|
Location
|
Diver Level
|
About the Location
|
|
Anacapa
Island
|
1
|
20
miles or less off coast between LA and Ventura. Part of Channel Islands National park and Marine Sancutary.
Smallest of the Northern Channel Islands.
Has an historic light house.
This is a great dive site. The reefs are fairly shallow,
running 15 to 35 feet. It is a second or third dive of the day
after hitting nearby deep spots like the West End (up to 100
feet) or Coral Reef (over 100 feet).there are 135 sea caves. Lobster, scallops and game fish are few
and far between and small so don’t even bother.
|
|
Begg
Rock
|
2+
|
10
miles North East of San Nicolas Island.
This sea mount breaks the surface and goes to 240 feet. Begg Rock is
named for the schooner, John Begg, which ran into it in 1824. There is no
wreck here, however, the Begg was patched and sailed back to the
mainland. Only about 1 in 4 trips
make it due to weather. It was
first dove in 1965 and was once a giant scallop diver's heaven. A better reason to go is Macro
photography. This is a beautiful
dive when you can make it.
|
|
Catalina Island
|
1
|
26
miles off Los Anglels. Owned by the
Wrigley Family, Great for all
Levels. Front side is usually calm. Currents are generally mild and there's
always a calm and clear site to dive.
There is also good lobster and scallop hunting to be found and we
know the secret spots. Several dive
sites are ideally suited for open water or advance SCUBA training as well
as deep or night dive training.
Your students will also love feeding the bright orange Garibaldi,
our state fish. One favorite site
is Ship Rock, a nearby small rock of an island surrounded by 300'+ depths.
This is one of the few sites that you will see the rare, yet docile, Angel Shark. Back side has better for game hunters.
There are 100's of great locations all
around the island.
|
|
Cortes
Banks
|
2
|
100
miles west of San Diego. Sea Mount
that goes from about 40 to175 feet
It does not break the surface.
Beautifully open ocean seamount that acts as a giant sealife magnet.
sightings of pelagic animals are common. Tuna, huge numbers of yellowtail
(jack family)
|
|
Farnsworth
Banks
|
2
|
Several
Miles off the far side of Catalina This is a sea mount that does not break
the surface. Typically a deeper
dive, offshore pinnacle system, often the visibility is so good, many agree
that this is one of the best dives in Southern California. Farnsworth is
home to the rare Allopora californica or Purple Hydrocoral
|
|
Matterhorn
|
3+
|
10 Miles
North of Santa Barbara Island. The Matterhorn pinnacle is aptly named for
its extremely sharp profile--the top is at 132 ft and is
about 3 feet square. There is a face that drops off into the abyss,
and a ridge that runs out at about 165 ft. Below that there is "the
meadow" which is a large area of anemones which begins at 220 feet and
slopes down. This area is below the safe depth for air and requires
tri-mix. It is a full on decompression dive and well beyond the
capability and equipment of most divers. First dived more than twenty years ago by an
adventuresome few (including Cousteau),
Though currents hazard divers, Taking advantage of the overdriven
engine of life, the most spectacular concentrations of invertebrates found
in Southern California cover the mountain walls.
|
|
Osborne
Bank
|
3
|
5 miles
South of Santa Barbara Island. Dive
starts at 120 feet. Osborne Bank is
a long ridge with miles of terrain between 200 and 120 feet deep. These
blue water oases provide technical divers with some of the best reef diving
off the West Coast of North America. Towering as much as a mile above the
sea floor, a few sentinel peaks and ridges form pinnacles and banks that
offer a reverse mountaineering challenge.
|
|
Richardson
Rock
|
3
|
5.6
miles northwest of San Miguel's Point Bennett. Richardson is said to have been named for the survivor of an
1851 shipwreck. A passenger named Nathan Richardson apparently clambered to
safety there and was rescued by another vessel. Richardson Rock consisted
of two parts. The largest one rose about 50 feet above the water's surface.
The top was covered with bird guano and its source, gray and white gulls.
Seals and sea lions were also in evidence. Thick marine growth coveres
every surface. There were colorful hydroids, tunicates and the ubiquitous
Corynactis californica anemones in pink, red and purple. Among them can be
found chestnut cowries, the slinky arms of spiny brittlestars, the feeding
"feet" of barnacles, minuscule snails and scallops, and
nudibranchs. Those who venture
into the water at Richardson should be in excellent physical condition and
know how to navigate. The wind can come up at any time, turning what would
be an intermediate dive into an advanced one real fast.
|
|
Santa
Barbara Island
|
1
|
38
miles west of San Pedro The inshore bottom around the rookery is mostly
flat rock with massive rock piles jumbled about. The depth may be as little
as 10 feet, and the shallow rock piles often break the surface. There is
not much encrusting invertebrate life here, just some urchins and algae,
yet this is one of the best shallow-water dives anywhere. The rock piles are honeycombed with a
maze of small passageways that are home to numerous spiny lobsters. A good
light is needed even during the day since the holes are so deepIt is home
to one of the largest colonies of California sea lions in the entire state.
There are so many of these noisy mammals here that there is not enough
beach to hold them, and many have to climb hundreds of feet up the bluff to
get some peace and quiet. This Sea Lion Rookery can simply be located by
the noise the sea lions make. Sutil
Pass is home to a sea lion rookery. Angel sharks and bat rays are easily
found throughout the island's scattered sand flats. Santa Barbara Island is
part of Channel Islands National Park and Marine Sanctuary.
|
|
San
Clemente Island
|
1
|
60
Miles off San Digeo. parts are carpeted with beautiful purple hydrocoral,
are a photographer's dream. Castle Rock's shallow water caves and kelp forest
offer unparalleled exploration possibilities. Northwest Harbor, with its
calm water and small sea lion rookery is the place to come face-to-face
with a sea lion. Spring, summer and
early fall for yellowtail and white sea bass. Then lobster fever hits in
October and lasts through March.
The Island is an navy base and at time is closed to divers.
|
|
San
Miguel Island
|
2
|
26
miles south of Point Conception and 55 miles west of Ventura The western most of the Northern Channel
Islands. dense kelp forest. The
cooler nutrient rich California current which results in cool water
temperatures (48-53 °F.) and marine life reults in what you would expect to find in the
central California coastline. Here
you may see Wolfeels, BIG halibut, HUGE Bugs, and very lush invertebrates
and nudibranchs. Elephant Seals, an estimated 50,000 of the latter (more
than half the world’s population) haul out on the island during some part
of the year at San Miguel.Park of
Channel Islands National park and Marine Sancutary
|
|
San
Nicolas Island
|
2
|
60
miles off Palas Verdes The Boiler
is the island's most famous dive site. Off San Nic's west side, The
Boiler's rocks break the surface in only a moderate swell. Big bugs are
consistently found here by those willing to brave the washing machine-like
conditions. San Nic is still most
heavily dived during lobster season A highly controversial program
transplanted 139 otters from Monterey on the island between 1987 and 1990.
Only 16 remain. It contains a large Navy base, which includes tennis
courts, a racquet ball court, a movie theater, a bowling alley, a
recreation center and a 10,000 foot runway. The island is off limits to
civilians. Too bad. Sound like a
nice place to stay.
|
|
Santa Cruz Island
|
1
|
19
Miles off the coast. offers a bit
milder diving conditions. Unknown
to many, this island is home to a very extensive system of underwater caves
and caverns. Diablo Anchorage
offers one such example at the Diablo Point Cave which is a good beginning
penetration cave dive and is ideal for introductory cavern diving
classes. Scorpion Anchorage is also
home to the wreck of the USS Peacock, a 100' long wood hulled WW-II
minesweeper (just like the Calypso) which is
in great shape resting upright on a sheltered 60' sandy bottom. And located
within a few fin kicks is one of the best rock scallop sites on the
coast. Park of Channel Islands
National park and Marine Sancutary
The islands history is chock full of interesting characters; men who
made a living salvaging shipwrecks; a Nicoleno Indian woman who spent 18
years on San Nicolas Island with only wild dogs for company; and a man who
proclaimed himself The King of San Miguel Island, to name a few.
|
|
Santa
Rosa Island
|
1
|
26 miles fo the coast Park of Channel Islands National
park and Marine Sancutary Talcott
Schoal, north of the island’s western most point, has long been know as a
prime lobster hunting area.
Visibility is often not great so if you are taking pictures go
macro. Santa Rosa Island hosts
several shipwrecks, including the Aggi, Golden Horn, Dora Bluhm, Chickasaw
and Crown of England. All of them are in 50 feet of water or less and parts
of at least one, the Chickasaw, can be seen on shore. From 1902 until late 1986, Santa Rosa
was owned by Vail and Vickers. The
US bought the island from the Vickers in 86 for just south of $30 million.
|
|
Tanner
Bank
|
3
|
15 Miles North East of Cortes Banks This is a very deep
dive. The top of the Sea mount is
about 90 deep. Spot is known for
Hydrocoral. Large Pelagic fish can
be seen here
|
|
Wilson
Rock
|
2+
|
2.2 miles northwest of San Miguel's Harris Point. Cold water. A remote pinnacle offering great gaming for rock fish and halibut
plus some of the best macro photography opportunities. There are actually several divable
pinnacles in the Wilson Rock area. The one that gives the site its name
rises 19 feet above the water; two other pinnacles are about 24 and 45 feet
below the surface. The colors were
amazing. The predominant color was from the red corinactis anemones, but
there were sponges, feathers and fans. Rare, bright yellow sulfur sponges
were easy to find. Orange sponges and blue Cobalt sponges were everywhere.
In the shallow areas were green anemones, Pisaster stars and mussel beds.
In the deeper areas were pink hydrocorals. At a place like this, you cannot
see the rocks, you can only see the thick growth on them. There were big scallops, but they were
well hidden, covered with sponges and anemones. When diving any of them it is necessary to monitor your
depth; the bottom is 144 to 162 feet below and beyond. If there is any
current it is also imperative that you ascend and descend along the anchor
line.
|
