I may be a little bit biased... BUT there's some amazing diving to be found in the San Diego area!
Your three main dive boats in San Diego:
- Marissa Dive Charters (
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- Waterhorse Charters (
San Diego SCUBA Diving, Charter Boat Dives. Dive Trips) - Captain Greg
- Lois Ann Dive Charters (
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All three boats regularly do trips to wreck alley and various kelp forests, and occasionally to the Coronado Islands (Mexico) when it is allowed. Check their schedules and see which trips work best with the dates you will be there and your experience level. Personally, I would highly recommend Marissa or Waterhorse Charters over the Lois Ann (if you would like my reasoning/past experiences feel free to send me a PM)!
All of their websites have good descriptions of all the wrecks in Wreck Alley and the kelp sites off of Point Loma they visit. Pretty much any of the kelp sites are going to be under 70 feet, but the visibility tends to be worse (keep in mind that it is SoCal, so trying to guess what the visibility will be is a crapshoot). The Yukon is one of the more well known wrecks in San Diego, but the sand is around 100 feet, with parts of the deck reaching up around 70 feet. The Ruby E is another well known wreck, with the sand being around 85 feet and parts of the deck reaching around 65 feet. The wrecks often experience incredible visibility during the winter (but again, it's really all chance). You really can't go wrong with any of these sites while you're there and there's usually plenty of sea lions and harbor seals around in the kelp, while mola mola's are often sighted on the wrecks. There was even a sea turtle seen on the Yukon the other day (yes I have video evidence)!
If you're looking to shore dive...
- La Jolla Cove: Probably my favorite shore dive in the area! It is one of the only kelp forests easily accessible without a boat, and since it is inside of an MPA it does boast some incredible wildlife. Cons: The entry involves walking down some very steep stairs with gear on and the entry itself becomes challenging if there is surf due to the steep nature of the beach. This site is frequently out of the question to divers when the surf gets too big. Pros: There are sea lions EVERYWHERE. Don't freak out when they bump into your fins or they will keep doing it purely for your reaction...
- La Jolla Shores: A popular training area with a (usually) very easy beach entry. The shallows (entry - 55 feet or so) are pretty much all sand flats, but then you hit a canyon wall around 60 feet which drops very deep in a series of plateaus. Cons: Some people find this site boring. Pros: I've seen everything from nudibranchs to a grey whale at this site. My picture was actually taken at this site on a day when the visibility was 50+ feet, but I've also seen it at <1 foot.
- Marine Room: Shallow rocky reef (~30 feet) in the area between the shores and the cove. Cons: If there is surf, this area is often hit hard, making entries difficult and visibility crap. I once put my hands on a halibut here because I actually couldn't see anything. Pros: It's a shallow easy dive and there's usually lots of life including Leopard sharks if it's the right season!
- North County: If you drive up into North County there are quite a few decent sites. Cardiff Reef, Fletcher Cove, Solana Cove, etc. I would be happy to give you more info on these areas if this interests you. I really haven't found much at these sites that warrants driving all the way up there when Point Loma, Wreck Alley, and La Jolla are closer.
Feel free to PM me about anything specific! I can give you details on pretty much any of the boats/their crews or any of the shops in the area if you are looking to rent gear or meet some local divers! There are a variety of meetup groups (Power Scuba being the largest and most active) that regularly do free shore dives or discounted boat trips where you can buddy up with someone that day. Their leader, Bill Powers is on here somewhere too...
