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After creating a personal account, you will be directed to 'My Dive Shop' section where you can claim existing listing or create a new one.

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Much like a facebook page - you need to first have a personal account through which you can login and manage the business page.

After creating a personal account, you will be directed to 'My Dive Shop' section where you can claim existing listing or create a new one.

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By Using this Site I agree to the Terms & Conditons

United States flag Directory of 258 Dive Sites or Spots for Scuba Diving in Southern California Coast, United States




258 Dive Sites

Part 2: Dive Sites, Marine Life & Environment in Southern California Coast, (United States)

For most, Southern California diving conjures up images of huge, swaying underwater kelp with darting sea lions and the ever present thought of their predators lurching beyond the next tangle of fronds. The Giant kelp is not the only kelp species in the area but it is the most distinct. Growing from its holdfast rooted in the seabed, the largest of all algae extends up to 120 feet to reach the water's surface. Images of sharks cruising around in the kelp beds are notorious but the reality is that you are much more likely to see gentle, and small, horn shark rather than anything deadly or dangerous. The occasional lucky encounter with a blue shark usually ends quickly due to their skid-dish, shy nature around humans. California sheephead and blue rockfish frequent the kelp forests as well as sea urchins and red abalone. The serious danger to divers is the floating canopy of kelp blades that can entangle and panic inexperienced, ill prepared divers. There are specific safety precautions and special dive certifications designed around diving in the kelp forests.

Southern California's Channel Islands are an isolated ecosystem hosting unique species in and out of the water. The area known as the Santa Barbara Channel is famous for migratory whale siting of blue, humpback, fin and other large whales. Divers off the islands find themselves in giant kelp and the land of the sea lions and harbor seals. The area is inhabited by bat rays, blue shark and California moray eels. The islands are also the launching point for amazing scuba diving sites. Wilson Rock 2.2 miles off the northern most island of San Miguel is an underwater mountain whose tip juts out of the water just 20 feet. The dive site follows the submerged rock as it plateaus off several times giving a great dive depth of 35-65 feet to explore the many rock pinnacles and ledges. The ledges are covered with dense life and an invertebrate heaven. The area is famous for the huge anemones such as the flowing snow white tentacled Metridium anemone that can grow up to a meter as well as the cobalt blue sponge prevalent along the rock reefs. The Wilson Rock dive site is for experienced divers due to swift currents and strong surge, steep deep drop offs and extreme changes in visibility.

Water temperatures along the Channel Islands vary, the southern islands can be 10-15 degrees F warmer than the waters along the northern islands. In general, southern California's Pacific waters range from 50-60 degrees F in the winter months up to 60-70 degree F in the summer. The Pacific is much chillier than the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico or Caribbean like waters off the Florida Keys. Most divers in California don a wet suit or dry suit for warmth. Visibility in the Pacific is also not as exceptionally clear as the warmer, calmer waters of Florida for example. Pacific visibility however can sometimes be exceptionally clear with visibility at 150 feet, however the average visibility in this region of the Pacific is between 40-90 feet.

A warm southern current sweeps over Anacapa Island, a small Channel Island in the more southern reaches of the northern Channel Islands. The warmer temperatures make this a more pleasant dive than the colder more extreme dives off the far northern Channel Islands. Anacapa is a common place for those getting their underwater certification from local dive shops. The island is famous for its thick swaying kelp, leopard sharks and Garibaldis, the state fish of California that looks like a giant goldfish. The furthest Channel Island to the south is San Clemente Island offering protected shear cliffs over run with coral, anemones and sponges. Famous for its clear, relatively warmer waters, San Clemente is nonetheless a tricky dive with its swift currents and tight places sometimes hard to maneuver.

Off the shore of Santa Cruz Island, the largest Channel Island, is a great wreck dive to the USS Peacock. The 100 foot long wooden hulled World War II minesweeper is upright and accessible on the sandy bottom in just 60 feet of water. The wreck is near Scorpion Anchorage and accessible only by boat, it is recommended to go with an experienced dive boat outfit.

Los Coronados Islands just 20 miles south off the coast of San Diego offers dive sites such as Lobster Shack and Keyhole that actually lie in Mexican waters. Both fore mentioned dive sites are in 15-80 feet of water and are known to have great visibility and warm temperatures for the Pacific. Boat excursions the islands dive sites from the San Diego Harbor usually take about 2 hours each way. Scuba diving off the little islands is ideal for both beginners and more technical experienced divers.

About one mile off the coast of San Diego near Mission Bay lies the so called, Wreck Alley. It is a zone of artificial reef composed of six major ships that have been wrecked to create an artificial reef ideal for divers and those seeking technical dive certifications or underwater military training. The chief among the intentionally sunk ships in the alley is the HMCS Yukon, a 366 foot Canadian Destroyer. Other notable wrecks in the alley include the Coast Guard Cutter The Ruby E and the NOSC Tower. The Naval Ocean Systems Center tower rests in 60 feet of water and is the only unintentional wreck in Wreck Alley.

Read "Part 1: Overview of Scuba Diving in Southern California Coast, (United States)"

Read "Part 3: Dive Shops, Airports & Logistics of Diving in Southern California Coast, (United States)"

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Dive Sites in Southern California Coast, United States

Casino Point Underwater Park

La Jolla Shores

La Jolla Cove

Three Fingers

Santa Cruz Island

Oil Rig Eureka

Oil Rigs Elly-Ellen

Catalina Island

Vallecitos Point, La Jolla Shores Beach

Guadalupe Island

Tajiguas Beach

Santa Rosa Island

Empire Landing

Wycoff

ensenada

Point Loma

Royal Palm State Beach

Twin Rocks

Anacapa Island

Los Coronados

Ship Rock

Scripps Canyon

Marine Room

NOSC Tower

The Cave

Shell Beach

El Rey

Ruby E

Wipe Out Beach - Boomer

South Casa

Windansea

Hospital Point

Cardiff State Beach

Yukon

White Point

Italian Gardens

Veteran s Park

Malaga Cove

Old Marineland

Malaga Cove

Flat Rock

Christmas Tree Cove

Christmas Tree Cove

Big Rock

Point Dume

Leo Carillo State Beach

Deer Creek Road

Santa Barbara Island

La Jennelle Park

Mesa Lane

Arroyo Burrow Park

Refugio State Beach

Gaviota State Beach

Marine Room

OLYMPIC

OLYMPIC II

Osborn Bank

PAN PACIFIC

Paradise Cove

Pebbly Beach

Pelican Bay

PHILIPPINE

PIERPOINT QUE

Pirate s Cove

PLATFORM - GINA

Pt Vicente Pinnacles

Puerto Cueva

Punta Arena

Rat Rock

REAPER

Rippers Cove

Rock Quarry

Ruby E Wreck

S/V MYSTERY III

San Clemente North

SAN GIUSEPPE

San Nicholas Island

SANTA CECILIA

SANTA ROSA

Scorpion Anchorage

Sea Fan Grottos

SEA PRINCE

Seal Cove

Seal Point

Sentinel Point

Skunk Bay

South Coronado Island

SOUTHERN EXPLORER

SS Queen Mary

ST. JAMES

STAR ANGLER

STAR OF HOLLYWOOD

Star of India

Stony Point

Suejac Wreck

Sutil Island

Tanner Bank

TENACIOUS

The Palisades

The Rookery

Topanga Beach

Torqua Springs

UGLY ONE

Underwater Arch

USS John C Butler

USS Nimitz (CVN-68)

Valiant Wreck

White Cove

Willow Cove

Wilson Cove

Wipe Out Beach

Yukon Wreck

ZARCO

La Jolla Shores

Farnsworth

Blue Cavern

Bird Rock

Goat Harbor

Little Goat

Pinnacle Rock (Little Farnsworth)

Eagle Reef

vista point, ca

Lazy Days Wreck

Palawan Shipwreck

Star of Scotland Shipwreck

Cadiac Hill

Old Pier #3

Deb’s Reef

Isthmus / Harbor Reef

Yellowtail Point

Johnsons Rock

Three Caves

HenRock Reef

Flat Rock Palos Verdes

3 Trees @ Tahiguas

Honeymoon Cove

The Pipe

Red Rock Quarry

La Jolla Shores Underwater Park

Mission Bay Inlet

SS Dominator Wreck (Rocky Point)

Landing cove

Scorpion Wall

Goleta Beach Pier

Lobster Spot South of Flat Rock

Lion Head Point

DiveSummit

Parson’s Landing

Honeymoon Cove

Painted Cave

Wilson Rock

USS Peacock

Lobster Shack

Keyhole

MOLOKAI

S.S. Catalina Island Steamship

WESTGATE

Bechers Cove

Bee Rock

BERKLEY

BRANT

CGC MCCULLOCH

CHICKASAW

Ford Point

I.G.KULUKUNDIS

LOS ANGELOS

Point Bennett

Prince Island

Tajiguas

Talcott Shoal

Wyckoff Ledge

Abalone Cove

AMAZON

AMER ROSE

ANDREW D

Arch Reef

Arch Rock Cove

Arrow Point

Begg Rock

Ben Weston Point

Berkeley

Big Geiger Cove

Biltmore

Binnacle Rock

Bird Rock Wall

Bishop Rock

Bob*s Dive Site

Bowen Point

Bull City

Cabrillo Beach

Cape Cortes

Casino Point

Cat Canyon

Cherry Cove

Children s Pool

China Point

Church Rock

CITY OF LONG BEACH

Coal oil point

Coronados Reef

Cortez Bank

Crane Point

DISCOVERY

DIXIE

Dockweiler Beach State Park

Doctors Cove

East End

East End Eagle Reef

East Point

Eel Cove

Eel Point

Eel Point Reef

Emerald Bay

F/V GARLAND

Farnsworth Bank

Forney Cove

Fourth of July Cove

FOX

Frog Rock

Gallagher Beach

Gull Island

Harbor Reefs

Hen Rock

HMCS Yukon

IMPERIAL BEACH PIER

Isthmus Reef

JANE STANFORD

Kelp Point

Kinton Point

LA JENELLE (NORTH)

LA JENELLE (SOUTH)

La jolla Kelp Beds

Lions Head

Little Farnsworth

Little Geiger Cove

Little Gibraltar

Lobster Bay

Long Beach Breakwater

Long Point

LOOP

LSIL 837

M/V POPEYE

Mantaray night dive, north site

Marineland

Mesa

Middle Coronado Island

Middle Rock

Moonstone Cove

Morse Point

Net Reef

NEW CALIFORNIA

Nicholas Canyon

Nine Fathom Bank

North Coronado

North Coronado Island Passage

NOSC Tower Wreck

Oil Rig Edith

La Jolla Shores (La Jolla Canyon)

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