Beach Diving in Southern Californa

[covediver]

Latest missive about old time beach diving in California
Covediver's Log: Southern California Beach Diving--Getting in is Half the Fun

beach versus boat or both.

 

[dead dog]

Yes, I remember those days, back in the 50's and 60's. We would park along Coast Hiway ( no parking required ) walk to the beach at Scotsman Cove. Then after the dive get a date shake nearby.
Can't do that anymore, you need to pay the state $15 or $20 to park there now. It was one of the best dive spots along the Coast Hiway.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

When surf is low enough I've found it much easier to walk into the water with fin straps looped over your forearms or help with a kung fu grip, them put them on once you are behind the surf zone. If the surf is too big to walk in, it's probably not going to be a very good dive anyway. There are better things to do than dive in surge with less than two feet vis, although I've done that way too many times.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Yes, I remember those days, back in the 50's and 60's. We would park along Coast Hiway ( no parking required ) walk to the beach at Scotsman Cove. Then after the dive get a date shake nearby.
Can't do that anymore, you need to pay the state $15 or $20 to park there now. It was one of the best dive spots along the Coast Hiway.

The last time I dived there (now called Reef Point, Crystal Cove State Park) it was free parking if you got there early enough. I'm not sure about that now. After a couple of dives we would go down to Husky Boy for lunch, then home to wash sand out of our gear forever.

 

[scubadada]

Brings back good memories, most of my diving between 1970 and 1980 was from shore.

 

[JamesBon92007]

Yes, I remember those days, back in the 50's and 60's. We would park along Coast Hiway ( no parking required ) walk to the beach at Scotsman Cove. Then after the dive get a date shake nearby.
Can't do that anymore, you need to pay the state $15 or $20 to park there now. It was one of the best dive spots along the Coast Hiway.

I used to park at the top of the access road at what was called Reef Point, but only on the boat charts. Not it's another half mile from the parking lot just to get to the access road, not to mention the outrageous parking fees. They don't even have the $1 senior discount any more. I no longer see surfers there either--did they ban surfing? It used to be extremely clean--nobody left their trash and you could leave your stuff sitting there and walk down the beach and it would be untouched when you got back. I think Joan Irvine did a terrible dis-service to nature by selling her land. The beautiful hills across the street now have condos or something on them where the fruit and vegetable stand used to be.

I must have gone diving there (and along the beach up to Crystal Cove) about 2000 times.