Question about a Dive Site in Palos Verdes

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headhunter

Renaissance Diver
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I'm new to the board and believe that this is the appropriate place to ask this question. If not, let me know.

I've been out of the water for quite a few years now and am going to get back in soon.

In anticipation and with great enthusiasm, last Monday I did an "out of the water" survey of old beach dive sites I used to enjoy from Deer Creek Road at the Ventura County line to White Point on the Palos Verdes penninsula. I wanted to see if I could find some of the old spots I remembered and see if they were still accessible. I set out to find 15 spots in all and thanks to a bit of research on the Internet found every one of them. It was a great day for a drive, by the way.

I found one that appears to no longer be accessible due to a landslide - Christmas Tree Cove, which can be seen from the corner of Paseo del Mar and Via Neve. I guess "accessible" may be a matter of opinion. I saw an access from "private property", but I don't know the people and am not even quite sure who's back yard actually leads to these stairs carved into the cliff. I'm certainly not going to don climbing gear to make it down the cliff face from the public side of the cove.

That said, here is the question. Is this now considered to be strictly a boat dive or does anyone know if the people who own the property with the stairs allow divers to use them?

For that matter, does anyone even know the place I'm talking about or is this place "ancient history"?

Thanks in advance for your answers!

Christian
Altadena, CA
 
headhunter:
...I found one that appears to no longer be accessible due to a landslide - Christmas Tree Cove, which can be seen from the corner of Paseo del Mar and Via Neve. I guess "accessible" may be a matter of opinion. I saw an access from "private property", but I don't know the people and am not even quite sure who's back yard actually leads to these stairs carved into the cliff. ...
http://www.sandeaters.org
and then visit their dive sites webpages for a handy list of many local dive spots.

Dale & Kim Sheckler's book Southern California's Best Beach Dives list this site with the access as described by you above down the path from Via Neve & Paseo del Mar.
 
pasley:
http://www.sandeaters.org
and then visit their dive sites webpages for a handy list of many local dive spots.

Dale & Kim Sheckler's book Southern California's Best Beach Dives list this site with the access as described by you above down the path from Via Neve & Paseo del Mar.

Thanks for the URL to sandeaters.org, Melvin. I saw some sites that I'd forgotten about! However, Christmas Tree Cove was not listed. I do plan on going to others on the list though.

I checked amazon.com for the Shecklers' book and it appears to be out of print. Looks like a good book and I may buy it used.

The path from Via Neve and Paseo del Mar is the one that was apparantly wiped out by a landslide from what I saw last Monday. That's the path that I remember. I also remember this being a fairly easy dive with really good vis. (Note that I said easy "dive". The path was a different story!)
 
headhunter:
I checked amazon.com for the Shecklers' book and it appears to be out of print. Looks like a good book and I may buy it used.

Sport Chalet (and a few other dive shops) have them on the shelves. I picked mine up at the Marina del Rey Sport Chalet a month or so ago.
 
dazedone:
Sport Chalet (and a few other dive shops) have them on the shelves. I picked mine up at the Marina del Rey Sport Chalet a month or so ago.

I'll drop by Sport Chalet in La Canada and see if they have a copy on their shelf.

I like beach diving and that sounds like a good reference book.

I have some books like that and after moving a couple of times over the years, I'm not sure which box in the garage they might be in. I make it sound like I just moved! It's not that I've just moved; I've just still got boxes that haven't been unpacked since I moved here 5 years ago! Guess it's time for a "spring cleaning".

Thanks dazedone.

Christian
 
The following is a dive report posted by a person that has claimed to have dived this spot last September (he's posted his email address, so perhaps you can try to contact him):

http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/USA_West/CalM/Christmas_Tree/review_4172.htm

I dive Palos Verdes often, but I do not dive Christmas Tree Cove. There are so many other dive spots in PV, that CTC just seems like it's too much trouble.

Access to Malaga Cove and Long Point is much safer. Access to Haggerty's can be dangerous if you're not careful, but at least the "path" (if you can call it that) is short. I've only accessed by Pt. Vincente by boat, but it's my understanding that there is beach access to this spot...I believe that the trail is nicknamed "Cardiac Hill".
 
headhunter:
Thanks for the URL to sandeaters.org, Melvin. I saw some sites that I'd forgotten about! However, Christmas Tree Cove was not listed. I do plan on going to others on the list though.

We are continuing to add more to the site and will get to Christmass tree. You might also check Dale Schekler's Diver News, seems to me he wrote up the site recently. I also belive divers scramble across the landslide area. PV is for the most part interesting getting to the dive and mountain climbing is a required skill.http://www.saintbrendan.com/

You can also purchases Dales book at the above site.
 
ifukuda:
The following is a dive report posted by a person that has claimed to have dived this spot last September (he's posted his email address, so perhaps you can try to contact him):

http://www.shorediving.com/Earth/USA_West/CalM/Christmas_Tree/review_4172.htm

That's a good site review and actually the way I remember the site.

The reviewer mentions that the path is there, so maybe I needed to simply look a little closer. It also may not be the path that used to be there, but a newer "improvised" method of reaching the beach. I'll write him and see if he can shed more light on the subject.

Thank's ifukuda!

Christian
 
I'll peruse the saintbrendan.com site and see what's there.

A little scrambling to get to a site is OK, but this looked like it would be beyond that limit in its present condition. However, that's a quick opinion just from a cursory overview of the site from above with no scrambling attempted. I'll probably have to take a closer look at it after contacting the reviewer that ifukuda mentioned above. It may not be as bad as it first looked.

I'll have to look in on sandeaters.org from time-to-time and see what's new!

Thanks again Melvin!

Christian
 

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