Where do the Beginners Dive?

[vcblklion]

Vets park has some pretty high surf at times. You may want to check surf reports first. I did my first night dive there and got rolled in the waves....NO FUN WHATSOEVER.....definately make sure you shore dive easy entry points with low...low waves till you get more experience...and make sure you review your entry and exit skill for beach diving..

 

[diversteve]

and San Diego. We are trying to find a place to dive that easy and will be fun for our first ocean dive.
Thank you.

It doesn't get much easier than La Jolla Shores. It's why they teach so many classes there. I was certified there about 30 yrs. ago.
La Jolla Cove is also a good, easy entry dive IF conditions are right.

 

[nickjqz]

It doesn't get much easier than La Jolla Shores. It's why they teach so many classes there. I was certified there about 30 yrs. ago.
La Jolla Cove is also a good, easy entry dive IF conditions are right.

Cool thank you.

Scuba Shore Diving Site Listing for: California South, USA West

I will definitely take a look at this.

Vets park has some pretty high surf at times. You may want to check surf reports first. I did my first night dive there and got rolled in the waves....NO FUN WHATSOEVER.....definately make sure you shore dive easy entry points with low...low waves till you get more experience...and make sure you review your entry and exit skill for beach diving..

Well hopefully there is one day next week that is supposed to be calm.
I am really excited and thankful for your help.

 

[asha]

In San Diego, we shore dive primarily at the La Jolla Shores. The dive club Power Scuba is doing an event especially for newbies and inexperienced divers on April 14th at LJS where they will pair you with experienced divers who know the site: For New and/or Inexperienced Divers Only! We want you! - Power Scuba (aka Scuba Diving in San Diego County) (La Jolla, CA) - Meetup

Welcome to the sport.

 

[Peter_C]

Well hopefully there is one day next week that is supposed to be calm.

Trust me, we all want to get in the water, but conditions do have to calm down some. Soon enough you will be dipping your toes into the Pacific Ocean.

 

[DiveNav]

For mainland in OC I agree with Shaw's Cove.

The other dive site that is very very easy for beginners is Divers Cove in Laguna Beach (North part of Heisler Park) because the entrance point there is well protected. And if you get lucky you might see the batrays in 15ft of water

Make sure you feed the meters for a couple of hours. The cops in Laguna love to give away parking tickets :depressed:

Alberto (aka eDiver)

 

[robint]

I would still recommend a day of boat diving over to Catalina ... even if you think that $125pp for 3 dives and food is too expensive.

Reason one: It is important that your first dozen dives or so are GREAT experiences. Many people, in fact most people who get certified never get past that point as they have a bad experience and quit. If you have some GREAT first dives, when you do have a bad one it will not discourage you with the sport.

Reason two: Shore diving is great, but it can be much more physically taxing than a boat dive. So doing boat dives can mean 3 dives in a day, and still have energy left to carry your gear back to the car afterwards.

 

[H2Ocean]

Nick, a high percentage of new divers doing their first "shore" dives will tend to see elevated and exagerated conditions. Dives are gonna get extremely better with time. After observing closely the results of a really successful Instructor, in where he takes new divers, and how he introduces them to the shore scene, I believe his strategy works, by where he takes them. A couple of spots mentioned here are worth noting...Redondo Beach Vets Park, Laguna Shaws Cove,
Vets has a consistancy of calm water, not alot of surge deeper than 40feet, nor rocks to see going by, nor a lot reef life, but tons of bottom dwellers, it's sandy. The surf is real short and usually tiny. Shaws is cool also. It might be safe to say that conditions may appear to have increased during the dive while getting out. That might have something to do with exertion or adrenalin levels, or condtitions getting plain bigger. Don't expect the best dives in your first trips, it might be the best, but just spend some time there, because over the course of time...years...you'll look back and maybe recall that "it didn't look as good then as it does now!" Knowing the only thing different now is your experience level, and a growing perception that has carried the entire trip! Have fun!!

 

[Leejnd]

I would still recommend a day of boat diving over to Catalina ... even if you think that $125pp for 3 dives and food is too expensive.

Reason one: It is important that your first dozen dives or so are GREAT experiences. Many people, in fact most people who get certified never get past that point as they have a bad experience and quit. If you have some GREAT first dives, when you do have a bad one it will not discourage you with the sport.

Reason two: Shore diving is great, but it can be much more physically taxing than a boat dive. So doing boat dives can mean 3 dives in a day, and still have energy left to carry your gear back to the car afterwards.

I couldn't agree more! I'm extremely glad that I did my first few post-certification dives from boats. By the time I tried shore diving, I was already hooked. Which is a good thing, because my first couple of shore dives SUCKED! My very first one, I got knocked over and thought I was gonna drown - I'd forgotten to keep my reg in my mouth, I ended up face-down with my gear on top of me pressing me down, and started breathing in seawater. On my second shore dive I lost my fin upon entry! Shore diving in SoCal is pretty challenging, and really not for divers right out of certification. Diving as a newbie already involves so much task loading...adding the issues of planning for entries/exits, the often heavy surge you find so close to shore, worse visibility than you'll experience on boat dives that can anchor further away from the dirty beach, etc. etc.

My exception to that would be if you go with a couple of experienced divers to mentor you for your first few beach dives. If you can find yourself a couple of experienced buddies to take you each in, that can be a game-changer.

That's my advice, anyway.

 

[Teamcasa]

Since you guys live down south, try La Jolla cove. It's a good place to practice. I love diving Casino Point. It's perfect for beginners as you can come and go on your own schedule and there are always plenty of divers to help if you need it.