Questions about diving Southern California

[Tahlequah]

My wife and I are heading to Santa Ana next week and are contemplating whether or not to take our scuba gear. We will be about 30 minutes from Laguna beach, for area reference. I have heard that the surf there can be pretty rough, cold, with not much to see.

My wife and I have been diving weekends in the summer for the past 3 years. All but one trip have been to inland lakes (Arkansas and Oklahoma) so visibility is not much of an issue; if you can see more than 2 feet its a good day... lol. The other trip was in Hawaii in which we got to dive once before heading back home... So, our ocean experience is limited.

If anyone knows of a good equipment rental place, we only have 3 mil suites so I am sure we would need to rent at least a 7, I would love to get any recommendations that you may have.

Any information would be helpful and appreciate.

 

[jnguyen4007]

Since you're there, you should look into divinng off of Catalina island. It is gorgeous there. Another good place is in San Diego. As far as dive rental goes, any local dives shop around there is good. Some places offer dive tours discount. your best bet is to google for the info and either give them a call or check out their website. Water is definitely on the cold side, so you might want to consider renting a 7mm.

 

[davocean]

Usually around this time of year there isn't a whole lot of surf to deal with.
Laguna does have some nice beaches, and here in San Diego we have La Jolla among other spots to dive.
Right about now we get the leopard sharks breeding in La Jolla, best is a restaurant called the Marine room, and no gear required for that other than a mask and maybe fins.
Palos Verdes towards L.A. area has good diving too.
Wetsuit thickness just depends on how deep you plan to go.
For the most part skin diving gear/snorkeling will get you by.
I agree, if you can swing a Catalina dive that is the best Cali has to offer, and there you will definitely want your gear, visibility can be amazing there, especially this time of year.

 

[Tahlequah]

Thank you all for the advice. We went and dove at Catalina Island, it was great diving! I will post a bit more info from the dives once I get to a real computer as all I have with me now is my phone...

 

[davocean]

Catalina is gorgeous, and water clarity right now is pretty good.
If you are still in Cali I would say it's worth the drive to snorkel w/ the leopards, that's an unforgetable experience right there, and perfectly safe.
I also forgot to mention that off Point Loma/San Diego we have a ship that was scuttled, the Yukon, ranging from 70-125' deep if you are up to that.

 

[Tahlequah]

Unfortunately we have already left. However while we were there, we had a great time. The water at Catalina was about 52 degrees at 80 feet. But since the temps were so cold, there were snow crabs out and about. Also, the kelp was looking great! Which I am told is a bit strange for mid June.

The wrecks were interesting, but not much more than the hull and supports were left which I guess would be expected in a thriving ecosystem. Overall it was a great experience!

We will definitely be going back for a boat dive or two in the future.

 

[davocean]

I'd bet what you saw were spider crabs, kinda similar and indigenous.
Not that weird things don't happen now and then, but snows like much colder.
The kelp forest at Catalina is just that, a full blown forest year around, though in later summer months it can dwindle, especially where I live, but usually Catalina is always thick w/ kelp even in our warmest temps.
The roots get so big they form long caves or tunnels that you can swim through.

 

[jnguyen4007]

I'd bet what you saw were spider crabs, kinda similar and indigenous.
Not that weird things don't happen now and then, but snows like much colder.
The kelp forest at Catalina is just that, a full blown forest year around, though in later summer months it can dwindle, especially where I live, but usually Catalina is always thick w/ kelp even in our warmest temps.
The roots get so big they form long caves or tunnels that you can swim through.

Do you know if the ocean temp around SD and Catalina island still fairly frigid around Sept?

 

[Jason1982]

I'm going to dive catalina in 2 weeks for the first time to get my certification.. Was wondering if you ever got around to posting pics of your dive?

 

[Tahlequah]

I dont have any underwater pics but I can post some top side pics if you would like. I have an older underwater film camera that unfortunately had a full roll in it....

 

[davocean]

Do you know if the ocean temp around SD and Catalina island still fairly frigid around Sept?

Surface temps now and in September are around 67-70 degrees normally, and of course that drops significantly the deeper you go.
Anything below 40' and I'm going to be wearing my 7mm, better too warm than too cold.
Generally the island is really nice that time of year, and water is usually very clear since we don't get a whole lot of swell most of the summer.

 

[Jason1982]

finally got my dives in at catalina for my cert on saturday.. sorry for the crappy pics but thought i'd share..

The black sea hairs were abundant and soft.. We managed to **** one off and it was shooting ink..

Crab i found at about 45' deep

Lobsters hiding in cracks at about 65'

Perfect end to SHARK WEEK!! a 2' horn shark..

Garibaldis were everywhere and are very curious.. One of the divers cut up a black urchin and hand fed them which was a cool site.

I'd like to see someone ID this nem.. deep royal blue base with orange tip.. I tried so hard to get a closer pic but they all came out blurry.

 

[gemini aquarius(t)]

Awesome pictures. That isnt a nem, its a nudi

 

[Shu13]

That is a Spanish Shawl....all over SoCal dive spots