Going to SoCal, should we dive with locals?

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AlmightyApkallu

Contributor
Messages
115
Reaction score
21
Location
Phoenix, Arizona.
# of dives
50 - 99
Specifically we will be going to Orange County. I've been offered by several people on here the kindness of letting us dive with them but they would be in the San Diego area. I have about 30 dives under my belt, my girlfriend has about 5 since getting her OWD certification. We're both pretty comfortable in the water and have decent buoyancy control and air consumption, we are very safe divers as well.

The thing is, neither of us have been diving in the Ocean. I spent most of my life in SoCal but was never a diver then. We have only been certified and been diving at a lake here in Arizona. The lake has very cold temperatures and I've been told if you can dive it you can dive anywhere, but I realize that the Ocean is a whole different thing.

I'm wondering if it would be safe enough for us to shore dive on our own some where like Shaw's cove, or should we go with some one who knows the area? I know for Arizona there are facebook groups for people to find dive buddies but wasn't sure if Orange County had similar groups. I was also wondering if there were any dive shops that offered a pay-for "introductory dive" to the area or if that would be worth it? I would hate to annoy or slow anyone down being as we are still fairly new to this. I found a big website/dive group called South Coast Divers which looks like a good deal, says they meet up at a mall in the morning then go diving. The thing is I'm not sure I like the idea of a huge group. I hate the "clique" feeling sometimes associated with stuff like that and me and my girlfriend are oddballs some times.

What would be the best way for us to get acclimated to SoCal diving?
 
Shore diving in California can get complicated. You really need someone to guide you in and out the first couple of times to get use to reading and dealing with the surf, as well as understanding safe and unsafe conditions. I suggest contacting a local shop and seeing if they have any groups or arranging for dive master to give you a local orientation. It might help if you would let us know when you can be here as we could identify dive clubs that have regular dives that mesh with your schedule.
 
Thanks for the reply, Lee. I'm planning on hopefully in the next 2-4 weeks at some point, it will definitely have to be either Saturday or Sunday.
 
Shore diving in California can get complicated. You really need someone to guide you in and out the first couple of times to get use to reading and dealing with the surf, as well as understanding safe and unsafe conditions. I suggest contacting a local shop and seeing if they have any groups or arranging for dive master to give you a local orientation. It might help if you would let us know when you can be here as we could identify dive clubs that have regular dives that mesh with your schedule.
^^^ What he said

There's also a Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/Dive949/ specifically for Orange County diving, if you're into Facebook

If you've never done a California beach dive, it's definitely worth going with someone to show you how it's done, help judge conditions, and find the pretty reefs instead of just diving in murky water. Especially if you ever want your girlfriend to dive with you again
 
Forgot to mention, the book http://amzn.to/2dKPFJq is an excellent resource for planning and executing So Cal beach dives
 
There are many days when Shaws Cove is close to a lake. Its pretty protected. Watch the conditions. Swellwatch is a good surf website with good surf size predictions. Call Laguna seasport dive shop. Viz is important too. Fall usually nice esp in Santa Ana conditions. 1 to 2 feet waves are pretty easy.

Watch waves for a few minutes.
Snorkle first and get used to entry and water then don tanks. I almost always just walk in at right side of cove to chest deep water, which is outside surf break on calm days and put on fins and dive...stay along north/right side of cove...reverse process to exit...make sure you go a bit south at exit to stay in sand.

Once you get a few dives under belt explore ' tunnels'..on really calm days ( subject to surge) and rest of cove. Thats template for other Laguna spots with some modifications.

I advise you bring small uw light as much of the cool stuff is hidden in dark crevices.

Shaws is also often a nice night dive once you get a few more dives there under your belt.

Also there are informal groups that meet and dive. South Coast divers is active.

Can also pm me as I dive there a lot. Last week in fact. ( was decent viz but calm)



What would be the best way for us to get acclimated to SoCal diving?[/QUOTE]
 
I totally agree with the advise previously presented now another 2 cents worth

After reading your introduction I suspect you are two diving accidents about to happen. This comment is not directed to you and yours but to the extremely poor instruction of todays divers -- you are just not prepared for OC beach diving.

OC beaches are south facing and many of the storms are still being generated from Baja this time of the year to slam into OC, and can create "interesting surf conditions"

There are many places to dive in OC. I would suggest that you might want to invest in the aforementioned guide book by the Shecklers or obtain a copy of "Diving West" which was the second diving guide published in the US and well before the Shecklers became divers which the OC chapter was written by me and the late Ron Merker

Probably the most protected and therefore popular coves would be Divers Cove, Fisherman's cove and Shaw's cove. I would be my suggestion that you arrive at one of the coves early Saturday or Sunday morning (6:30 AM) to observe the instructors guiding and assisting their students into and through the surf line prior to making a dive.

<<<<<Interesting during the Korean War I was a USAF officer stationed at Luke AFB. I met up with another Californian the late Kit Horn (google his name & mine if you like) There were no dive shops or divers any where in the valley of the sun. We made CO2 gas powered spear guns.... At this junction in life I can only assume we were the first or one of the first divers in Arizona---I also published an article about our adventures in the defunct national dive Magazine Discover Diving titled "The Magnificent Gas Gun" I have a hard copy --If you would like a copy PM me.

After the war I returned to my beloved California and became the 4th LA County UW instructor in OC--at least 15 or more years before PADI was established >>>>>


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FYI two of my ancient articles on OC
A story which I published about 25 years ago in my newspaper column "Dive Bubbles" about Divers Cove and the changes that time has wrought (Dive Bubbles was the first dedicated diving newspaper column in the US)

YOU CAN'T GO HOME AGAIN…”
By

Dr.. Samuel Miller

Several summers ago I visited with some relatives and old friends to reconnect with my roots down in southern California, in “smogsville,” as the smog shrouded area of Los Angeles and Orange County is known by most Californians who reside in other areas of the state.

This visit certainly verified the message in the Thomas Wolfe book “You can't go home again” which I found so difficult to comprehend as a young college student. Yes, Thomas Wolfe was correct! Indeed - You can't go home again.

I spent a very early Saturday morning at Diver’s Cove in Laguna Beach, the fountainhead of American sport diving. It has been a popular diving location since recreational diving began along the California coast in the early 1930s. “The cove” as local divers refer to it, was catapulted from obscurity into international diving fame when it was chosen as the location for the world’s first competitive spear fishing meet in June 1950. The Compton, California “Dolphins Spear Fishing club”, won the meet with a three man team consisting of Ken Kummerfeild, Pat O’Malley and Paul Hoss (of the Bottom Scratcher/Hoss Spear gun fame)

The cove was immortalized for divers through out the world on the cover of the December 1951, issue of Skin Diver Magazine Volume 1, number 1 with a picture of Dr. Nelson "Matty" Mathenson of the Long Beach Nepunes ( LA Co Underwater Instructor) proudly displaying a presentable White Sea Bass he had just speared at the at "the Cove."

Surprisingly Diver's Cove did not receive it's name from recreational diving but from the local youth's habit of diving into the shallow blow hole from the rocks below where the apartments now stand. The apartments were constructed in 1960 which physically separated the cove and Fishermen cove to the north. Prior to the construction and into the 1970s Fisherman's cove was the docking and storage cove for a number of small local recreational sport fishing boats

Lots of other changes have occurred in and around Divers Cove with the passage of sixty -five years.

In the 1950s the rolling hills surrounding Diver’s Cove were devoid of housing and covered with dry chaparral, which emitted the classic California golden glow always associated with the “Golden state.” Now when viewed from the cove the hills appear almost surrealistic emerald green, blanketed by modern multi- million dollar homes on well-manicured lawns interconnected labyrinth of roads.

It is no longer possible to drive up to the edge of the cliff at Diver’s Cove and park haphazardly. Parking places are now regulated. They are neatly identified with white stripes on the concrete and crowned with a row of coin eating parking meters; silent sentinels waiting for the next quarter for fifteen minutes of violation free parking.

Also absent is the steel cable that provided beach goers and divers to access to the beach. It was a much-appreciated gift from some unknown beach lover who spent their time; money and effort to securely bury one end of the cable in cement and dangle the rest of the cable over the cliff to create a Tarzan style hand over hand beach access. Now modern stairs complete with handrails and a drinking fountain welcomes the divers to the beach

The beach scene I remember so well from my youth is now only a distant memory, but they are memories of gold as were the hills surrounding the cove.

In the genesis of recreational diving the beach was populated with young athletic sun tanned male youths clad in the diving costume of the era, baggy long underwear, tucked in to equally baggy swim trunks, round diving masks on their faces, short green fins on their feet and the weapon of choice a “Jab Stick” (a pole spear powered by the trust of the arm) unceremoniously stuck in the ground.

Like ancient tribes returning from a successful hunt they stood in small groups, wrapped in surplus WWII olive drab army or navy blue blankets, shivering and blue lipped from the cold of the water and the chill in the air. Roaring bonfires fed by WWII surplus tires added much needed warmth as it belched fourth thick heavy black smoke into the clean crisp smog free Orange County air.

Now Divers Cove has become a popular diving destination for dive training classes. It is populated every Saturday and Sunday morning by young fuzzy faced certified diving instructors who have arrived before 7:00 to conduct the final ocean check out dive for their classes of aspiring divers. Under the ever-watchful eye of their SCUBA instructor, young and old, male and female don the costume of modern diving. Bright colored wet suits have replaced the long underwear for thermal protection; clear form fitting twin lens masks of clear silicone replaced the black round rubber masks; multi hued long lightweight split plastic fins now adorn their feet replacing the short green Churchill fins. Not a spear fishing weapon is insight, since this area has been a game reserve for over a generation.

Yes, there have been a lot of changes in the last sixty five plus years.


Tomas Wolfe’s message has been verified. You can't go home again, but you can relive fond memories from the distant past and dream and hope for the future of recreational diving.

Only the sea, the eternal sea, has relentlessly remained the same

Dr. Sam Miller,111
"Orange County....
A few little known facts about Orange County;

Orange County was the fountain head of recreational diving in California, the US and for the world.

It had the most manufactures -- US Divers, Voit, Sea Tec, Inflatable systems, JBL, Mares, Spearfisherman, Mark V, Newport divers, Sea Quest, Del Mar, Sea Suits, Water Wear, Kettenhofen Wet suits, Sampson,Sea Pro, Riffe International, Alexander Spearguns, and many more lessor known and now forgotten manufactures

Divers cove/Pic nic cove was selected as the location for the world's first Competitive Spear fishing meet in 1950 and every year to the early 1960s.

Divers Cove was not named as a result of recreational diving activity

Two world record fish were speared off Orange county's coast; the BSB & WSB.

It's waters did contained a variety of shell fish; Mussels, Oysters, Pismo Clams, Scallops, & Lobsters

It has a train and several airplanes, an ocean going barge and several WW 11 landing craft sunk off it's coast.

It has an underwater canyon

It had the second recreational diving ordnance in California.

It had one of the first California game reserves at Heisler park, named after Glen Vedder, the architect and driving force behind the Laguna beach diving ordinance.

It has a number of piers that are dive able.

PADI's first office was in Orange County.

In the genesis of instruction Orange County had more LA County Certified Underwater Instructors than LA County.

It had one of the first dive shops in California; Lyle Hoskins and sons

Three OC residents were honored as "Fathers of Spearfishing" at the 2000 millennium Free diving party,
The late Ron Merker, Allan Wood and my self

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


 
There are many days when Shaws Cove is close to a lake. Its pretty protected. Watch the conditions. Swellwatch is a good surf website with good surf size predictions. Call Laguna seasport dive shop. Viz is important too. Fall usually nice esp in Santa Ana conditions. 1 to 2 feet waves are pretty easy.

Watch waves for a few minutes.
Snorkle first and get used to entry and water then don tanks. I almost always just walk in at right side of cove to chest deep water, which is outside surf break on calm days and put on fins and dive...stay along north/right side of cove...reverse process to exit...make sure you go a bit south at exit to stay in sand.

Once you get a few dives under belt explore ' tunnels'..on really calm days ( subject to surge) and rest of cove. Thats template for other Laguna spots with some modifications.

I advise you bring small uw light as much of the cool stuff is hidden in dark crevices.

Shaws is also often a nice night dive once you get a few more dives there under your belt.

Also there are informal groups that meet and dive. South Coast divers is active.

Can also pm me as I dive there a lot. Last week in fact. ( was decent viz but calm)



What would be the best way for us to get acclimated to SoCal diving?

Yeah, I've heard both Shaw's Cove and Crescent Bay are good beginner spots being as they're fairly protected. I can only hope that when I choose to go the ocean it is at least fairly calm. South Coast Divers meetup seems like a good thing, but it seems like there are a lot of people and again, I get nervous around "in-crowds" and "cliques". They might be super nice, I just personally am weary. I might just take you up on the PM, I just hate bugging people with a couple of newbie divers like us!
 
I totally agree with the advise previously presented now another 2 cents worth

After reading your introduction I suspect you are two diving accidents about to happen. This comment is not directed to you and yours but to the extremely poor instruction of todays divers -- you are just not prepared for OC beach diving.

OC beaches are south facing and many of the storms are still being generated from Baja this time of the year to slam into OC, and can create "interesting surf conditions"

There are many places to dive in OC. I would suggest that you might want to invest in the aforementioned guide book by the Shecklers or obtain a copy of "Diving West" which was the second diving guide published in the US and well before the Shecklers became divers which the OC chapter was written by me and the late Ron Merker

Probably the most protected and therefore popular coves would be Divers Cove, Fisherman's cove and Shaw's cove. I would be my suggestion that you arrive at one of the coves early Saturday or Sunday morning (6:30 AM) to observe the instructors guiding and assisting their students into and through the surf line prior to making a dive.

<<<<<Interesting during the Korean War I was a USAF officer stationed at Luke AFB. I met up with another Californian the late Kit Horn (google his name & mine if you like) There were no dive shops or divers any where in the valley of the sun. We made CO2 gas powered spear guns.... At this junction in life I can only assume we were the first or one of the first divers in Arizona---I also published an article about our adventures in the defunct national dive Magazine Discover Diving titled "The Magnificent Gas Gun" I have a hard copy --If you would like a copy PM me.

After the war I returned to my beloved California and became the 4th LA County UW instructor in OC--at least 15 or more years before PADI was established >>>>>

I read the articles, very nicely written and interesting. I must digress though. The instructors we had were top notch. Just because we aren't experienced scuba divers doesn't mean we aren't experienced (enough) at life. A good instructor in ANYTHING makes worlds of difference. The certifying agency is moot and a null point, who's doing the teaching is what matters. After being taught we also have gone out with some extremely experienced folks a few times, so while we might not be the prettiest most graceful creatures underwater we're definitely cautious and proficient and definitely not poorly instructed.
 
I am glad you had a great instructor but I don't think it matters what kind of instructor you had if you didn't dive in the ocean. The ocean (especially colder water like CA. coastline) is a different beast no matter what. I did most of my first 500 dives in the comfort of warm tropical waters experiencing many different conditions and challenges before I ventured out into So Cal waters. The first time I did a cold water ocean dive (granted it was in a dry suit) I felt completely out of my comfort zone. Between the temp, surge, limited viz, and kelp it was all a little bit overwhelming. I would highly recommend getting a guide or instructor to take you out. Maybe pursue an AOW card so you can become graceful creatures in addition to cautious and proficient.
 

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