First time to San Diego

Hi everyone. Looking for some dive advice.

Hubby and I are coming to San Diego for a long weekend at the end of September. We want to dive two mornings. Here are some stats about us:
--OW certified
--15 dives each
--Deepest dive we've done was 85-90 feet
--About evenly split between cold freshwater dives and warm saltwater dives, have never dived in cold saltwater

We are hoping to get in 4 dives total (2 each morning). Can anyone me come up with a "plan"? I have read that shore diving at La Jolla is great and some dive shops do guided tours (we would want to do this). I've also read about boats that go out to Wreck Alley or some such, which also interests us, but it seems to me like these are not guided and I guess that makes me a bit nervous.

Just looking for some general advice about what you all would recommend to us. Thanks in advance! I appreciate it.

Most of wreck alley is right at or slightly deeper than your maximum. So maybe dive an alternative such as the Point Loma Kelp Beds. . Coronado Islands is also a shallow alternative, they do dive certifications there.

Another factor is that I don't think that there's any boat working in San Diego that puts a Divemaster in the water with you without prior paid arrangements - you could hire your own for just the two of you.

Some of the boat operators break down their sites/schedule by experience level - here's Humboldt's info (Waterhorse Charters) since I had it bookmarked. San Diego SCUBA Dive Sites

also:

Do you offer guided dives?
Our divemaster stays onboard for surface support for all divers on the trip. However, a divemaster can be hired to take you on a tour. Divemaster hires are as follows:

2 Tank Trips: $80 for 1 to 2 divers, $120 for up to 4 divers.
3 Tank Trips: $120 for 1 to 2 divers, $160 for up to 4 divers.

Please give us a minimum of 5 days advanced notice of your trip if you would like to hire a personal divemaster.

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Most of the San Diego boats are listed at the bottom here: California Dive Boats : The Official Page

Lois Ann is another mentioned option - IDK it personally. One thing they do is recommend a skill level for some of the better dives - in both good and bad conditions here: http://www.loisann.com/dive_sites.html

OEXpress used to guide shore dives in LaJolla - they probably still do - it seems like there used to be more info on their website than just this: Diving In La Jolla Cove - OEX Scuba Diving Tours in La Jolla

Since you're just planning on doing two dives, focus on the Cove, not the Shores, it's a better dive. The Cove is an easy entry off the beach (once you find parking and carry gear down the stairs...) Get there early for parking. If there's none, drop one of you/gear and drive back up the hill and take the 1st left. A short block down is a paid parking garage on the left. The walkway next to it leads right down to the cove.

Cool, thanks.

What do you think if we did La Jolla cove one morning and Coronado Islands another morning?

...would it even be possible to do Coronado Islands in a morning, or would it have to be a whole-day thing?

minnesnowta:

Cool, thanks.

What do you think if we did La Jolla cove one morning and Coronado Islands another morning?

...would it even be possible to do Coronado Islands in a morning, or would it have to be a whole-day thing?

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It's all day - Humboldt even does 3 tanks there. Leave at 9 back around 6. Coronado's are about 20 miles south of San Diego. It's also in Mexico so you'll need a photo ID at the boat so they can issue you a visa.

One other thing to check is are onboard tanks/weights included in the price. A lot of SoCal divers have their own so it's often priced both ways. On some trips you bring your own also.

Decisions, decisions. :cool2: Coronado Islands look pretty fun and I really want to see some seals/sea lions.

Point Loma...would that be a morning (half-day) thing?

I really appreciate your help here...it's hard to sift through all the random stuff one finds on the internet and figure it out on your own...

Personally I would write off the Coronados. I've done it and it's nice, but I wouldn't call it spectacular -- I would not want to spend an entire day on a boat on such a short trip from out of state. YMMV

I love boat diving in S.D. and the kelp beds are beautiful, however it is not what some people expect. I've seen an out-of-towner get in the water and then get right out, skipping the dive, due to the combination of cold murky water, swell, and current. I've never recommended a guided boat dive to anyone but in your case, if you decide to go on a charter boat then a guide is probably a good idea. The water can be very cold on the bottom even in summer (low 50s) so I would be sure to bring at least a sweatshirt to wear between dives. Also as far as I know the charters only provide 80s or 85s for tanks; given the conditions I don't think that's adequate to have a nice leisurely dive. I always brought 100s.

If it were me I would plan on doing one day at the Cove and one day at the Shores -- partly because I'm cheap, but also just so you can get a feel for what CA diving is like and get accustomed to it. I think once you know what to expect you'll have a better time once you do go out on a boat. You should have no trouble finding a group of locals to meet up with to give you the skinny on entry/exit points, compass headings, and other vital info, and they may just let you tag along in the water as well.

FYI parking at the Cove can be CRAZY; you're going after Labor Day so it shouldn't be as bad but I used to get there as early as 6am to ensure a good spot. The Shores is not as bad but I still liked to be there by 7am. You can drop gear at Kellogg Park and then park in the big parking lot.

The Cove is considered "easy" by San Diego standards however you should be aware that it does involve going down/up a long, steep set of stairs. Both the Cove and the Shores involve long surface swims, depending on the tide and your dive plan you could be surface swimming for anywhere from 10-20 minutes.

Whatever you end up doing I recommend you bring a good dive light for anything other than the Cove. Depending on conditions it can get very dark at depth, even on the sunniest day.

Remember to do the "stingray shuffle" at the Shores.

Local boats can arrange a guide for you if you require one. Our wrecks are worth seeing. The shore diving is only popular because the price is right.

Point Loma is actually the point of land just west of San Diego Bay. So it's a 10min boat ride from the harbor. Check Marissa's schedule - they're probably out there at least once during your trip. They list trip times on their dive list but usually 8-12:30 or 2:30 on the 3-dive. Marissa Charters - Kelp Forests, San Diego Scuba Diving

It's actually an easier way out to the Kelp since the beds off La Jolla Cove are about 400 yds. out.

The boats will usually moor just off the kelp since it's nasty stuff to get wrapped around a prop. Never jump into directly it from the surface. It's a lot better if you don't surface in it either also. Bring a knife but don't hack at it if you get stuck - it's better to break it off at the stalk then cut/remove it from your gear. It's kind of gooey also so best to stay clear if at all possible. You may see some seals out there also.

Someone in another thread recently pointed out that their impression is that the Kelp that was off the Coronados is mostly gone now since overfishing has led to a dramatic increase in [-]sea urchins[/-] brittle stars - they eat the Kelp holdfasts and the stalk floats away. So it's a lot more barren than it was when I was last there. The seals/sea lions will probably come out to play though - there's a rookery there. Leave your snorkel on the boat or strap it to your leg. Anything dangly also.

I went to the Coronados recently and don't think I saw a single strand of kelp. All I remember is big boulders and lots of brittle-stars.

If I only got two dive days in San Diego, I'd go on boats and hit the various kelp beds/reefs off the coast. The reason being, if their original dive site from the trip schedule looks bad, they'll move you to a dive site that looks better (and they'll run it by the divers first of course) because 1. they have a good gauge of what looks 'bad' vs 'good' and 2. know various sites to move to if the first or second looks bad viz/too rough/something else bad. If someone tells you to go to the shores and viz is bad and you don't find anyone else who can give you advice, you might have to just sit out.

Just remember, if you pull on the kelp up and down it'll stretch because it's designed to do that to withstand the waves pulling it up and down, but if you fold it over on itself it'll snap right off.

I would recommend the Marissa. Small boat, very experienced crew. Don't expect resort type dive guides in SD. Diving in CA it's very much expected that you are self-sufficient.
diving CA kelp is just awesome. You can't experience that in many other places so see it while you can!
i do recommend spring straps for your fins. Regular fins can snag on kelp, plus they are a real pain to get off with heavy exposure gear if the waves are high.

---------- Post added June 26th, 2013 at 03:05 PM ----------

I would recommend the Marissa. Small boat, very experienced crew. Don't expect resort type dive guides in SD. Diving in CA it's very much expected that you are self-sufficient.
diving CA kelp is just awesome. You can't experience that in many other places so see it while you can!
i do recommend spring straps for your fins. Regular fins can snag on kelp, plus they are a real pain to get off with heavy exposure gear if the waves are high.
Point Loma Kelp beds should be a good choice for you.