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2004:NorCal or SoCal diving trip??? (AUGUST)


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#1 wrinkles

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Posted 16 April 2004 - 11:29 PM

Hey Gang...the question has been raised many times about doing a California Diving Trip! I've gone back and reviewed many of the suggestions for diving in CA and it looks like SoCal has more diving ops...or at least more people who have mentioned them!

Please add your discussion to this thread about where to dive in CA and if you'd like to see SingleDivers.com do a CA trip in August of 2005. August was chosen as water temps should be the warmest and air temps will also be very nice!

So is anyone interested in doing our first SingleDivers.com CA trip??? And if so...where???? -ww

Note: Pls put NorCal or SoCal at the top of your post so that people NOT from California can keep the different diving options clear....including and especially ME!!! :lol: Thanks -ww


SoCal:

There is actually nice diving out in Malibu. In my limited experience diving there I have noticed that when it is good it is great and when it is bad it is terrible.

Here are a couple links to site descriptions in Malibu.

Leo Carrillo http://www.sandeaters.org/sites/lc.htm
Corral Beach http://www.sandeaters.org/sites/cb.htm
Malibu Riveria http://www.sandeater...es/malibu_r.htm
Deer Creek http://www.sandeaters.org/sites/dc.htm

There are also lots of other sites like Pointe Dume, Paradise Cove, etc. etc.

There are private areas surrounded by homes but there are also many public beaches with great diving. When you make it out here give me a shout and we can dive and maybe I can get a fun group of divers to show you some nice areas.

Ana

#2 fbp

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Posted 16 April 2004 - 11:36 PM

SoCal:

thanx much Ana,
The names are sounding familiar.. never dove up, usually down off the Old Marine Land, Palos Verdes?? and then Laguna... went up to Deer Park, I think anyway, for Mountain Biking, but thought it was pretty much sandy beach all the way up...

I keep meaning to plan a trip down there to Catalina or catch the boats out of Santa Barbara to the Channel Islands... it's still in the plans, so many sometime I'll take you up on your offer...

Thanx for the links.. I'll check'em out... (back)
Oh yeah, I see... pretty much sandy beach with rocks... Ok looks good..
appreciate it..

thanx... :lol:
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#3 wrinkles

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Posted 16 April 2004 - 11:52 PM

SoCal:

:D No problem


I love the diving out in Laguna. It is a very nice place to dive. The beaches are so protected so the issue of waves are a little less than Malibu. My first few beach dives were in Malibu then I started boat diving. It was not until i did a beach dive out in Laguna that I started to beach dive more often.

There is a lot of sand in Malibu which lead to some interesting marine life but there are also thick kelp beds (which are my favorite).

The channel islands are great and they even include Catalina :-D I have been diving off all of them and enjoyed them. One thing to check out when you come down depending on your experience level are the oil rigs. I have never been on such beautiful dives. :lol:

Ana

#4 fbp

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Posted 17 April 2004 - 09:21 AM

SoCal:

Hmmmm dive trip to Calif...

I can put that on the list, the maybe list, depends on how things go up here...

Catalina would make a great "Meeting Spot" You can use the dive shop charter 4-pacs (plural) or so out of there, and there's shore diving at the Casino
The town is a great place to hang out and the some of the hotels are not that expensive... I believe (from last time I checked it out) there is a shuttle from LAX airport to the Ferry Catalina Express, or Helicopter over (was my game plan) and the ferry dock right there at the town. So it's really pretty cool.. Fly in Friday out Monday (12-dive/fly time) Getting out with the dive/fly time consideration is the problem...
Anyway, just at thought, also the boats out of Santa Barbara to the Channel Islands..
Have never dove an Oil platform, would be interested in hearing more about that... growth on the Support Pilings or whatever they call them??? interesting.. any pictures
has???
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#5 wrinkles

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Posted 24 April 2004 - 12:40 PM

SoCal:

Hey Girl....if we did a SD.com singles trip to Calif....could we combine diving the Channel Islands AND say the Lugana beaches or some other VERY protected beach dive? (I for one don't do surge and rough beach entries well and don't particularily want to learn either!)


Ofcourse we could. I think Laguna has some of the best newbie beach entries. But I think Catalina has a lot more to offer for everyone who is travelling a distance to dive in California. Not only do you get great diving in Catalina but also a very fun atmosphere. Kinda touristy but fun none the less. Also keep in mind some of the boat trips to the other Channel Islands. Typical boat price for a three tank day dive is around 100 dollars give or take a few. The diving is excellent.

Ana

#6 fbp

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Posted 02 May 2004 - 08:01 PM

SoCal:

I dove La Jolla several times a long time ago. Mostly eel grass at the spot, at the point at a park, I dove. San Diego has some good diving out on the boats if that helps, they have that wreck that was put down, heheheh.. unexpectedly, a year or 2 ago..

Also the Blow Hole (La Bufadora - spell??) in Baja, apx 1-2 -house from San Diego, just south of Ensenada?, there was a great little dive shop run by an American out of there. Again haven't been there since, late '80s so might be totally different.

Here's a link if that might help:
http://www.divecente..._Dive_Sites.htm
(googled 'dive La Jolla' )

Not much help, sorry...
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#7 jextract

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Posted 02 May 2004 - 08:06 PM

SoCal:

I would contact OE Express in La Jolla
O E Express
Address: 2158 Avenida De La Playa, La Jolla, CA 92037
Phone: (858) 454-6195
http://www.oeexpress.com/
They have a great website that will help you a lot with what to expect.

Another alternative is Sport Chalet, just east of La Jolla.
Sport Chalet
Address: 4525 La Jolla Village Dr, San Diego, CA 92122
Phone: (858) 453-5656

As a company, they set up a lot of trips from all of their stores and could certainly give you some info on cove dives.

I'd also take a look at the California Diving News:
http://www.saintbren...y04/maycvr.html

Diving in the cove is not that difficult if you have some experience in shore diving. The cove is one of the most spectacular dive sites in all of SoCal.

Have fun!
Jamie

p.s. I'm likely to be over visiting Dr. Bill again on the weekend of the 15 (wreck class) but if I decide against it I might join you.
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#8 kevininpo

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Posted 02 May 2004 - 09:30 PM

SoCal:

you gotta do wreck alley if you are in san diego
if it ain't broke, fix it till it is
what if the hokey pokey really IS what it's all about?

#9 jextract

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Posted 04 May 2004 - 03:43 PM

SoCal:

Hey Y'all!  Thanks for the great info.  I know the water and conditions are a good bit different from what we have over on this side of the continent, so what would you recommend in terms of gear?  Also, let me know if this is rentable out there and who is reputable to rent from.  I know already I will need a 7 mil suit and I will definitely rent that since there just isn't a tremendous need for 7mil suits out my way.

You can certainly rent from Sport Chalet, I don't know about OE. I'd recommend a 7 mil farmer john, or if you get a full suit go with a hooded vest. The water in SD really varies from place to place .... I used to surf at Black's every day and the water was chilly but the next beach south, La Jolla Shores, would be noticeably warmer.

Here is a great site (courtesy of my alma mater, UCSD) that you can get all sorts of info on, including beach cams.

Jamie
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#10 GentDiver

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Posted 04 November 2004 - 12:41 PM

NorCal:


I looking to do some weekend dives in Monterey. Anyone interested?

One of the local dive shop there provides boat dive and rentals for those that want/need it. Cost is reasonable for a two dive boat trip. Trips leave from Monterey Harbor at 7AM and 12:30 PM on Saturdays and Sundays. Depending on how many we have we could get our own boat (which may save us some $$).

Scott
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#11 WreckWench

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Posted 15 February 2005 - 12:10 PM

SoCal:

I don't think I've posted on SD about the availability of my marine life images from southern California and Baja. If so, here goes. I don't make anything off this site (and haven't updated it for a while) so it is non-commercial. For those who dive in our region of the world it can be useful in identifying species represented. The Baja area isn't finished and I will be adding a NW Caribbean section (Belize-Honduras) when I get time to sort through the thousands of images.

Here is the URL for the images:

http://www.starthrow...ideo/images.htm


You can also read my previous columns about marine life and conservation on the site. It includes some columns about the NW Caribbean as well. URL is:

http://www.starthrow...DDDB/column.htm


Enjoy and please feel free to offer any feedback. I hope to re-edit the columns and sell them as a package to regional newspapers.

Dr. B.



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#12 WreckWench

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Posted 15 February 2005 - 01:14 PM

Hey Gang...the question has been raised many times about doing a California Diving Trip! I've gone back and reviewed many of the suggestions for diving in CA and it looks like SoCal has more diving ops...or at least more people who have mentioned them!

Please add your discussion to this thread about where to dive in CA and if you'd like to see SingleDivers.com do a CA trip in August of 2005. August was chosen as water temps should be the warmest and air temps will also be very nice!

So is anyone interested in doing our first SingleDivers.com CA trip??? And if so...where???? -ww

Note: Pls put NorCal or SoCal at the top of your post so that people NOT from California can keep the different diving options clear....including and especially ME!!! :( Thanks -ww

Contact me directly at Kamala@SingleDivers.com for your private or group travel needs or 864-557-6079 AND don't miss SD's 2018-2021 Trips! ....here! Most are once in a lifetime opportunities...don't miss the chance to go!!
SD LEGACY/OLD/MANUAL Forms & Documents.... here !

Click here TO PAY for Merchandise, Membership, or Travel
"Imitation is the sincerest flattery." - Gandhi
"Imitation is proof that originality is rare." - ScubaHawk
SingleDivers.com...often imitated...never duplicated!

Kamala Shadduck c/o SingleDivers.com LLC
2234 North Federal Hwy, #1010 Boca Raton, FL 33431
formerly...
710 Dive Buddy Lane; Salem, SC 29676
864-557-6079 tel/celfone/office or tollfree fax 888-480-0906

#13 GentDiver

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Posted 15 February 2005 - 01:34 PM

NorCal:

I'm up for it. BTW, during the Bay area happy hour we talked about a saturday Monterey trip. I was going to look into it this weekend when I was down there.

Scott

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#14 WreckWench

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Posted 15 February 2005 - 02:09 PM

I'm up for it. BTW, during the Bay area happy hour we talked about a saturday Monterey trip. I was going to look into it this weekend when I was down there.

Scott

:lam:

Great! Pls let me know which operators you talk too and any other info on NorCal diving that would help us decide where to go diving in California!!!

Contact me directly at Kamala@SingleDivers.com for your private or group travel needs or 864-557-6079 AND don't miss SD's 2018-2021 Trips! ....here! Most are once in a lifetime opportunities...don't miss the chance to go!!
SD LEGACY/OLD/MANUAL Forms & Documents.... here !

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"Imitation is the sincerest flattery." - Gandhi
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formerly...
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864-557-6079 tel/celfone/office or tollfree fax 888-480-0906

#15 randy54

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Posted 15 February 2005 - 02:33 PM

SoCal:

There is lots of great diving around the channel islands, with boats out of Santa Barbara, Ventura, Long Beach and from Avalon on Catalina.

Catalina its self has some wonder diving at Casino Point park, with super easy walk down the steps entry. During the winter and early spring, Off Season, the crowds aren't too bad, and most of the hotels are fairly reasonable. Late spring, summer and early fall, Catalina is NOT cheap, and generally the diving at Casino Pt is shoulder to shoulder on the weekends, and almost that bad on the weekdays. Sorry, but it is a tourist trap, and that is the way it is.

I cann't speak about shore diving. I generally just don't do it, too much sand, and bad feet. The boats are plentyful during the summer, and it's not too hard to get spots for large groups, just plan it early. The water temps are cool, even at their warmest, 7mils and drysuits are the norm. Most multi-day trips are kept to 3 days, a few out to 4 days, of 3 to 5 tank dives. The cold water makes diving more than that difficult at best. This is the reason not too many dive orginizations plan trips here. Most divers want 7 to 10 days of multi-tank dives.

So the question is, is it worth the shorter trip? ABSOLUTELY! The variety of life, the color contrast, and the sheer joy of diving with seals and sealions, batrays, giant black seabass, octopus, eels, and so many more critters cann't be surpassed anywhere. You want wrecks? San Deigo has plenty around wreck alley.
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