Wheres the Kelp In OC?

[MntbikerBamBam]

I dive laguna pretty much solely (if thats how its spelled) and well where is the kelp?! i went to catalina for my cert class and we dove a few little kelp beds and i loved them! but i dont have the $$$ to go out there to often. Is there any local kelp forest in OC? Im still pretty new so i would prefer to stay withing 200 yards of shore, which seems pretty far so i figure there has got to be some kelp somewhere.
any suggestions on spots?

Thanks!

 

[orangelion03]

You may not want to drive that far, but it's a shore dive and will only cost you gas and parking: Leo Carillo. We dove there Saturday and the kelp is thick and getting thicker! Oh, you dont have to climb any stairs either.

 

[So Cal Shaggy]

from Corona Del Mar all the way down to Dana point there are little kelp forests all along the coast you just have to find them they are not as big as the kelp forests at Catalina but they can be pretty substantial. Crystal cove has pretty good kelp.

 

[shark.byte.usa]

from Corona Del Mar all the way down to Dana point there are little kelp forests all along the coast you just have to find them they are not as big as the kelp forests at Catalina but they can be pretty substantial. Crystal cove has pretty good kelp.

At the end of Poppy Ave. in Newport is "Little Corona" there are a couple good patties there.

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=...19,-117.870072&spn=0.003696,0.005364&t=h&om=1

-Garrett

 

[SeaWorthy]

MntbikerBamBam, there are some kelp at Diver's Cove in shallow water near the exposed rock (west side, i.e. right-hand side as you face the ocean) and underwater reef between Diver's and Fisherman's Cove. Also, Diver's has relatively easy entry and exit over sand.

 

[Jesster]

You may not want to drive that far, but it's a shore dive and will only cost you gas and parking: Leo Carillo. We dove there Saturday and the kelp is thick and getting thicker! Oh, you dont have to climb any stairs either.

A great opportunity to dive Leo Carillo is the "wrinkles" dive this month, Plus you get to meet alot of local divers. Check it out and hope to see ya there!

 

[ScubaBob92651]

What about San Mateo Kelp Beds off San Clemente (near pier)? Not sure on access from beach, but I plan to dive their soon from my boat.

 

[Empty V]

If you feel adventurous you can head a little north of Leo and check out Deer Creek. I did a night dive there a little while ago and the kelp was everywhere! It was pretty amazing.

P.S. Thank you for not calling it "The OC" yeah I'm going to "The LA" for dinner tonight and live in "The VC"

Lame!

Billy

 

[riguerin]

What about San Mateo Kelp Beds off San Clemente (near pier)? Not sure on access from beach, but I plan to dive their soon from my boat.

FYI. There's actually a proposal to build a 150 acre artificial reef here in South OC. The goal is to replace the kelp beds that have been damaged by the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. Southern Cal Edison has actually been conducting a smaller scale experiment in which they've relocated concrete block and quarry stone between the San Mateo Point and the San Clemente Pier. Here's a link to an article that describes the proposal in greater detail.