Where is the best shore diving near LA?

[tphelps]

i am new to diving and want to make it a big part of my life i really am interested in shore dives do to the fact that it is a lot cheaper. i want a place with an abundance of sea life... also i want to explore are there any underwater caves near here thanks in advance and this board is really helpful.

What's up man, I am from Long Beach and dive So Cal. Like Blackwood said, Shaws Cove is great. Laguna Beach and Dana Point are pretty good, Big Corona can be nice when the swell is down. If you have a chance, La Jolla/San Diego is great too. I did La Jolla Cove on sidemount, tons of Sea Lions! I also heard Palos Verde is good but have not been up there yet.

I dive a lot at Catalina Island and it is by far my favorite place to dive in Cali. Check out Sundiver, they are a great and super fun dive boat leaving out of Los Alamitos Bay in Long Beach. Dive Boat Sundiver Have heard amazing things about Channel Islands and San Clemente Island but have not been there yet.

Also, I recommend this book on Amazon. It is a great guide for all the diving in Southern California (as the name suggests). Includes pictures, conditions, what you can expect to see, parking, etc. I have it and it is a great book. Let me know if you have any other questions!

A Diver's Guide to Southern California's Best Beach Dives: Dale Sheckler, Kim Sheckler: 9780962860041: Amazon.com: Books

 

[surfinusa555]

Laguna is way too far with traffic from Santa Clarita to dive frequently in my opinion. I would go to Malibu, that way you drive less miles and avoid LA. Then again I hate traffic and paying for gas. Get this book A Diver's Guide to Southern California's Best Beach Dives: Dale Sheckler, Kim Sheckler: 9780962860041: Amazon.com: Books

 

[diverrex]

I live in the east SFV so I am about the same distance between Malibu and Laguna, about an hour. But I'd drive 30 minutes more to get to Laguna than Malibu. I have always seen more fish in Laguna.