Diving in San Diego (or surrounding area)

[jameseg]

My wife and I dove with Humboldt/Waterhorse Charters when we were out there last year. Had a great experience with them and would certainly recommend them, but haven't been on any of the other boats in the area. I'm mixed on their Coronado Islands itinerary. Diving with the sea lions was absolutely fantastic, but other than that I wasn't overly impressed with the sites. The third dive in particular, away from the sea lion colony, had very little besides sea urchins. Humboldt rents tanks, but I don't believe it rents other gear, so you'd want to inquire about that in advance.

James

 

[Badge353]

I dove this past weekend on the Humboldt/Waterhorse Charters on 6-8-13. Good steady boat and they provided Steel 85 LP Tanks. This was a two dive trip in the morning HMCS Yukon and then the Ruby E. Good boat good crew. I lost my knife on Yukon dive. Told the crew next morning the knife was returned as another diver located it on the afternoon dives.

I dove off the Lois Ann on 6-9-13. The boat is a little taller and narrower and moves more in the surface swell. Crew also was outstanding. Two dives on the HMCS Yukon and One on the Ruby E. AL 80 tanks were also provided. Both also provided lead if you needed it.

Both these crews will take great care of you and you couldn't go wrong with either of them.

 

[Bopper]

I'm mixed on their Coronado Islands itinerary. Diving with the sea lions was absolutely fantastic, but other than that I wasn't overly impressed with the sites. The third dive in particular, away from the sea lion colony, had very little besides sea urchins.

About 3 years ago when I first got certified my instructor told us the story - at least his perspective - of what happened to the Coronados Islands. He said that since they are in Mexican waters, they didn't enjoy the protection that US laws might have afforded them. So they were fished. And fished. And fished. No size fish were spared. The kelp bass. The lobster. And apparently most importantly the sheephead.

IIRC, these species were "in charge" of keeping the urchin population in check. Well, as the aforementioned species were overfished, the urchins grew unchecked. And what's one of the things on urchins' dinner menus? Kelp. More specifically they love kelp holdfasts, the 'roots' of the kelp that keep them anchored. So these urchins took over, ate through all the holdfasts, and the kelp- deprived of its tenuous grip on terrafirma- died. All that was left was a desolate moonscape of rocks and urchins. And so that's a third hand version of the reason why you might have been underwhelmed by your visit to the Coronados. And a lesson for all of us.

 

[diverrex]

About 3 years ago when I first got certified my instructor told us the story - at least his perspective - of what happened to the Coronados Islands. He said that since they are in Mexican waters, they didn't enjoy the protection that US laws might have afforded them. So they were fished. And fished. And fished. No size fish were spared. The kelp bass. The lobster. And apparently most importantly the sheephead.

IIRC, these species were "in charge" of keeping the urchin population in check. Well, as the aforementioned species were overfished, the urchins grew unchecked. And what's one of the things on urchins' dinner menus? Kelp. More specifically they love kelp holdfasts, the 'roots' of the kelp that keep them anchored. So these urchins took over, ate through all the holdfasts, and the kelp- deprived of its tenuous grip on terrafirma- died. All that was left was a desolate moonscape of rocks and urchins. And so that's a third hand version of the reason why you might have been underwhelmed by your visit to the Coronados. And a lesson for all of us.

We have sites in SoCal that are urchin barrens - rocks, urchins and very few fish. I did 3 dives at Anacapa a year or so ago where we did all 3 dives in bare spots. I swear other than gobies we didn't see more than 10 fish in all 3 dives combined. Probably my most boring day of diving.

 

[diversteve]

About 3 years ago when I first got certified my instructor told us the story - at least his perspective - of what happened to the Coronados Islands. He said that since they are in Mexican waters, they didn't enjoy the protection that US laws might have afforded them. So they were fished. And fished. And fished. No size fish were spared. The kelp bass. The lobster. And apparently most importantly the sheephead.

IIRC, these species were "in charge" of keeping the urchin population in check. Well, as the aforementioned species were overfished, the urchins grew unchecked. And what's one of the things on urchins' dinner menus? Kelp. More specifically they love kelp holdfasts, the 'roots' of the kelp that keep them anchored. So these urchins took over, ate through all the holdfasts, and the kelp- deprived of its tenuous grip on terrafirma- died. All that was left was a desolate moonscape of rocks and urchins. And so that's a third hand version of the reason why you might have been underwhelmed by your visit to the Coronados. And a lesson for all of us.

That's a shame. Thirty+ years ago I certified out there. One of the highlights was diving thru the kelp into little protected rocky areas. Occasionally there'd be a nurse shark or other fish hovering there also. Even then there were urchins on top of urchins in some spots.

 

[Chiapet]

My favorite San Diego day boats in order:
1) The Humboldt/ Waterhorse charters: This boat has the most space and a hot shower on deck. Soup and salad between dives.
2) Marissa: Smaller boat and less covered seating. Fajitas for lunch.
3) Lois Ann: The boat has a taller profile and I get motion sick more often on it. It also doesn't have any covered seating if you are wet. Their galley is a dry area.

All three boats have excellent professional and friendly crews. All three companies also offer gear rentals which would be convenient since you'll have no way to transport gear.

If this will be your first ocean dive you might want to consider hiring a divemaster guide. I believe all 3 companies can arrange this. Also, if this is going to be your first ocean dive I would recommend that you dive the kelp instead of the wrecks. The kelp forests are beautiful and filled with lots of interesting critters. The Yukon is a great dive but it's deepish and prone to surge and can be disorienting in low viz because it lies on its port side instead of upright.

Another possibility would be to hire a guide for a shore dive and ask them to transport the gear from the shop for you. I like San Diego Divers. They have very experienced staff and personalized service. You could dive the kelp at La Jolla Cove or do a muck/critter dive at La Jolla Shores.

A final option would be to bypass San Diego all together. I love diving here but I have to admit that Catalina almost always has better viz and warmer water. The cheapest easiest way to dive Catalina would be to catch a day boat out of Long Beach. Some of those boats let you sleep on board the night before which saves you a hotel night. I've used Sundiver Charters before and I was happy with the service.

Have a great trip!

 

[pacchill]

IB Divers runs guided DM tours everyday. That is a good option to go with.