Looking to do Friday night beach dives in Malibu

[Leejnd]

A few years ago we had a group of frequent divers who were meeting up once a week in Malibu to do night dives. We usually did Broad Beach, but we also occasionally met at Malibu Rd or Pt. Dume. Ahh...those were the days! We'd lay out a blankie, bring down sandwiches and a sixer or so of Newcastle, set up the gear on the blankie, do a beautiful night dive, then relax on the sand and have a little picnic. I really miss my regular weekly night dives! I don't even know why we stopped - they just seemed to peter out after a while.

Now that I'm getting back into diving, and with the summer months coming up, is anyone shore diving in Malibu on a regular basis? If not...anyone interested in firing up this tradition again?

I know there are often night dives at Vets, but I live in Thousand Oaks and it's just too hard to get all the way down there in rush-hour traffic. Malibu, on the other hand, is a 30 minute jaunt for me. Friday nights are best because we're usually on our sailboat all weekend long, so my weekends are mostly booked (and mid-week is hard because of work schedules).

So...any takers? Friday nights in Malibu? Or any other night? (Once the conditions improve, of course...)

 

[vcblklion]

My dear...you have got my attention!! I live in Winnetka (Canoga Park) and I have the same problem you do...all my freinds dive Vets or Laguna and it's too much of a hassle to get down there on a regular basis. Is there much to see in Malibu other than sand..?? Are you familiar with the dive terrain? At any rate, I would be interested in this idea....keep me posted? you can reach me on FB also. I spend a lot of time there. Vicente Crooks

 

[Leejnd]

Much to see in Malibu? Are you kidding? At the risk of getting assaulted by all the Vets lovers in here - I'd pick a Malibu dive over a Redondo dive any day . Now, mind you it is all pretty shallow diving - you're lucky if you can get down to 40 fsw, but there is TONS to see! Awesome reefs, beautiful kelp forests, lots of life. I've also had some of my best catches during lobster season down there - I know of a couple excellent hunting spots.

It's been about two years since I did a Malibu beach dive, but unless the topography has changed significantly in those two years, I'd have to say I know Malibu diving pretty okay. Broad Beach is still my favorite because of the easy access - it's a beautiful beach in a lovely residential neighborhood, and when the tide is not too high you can park right near the stairs, lay out a blanket, carry your gear down, and then gear up and just enter the water right there. I prefer that because I don't like long walks with gear on my back (I had back surgery about a year ago and I have to watch out for that).

There are other great sites in Malibu too - Deer Creek is nice and always had lovely kelp forests, although it can be a bit exposed, and you have to go up and down stairs with the gear on your back (hard for me). Pt. Dume is beautiful, but can be challenging with unpredictable currents. Leo Carrillo can be fun, although the surf can be higher there than other sites, and it can be muddy with bad vis. Malibu Rd has some really nice sites but I'm not as familiar with how to find the reefs there...I've spent more than one dive in that area tooling around on the sand LOOKING for the reefs, and never finding them! Broad Beach I know exactly where they are...I must have done at least 50 or so of my 225+ dives there.'

Anyway, yeah, let's connect! It's gonna be a couple weeks before I'm ready to start - I'm booked for the next couple of weeks - but we can start planning!

 

[geoff w]

...So...any takers? Friday nights in Malibu? Or any other night? (Once the conditions improve, of course...)

LeeAnne - I'm definitely in. Conditions looked pretty nice when I took my dog to the beach yesterday afternoon. I think I sent you my number a long time ago, if not, let me know. Not today or next week, though.If it's nice enough, my wife might even get wet. She was jealous a few weeks ago when we had epic warm/calm conditions and I dove EscondidoMalibu Rd is probably one of the easiest places for a night beach dive with plenty of underwater structure to see

 

[vcblklion]

Anyway, yeah, let's connect! It's gonna be a couple weeks before I'm ready to start - I'm booked for the next couple of weeks - but we can start planning!

Nice to meet you LeeAnne! I'm Vince.....let's go diving!

 

[stevensamler]

What a great way to end the work week I would like to do some dives in Malibu , keep me posted also on fb. Safe diving.

 

[Rainer]

If you like grabbing breakfast with friends, heading up to Malibu is a great way to start off a relaxing day.

If you like diving with friends, head down to Laguna instead.

 

[geoff w]

If you like grabbing breakfast with friends, heading up to Malibu is a great way to start off a relaxing day.

If you like diving with friends, head down to Laguna instead.

10 minutes to diving vs. 2 hours of driving?! Much easier to do 1 or 2 dives and then eat lunch looking out over the water in Malibu

 

[Rainer]

If you call that diving...



Seriusly, though, we've made WAY too many trips up to Malibu either to end up having to head to breakfast early due to large surf, or trying to "dive" in 2' visibility.

I'd love to hit Malibu more often (it's a lot closer to us, too), but the diving compared to Laguna is just not reliable enough to warrant the trip north.

10 minutes to diving vs. 2 hours of driving?! Much easier to do 1 or 2 dives and then eat lunch looking out over the water in Malibu

 

[geoff w]

Seriusly, though, we've made WAY too many trips up to Malibu either to end up having to head to breakfast early due to large surf, or trying to "dive" in 2' visibility.

I'd love to hit Malibu more often (it's a lot closer to us, too), but the diving compared to Laguna is just not reliable enough to warrant the trip north.

Call ahead for conditions (one of you guys should have my number from the last time you scootered out to the pinnacles). I've had some spectacular beach dives this year already. Even the last dive with 2-4' viz was worth it by the time we got out to the reef. One of the guys with us (DM candidate) said it was probably his favorite Malibu dive ever, and he saw it in horrible conditions. But no surf

Let me know if you want a heads up when conditions look nice. Also, Malibu Divers has daily FB postings on conditions and forecasts, which makes it easier to plan

Diving anywhere in Malibu today is going to suck, though