who is diving and where
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kelpmermaid
Contributor
427, you might also want to look at this link for Laguna Sea Sports website for more Laguna Beach diving info.
http://www.scuba-superstore.com/index.asp
I did some of my first pre-certification dives in this area. The water is cold there, but the stairs will heat you up!
http://www.scuba-superstore.com/index.asp
I did some of my first pre-certification dives in this area. The water is cold there, but the stairs will heat you up!
socaldiver
Contributor
What are you trying to say Kelpmermaid? There are only a "few" flights of stairs.
I found Shaw's Cove to be a nice dive provided the surf isn't up. There is a nice swim thru over into I believe it's Crescent Bay. Plenty of marine life along the reef. You also a have a surface swim of roughly 50 yards or so to get out into a little deeper water from what I can remember.
I found Shaw's Cove to be a nice dive provided the surf isn't up. There is a nice swim thru over into I believe it's Crescent Bay. Plenty of marine life along the reef. You also a have a surface swim of roughly 50 yards or so to get out into a little deeper water from what I can remember.
OP
trymixdiver
Guest
Shaws cove has a few flights of stairs, but its not bad at all. It is very nice dive, shallow reef that wraps around the right side of the beach. I think its a super night dive too, lots of marine life to see.
Socaldiver is correct, the next beach to the right of shaws is Cressent Bay. I find cressant bay to be my favorite dive site in laguna. Not only is there a shallow reef all the way to the right side, but there is a deep reef also. Deadmans reef starts at aoubt 50' and goes out to about 70'. It is a large reef and well worth the dive. Seal Rock is also located off Creesant Bay, you are not allowed to walk on it, but you can dive right up to it. Lots of seals usually hang out there. I would call Cressant an anvanced dive if your doing the deep reef. The entry is great if the surf is small ( 1'-3') anything more than that and you may want to try Shaws if your not used to surf entries.
Get there early, its very popular spot.
Andy
Socaldiver is correct, the next beach to the right of shaws is Cressent Bay. I find cressant bay to be my favorite dive site in laguna. Not only is there a shallow reef all the way to the right side, but there is a deep reef also. Deadmans reef starts at aoubt 50' and goes out to about 70'. It is a large reef and well worth the dive. Seal Rock is also located off Creesant Bay, you are not allowed to walk on it, but you can dive right up to it. Lots of seals usually hang out there. I would call Cressant an anvanced dive if your doing the deep reef. The entry is great if the surf is small ( 1'-3') anything more than that and you may want to try Shaws if your not used to surf entries.
Get there early, its very popular spot.
Andy
Arnaud
Contributor
Greetings,
I dove for the first time in Malibu this last weekend, doing some specialty courses with Malibu Divers. It was the first time I was diving in a sand-only environment. I was a little bothered by the lack of visual references, especially when the viz is only 5 feet, as it was Saturday. On Sunday, we dove at Point Dune. The weather was extremely nice and the viz much better, about 20-25 feet. Orientation/navigation became much easier.
Obviously, it's pretty bare over there. I haven't tried the Malibu kelps beds, but I'm sure they're nothing like Catalina's. However, we did see quite a lot: Spanish shawls, octopuses, lobsters, dozens of skate and several big halibuts. One of 2 highlights was a huge sheep crab (probably 4 or 5 feet wide) that stood erected at us like some lame creatures from a 50's scarry movie. The other was a horn shark, sleeping on the sand. Probably about 3.5 feet long.
The water temp was 59° at the surface and 55° at 90 feet.
All this wasn't bad, especially since we were practicing some drills. I'm not sure I'll go back, unless I don't have any other option. Except for the Spanish shawls, there's not much color down there...
Anybody knows any rocky/reef sites along the South Coast? Something that would be more visually appealing and closer than the Channel Islands?
I dove for the first time in Malibu this last weekend, doing some specialty courses with Malibu Divers. It was the first time I was diving in a sand-only environment. I was a little bothered by the lack of visual references, especially when the viz is only 5 feet, as it was Saturday. On Sunday, we dove at Point Dune. The weather was extremely nice and the viz much better, about 20-25 feet. Orientation/navigation became much easier.
Obviously, it's pretty bare over there. I haven't tried the Malibu kelps beds, but I'm sure they're nothing like Catalina's. However, we did see quite a lot: Spanish shawls, octopuses, lobsters, dozens of skate and several big halibuts. One of 2 highlights was a huge sheep crab (probably 4 or 5 feet wide) that stood erected at us like some lame creatures from a 50's scarry movie. The other was a horn shark, sleeping on the sand. Probably about 3.5 feet long.
The water temp was 59° at the surface and 55° at 90 feet.
All this wasn't bad, especially since we were practicing some drills. I'm not sure I'll go back, unless I don't have any other option. Except for the Spanish shawls, there's not much color down there...
Anybody knows any rocky/reef sites along the South Coast? Something that would be more visually appealing and closer than the Channel Islands?
socaldiver
Contributor
For the most part, Santa Monica Bay's kelp forest is sparse. There is an organization, I believe it is called Santa Monica Baykeepers, that is doing an outstanding job of replanting kelp in the bay to help it regain some of it's forest that was wiped out in the past.
They have been replanting mainly up in the Malibu area. I was a volunteer diver helping them replant about a year or so ago but have lost contact with them since my move back east.
If you go up by Zuma Beach there are some pretty nice kelp beds, however they will require a substantial surface swim and the water can be rough. Well worth the effort though.
But you are right, I doubt very seriously if you will be able to ever compare the kelp in Malibu to what you have off Catalina and the other Channel Islands.
They have been replanting mainly up in the Malibu area. I was a volunteer diver helping them replant about a year or so ago but have lost contact with them since my move back east.
If you go up by Zuma Beach there are some pretty nice kelp beds, however they will require a substantial surface swim and the water can be rough. Well worth the effort though.
But you are right, I doubt very seriously if you will be able to ever compare the kelp in Malibu to what you have off Catalina and the other Channel Islands.
SMKChef
Contributor
]
Hopefully, one of these days will be this coming weekend. Has anyone dove off Leo Carillo Beach? What's it like?
kelpmermaid
Contributor
but every time I drive out to Leo Carrillo, the surf picks up. There is a reef out there and kelp. You can check out the camera and conditions on www.surfline.com.
One thing - it is supposed to rain again later this week, and if it does, it probably will not be great to dive because runoff limits viz and increases the bacteria count. You never know about the weather, though -- they could be wrong.
One thing - it is supposed to rain again later this week, and if it does, it probably will not be great to dive because runoff limits viz and increases the bacteria count. You never know about the weather, though -- they could be wrong.
SMKChef
Contributor
Thanks, Kelpmermaid,
I am trying to find a dive location in Ventura County off the beach. Is there any spot worth diving up that way?
I am trying to find a dive location in Ventura County off the beach. Is there any spot worth diving up that way?
kelpmermaid
Contributor
for me to beach dive, but some others here might be able to help. Also, if you can find it, the publisher of California Diving News has a book entitled "Southern California's Best Beach Dives." See www.saintbrendan.com.
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