Southern California Diving?

[MNJoe]

I would like to experience diving the kelp. What time of year will the visibilty be best? Where would you suggest that I dive?

MNJoe

 

[BrianS]

Vis is great right now in Catalina, at least 60' last weekend.

 

[mongoose]

Check out the Bottom Scratcher, a boat that runs out of Long Beach. Great crew, great food, & the skipper will actually play bagpipes for you. It's a blast...

http://www.bottomscratcher.com

Regards,
--'Goose

 

[HBDiveGirl]

I would like to experience diving the kelp. What time of year will the visibilty be best? Where would you suggest that I dive?

MNJoe

Now, Now, and NOW! IMNSHO, the Fall offers beautiful kelp diving as the water clarity improves dramatically over summer and stays clear until the winter rains begin in late December or January.

My experience is the LA area and the Southern Channel Islands. I'm sure SB'ers from other areas will chime in here....

Autumnal visibility at the Southern Channel Islands can often be 60 feet or better. (Catalina [2 - 2.5 hour boat ride from LA/Long Beach], San Clemente Island [5 hours], and Santa Barbara Island [5 hours]) And the incandescent days of 80+ visibility are joyful dreams-come-true that one never forgets. Diving amidst thick cathedral pillars, beneath honey-colored stained glass, in darkness shot through with dazzling rays of golden sunlight. Oh yeah....it's that good!

San Clemente Island has some astonishingly thick kelp, as does Catalina, Santa Barbara Isl, and Anacapa. Pt. Loma area in San Diego has thick kelp beds accessible by small commercial boats. Shore diving the mainland offers many kelp areas, but rarely as thick as the islands (...just my experience...) and you can't see as much of it because the visibility is often less.

But fall shore-diving visibility is often up to 20-25 feet (instead of the 8 - 15 that can often be the case during the rest of the year due to swells, run-off, or algae blooms.)

Your individual results may vary, of course. But as Fall approaches, my already happy-diving finger-tips really start to tingle..."Oh, boy, here comes the best part of the year...."

PM or post when you plan to be here, and I'm sure you'll find some compatible local divers that will happily dive with you in this amazing environment.
Cheers,
Claudette

 

[hermosadive]

If you are looking for inexpensive boat dives, check out the store at our "dive club". You don't need to be a member to book one of the boats because we don't have a membership fee....or meetings...or agendas...or board of directors...you get the idea. http://shop.divevets.com You can direct questions to the message board at, http://www.divevets.com

 

[tau]

AHHHH NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME!!!!!

Just stay away from red tide.

 

[pasley]

Anytime is dive time in California. Best visibility is traditionally in October through February, except when it rains (December - February) and for 3 days after. But you just never know. You may have 30+ feet of virility on a beach dive and the next day at the same site 5 feet. I have even had 20 feet at the start of the dive and watched the poor visibility roll in like a fog bank bringing visibility to 5 feet. Summertime usually have more plankton bloom (red tide) and poorer visibility.

For kelp you want to dive:
Casino Point Avalon (Catalina Island LA area) Beach dive with tons of kelp. http://www.catalinaexpress.com/

Catalina Island (LA Area) boat dives http://californiadiveboats.com/ (recommend staying in LA and booking a boat dive from the mainland, less $) But staying on the island is fun and they have good dive boats there too (but more $).

Malibu (LA area) Beach or boat http://www.sandeaters.org for dive site descriptions.

Palos Verde (LA area) Beach or boat http://www.sandeaters.org for dive site descriptions

La Jolla Cove (San Diego) Beach

Point Loma (San Diego) Boat usually http://www.divebums.com/

Point Lobos State Park (Monterey) Beach or boat http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=571 reservations required well in advance.

Monterey, many sites beach or boat http://www.scubamonterey.com/info.html

Dive buddies for the LA area (and San Diego too I bet) can be found here. If you need a dive buddy in the SoCal area, post a note here. You can also give me a shout if you like.

For a boat dive out of Los Angeles, I like the Great Escape sailing from Long Beach. I am saddened to report Captain Tim has place it up for sale, but at present, he still owns it and it is a first class operation from the food to the crew.

 

[MaxBottomtime]

You may have 30+ feet of virility on a beach dive and the next day at the same site 5 feet.

Melvin, I always get a kick out of your spelling, but this is the best! With 30+ feet of virility, you should be a porn star!

 

[pasley]

Melvin, I always get a kick out of your spelling, but this is the best! With 30+ feet of virility, you should be a porn star!

My mind was clearly on upcomming events.

 

[HBDiveGirl]

My mind was clearly on upcomming events.

Oh....ger-Roooooaaan! (....good one, actually... !)