California diving?

[Speedwagon]

Ok, so I'm wondering what the diving is like in California. I'm currently in the military in Maryland, and considering where I want to go when I get out in 2 years. I was in Okinawa for 2 years, and dove there all the time. Absolutely loved it!

So, I'd like to know if Cali diving is good/comparable to my experience in Okinawa. I haven't been diving in the Mid-Atlantic area yet, but I hear there are some wreck dives off the coast of Ocean city.

Originally from Chicago.. but I don't think Lake Michigan is going to provide me with what I want. So, any thoughts?

 

[scubasean]

Northern Cal has 45-60 degree water, vis of 10-45 feet depending on the day, and lots of cool things to look at.

Southern cal has the same, except vis is often much better in places, has higher water temps (five to ten degrees warmer) etc.

Isn't Okinawa warm water? With vis in the 50-100 ft. range?

My dad dove Okinawa long ago, and gave up diving when we moved to CA....LOL Guess he was spoiled.

That being said, I love diving here.

 

[Speedwagon]

Yea, rather warm. Winter requires a full wetsuit of at least 3mm, though most find 5mm comfortable. Summers.. by the end, you can get by with nothing more than a skin(if that) in spots. And yes, most of the time visibility was great.

So yea, I'm probably spoiled too. What kind of things are there to see in Cali? Okinawa is full of reefs, with lots of sub-tropical fish, and some rays and sharks(but I only saw 1 shark, and a couple rays.. I was SOO hoping to see more sharks).

 

[aquagal]

The sea life isn't as brilliant as a warm water reef but there is just as much variety. The water is highly nutrient rich and this affects the visibility. I've had some spectacular dives in the Monterey bay. It's incredible to have a mola-mola (sunfish) swim by and check you out. Harbor seals & sea lions are plentiful. The juveniles like to nibble on fins but rarely try to get more intimate. Checkout this site http://www.metridium.com/. He's done a fantastic job of recording the diverse life in the Monterey Bay.

I think a minimum of 7mm is needed or the bay. I just got my dry suit and will be trying it out this next week off the Sonoma (still California) coast.

 

[pasley]

Southern California offers some excellent diving.

Winter temps are often warmer than summer but a 6.5 to 7mm suit is the norm here with 50-65 degree water. Vis is normally 10-15 most days. We do have many days (Oct and Nov) of 20-30 ft Vis and some places more. We also have our share of 0-5 ft Vis.

We also have the islands (Catalina, San Clemente, San Nicholas, Santa Barbara etc) which often have 100+ vis with 30-40 to be normal.

You can boat or shore dive (I shore dive weekly). What will you see? Barracuda, Chub, Cod, Damselfish (Garibaldi - think gold fish on steroids), Eel, Flounder, Halibut, Greenling, Opal Eye, Kelpfish, Octopi, Rockfish, Scuplin, Giant Black Sea Bass (300-500 lbs), White Sea Bass and a whole lot of other types of bass, Sharks, Tuna, Wrasse, sea lions. Last week I spotted the famous Mantis Shrimp with the fastest strike of any animal on earth (1/32,000 of a second) that can hit with the force of a .22 Cal bullet. We Have Kelp, rock reefs, sand bottoms, caverns, wrecks; just about anything you want to dive.

Here are some links with photos by local diving about local diving
http://diver.net/paulette/
http://diver.net/ross/
http://www.underwaterplanet.com/

Local dive sites: http://www.sandeaters.org

Southern California around Los Angeles and San Diego usually has some place you can shore dive. Due to the shape of the coast you can dive a northern facing beach if the swell is out of the south, or a south beach if it is out of the North, Because of the coast line, the areas of coast with islands offshore may offer better and more frequent diving opportunities as the islands will protect the coast from the full force of the open ocean swell. Up north were they don’t have the islands, you often need to boat dive as the waves are a bit much for shore diving.

So enjoy the time where you are, we hope to see you diving California.