Orange County Dive Ops

Hi Folks...

I am heading out to a business trip on 3 Jun 2005(Friday), and would like to know of any good dive operators in that area.

I need an outfit that is tolerant of newbies (been diving 9 months). This would be both my first boat dive and my first ocean dive. I will have all my own gear, except tank & weights. I have a thick semi-dry, I hear the water there is fairly chilly.

Also, anything I need to be aware of, when diving in the area?
-- marine life?
-- chop/waves?
-- entanglements?
-- equipment requirements (safety sausage, computer, etc)

Thanks,
--Kerry

mongoose:

good dive operators in that area. I need an outfit that is tolerant of newbies...

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There are a bunch of good dive shops around here. Many have reserved seats on regularly scheduled dive boats. Beach diving is also pretty popular out here. Check out OC Divebums web site and Diver.net

Don't worry about being a newbie. There are a lot of experienced divers on this forum who take pleasure in giving a tour of So Cal's local diving opportunities to people of all skill levels. Post another message with your dates and location (Santa Barbara, LA, Orange, San Diego County) and don't be surprised if you have to beat potential dive buddies off with a stick.

mongoose:

Also, anything I need to be aware of, when diving in the area?
-- marine life?
-- chop/waves?
-- entanglements?
-- equipment requirements (safety sausage, computer, etc)

Click to expand...

Marine Life: Sea lions (friendly, playful, a little intimidating) and sea urchins (pointy and painful).

Chop/Waves: I take sea-sickness pills before a boat dive. Beach diving can be a little "interesting" because of the surf.

Entanglements: Fishing line and kelp. Bring a knife or shears for the fishing line. Educate yourself on how to detangle yourself from kelp (it's usually easy).

Equipment Requirements: Cold water gloves, safety sausage, knife, and pocket light are all good ideas. Needing a computer really depends of your # of dives per day and beach vs. boat. Just "plan your dive and dive your plan" and you will be fine.

Hope this helps,

-Aaron

FYI: I don't know of any dive boats out of Orange County. You will have to drive up to LA or down to San Diego to get on a dive boat. Please correct me if I am wrong.
It would be awsome if they had some charter dive boats, but I think most the charters are for the "sport" fisherman. Have a great trip!

Here's 1 link for dive boats:

http://www.saintbrendan.com/database/search.htm

There are lots of OC Dive ops. What part of OC will you be visiting??? The only dive boat that remotely goes out of OC/boarderline LA county would be the Sun Diver based out of Los Alamitos Bay. It's a great boat. Not too far away in Long Beach, there is The Encore, The Great Escape, The Cee Ray, and The Bottom Scratcher. All other dive boats are out of San Pedro.

You might consider taking the Catalina Express over to Catalina Island to dive Casino Point. I do believe there is a boat that leaves out of Newport Beach. If not, then Long Beach or the Queen Mary Landing.

PM me offlist, and I would be happy to help you in locating a dive op to meet your needs.

Cool, thanks everyone for the info. I think I will try the Sun Diver. I had a reservation with them once last August, but had to cancel... they were nice folks.

I think one person asked where I would be... I will be in Irvine for about a week.

Thanks!
--'Goose

Sort of repeating the question: I will be in SoCal for about one month, starting next weekend. I'll be in Newport Beach first, and then in Santa Barbara. Unfortunately, I'll probably only be able to fit in one day of diving in each location. I'll be traveling solo, btw.

Any tips re dive ops would be much appreciated.

rpodos:

Sort of repeating the question: I will be in SoCal for about one month, starting next weekend. I'll be in Newport Beach first, and then in Santa Barbara. Unfortunately, I'll probably only be able to fit in one day of diving in each location. I'll be traveling solo, btw.

Any tips re dive ops would be much appreciated.

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A day trip on one of the Truth Aquatics boats out of Santa Barbara would be a no-brainer:

http://www.truthaquatics.com/diving.htm

As for Orange County, you could shore dive in the greater Laguna area, or drive up to Long Beach to go out on one of the boats such as the Sundiver.