the Kelp forest is incredible.

 

[awall54308]

Mario. those pictures are great. I can't wait to get out there.

How long would a trip to catalina take? I am trying to keep the diving to the mornings due to family obligations. But, if it is good as everyone says, I may have to take a full day and go out there.

 

[mario_speedwagon]

It takes about an hour and some change on the ferry from Long Beach to Avalon, they have a scuba park at Casino Point that has nice shore dives and on the weekends the Catalina Divers Supply has tanks and weights right there (or else you'll have to haul down there). Or you can hook up with the dive boats (I've only dived with Scuba Luv and they always treated me good) but I'm sure there are couple of other operators too. The Shore dive is a real easy dive with stairs in and out with max depths at 80'.

Hope this helps.....M