Diving in Los Angeles?

Hi. I just moved to Los Angeles from Cleveland (big change). I am looking
for a advice on a couple things:

Locations: I am looking for good SHORE dive locations around LA for 30-50
foot diving decent viz (I am used to 5-10 feet in Lake Erie). It's been a
while since I dove, so after a refresher I want to do some shallow diving.

Shops: I am looking for good shops on the Westside of town. I am looking for
a technical shop that is less interested in the "sell" and more interested
in sound training programs. I'd like to get back into my coursework and
would like to find a shop that really takes it seriously.

Temps/Conditions: What kind of water temps, visibility and conditions can I
expect out here? Any Web sites you'd suggest for dive profiles, weather,
etc?

Thanks

Mike
(Email is a dummy address to avoid spam, please post replies)

Here's a cool site with local dive conditions:
http://www.freedivingfilms.com/divereport.html

Local marine weather: http://www.nwsla.noaa.gov/

Do some searches on "Channel Islands Diving", "Catalina Diving", etc.
There's lots of stuff on diving the local islands.


"Brien Alkire" <brien@rand.org> wrote in message
news:c2fsba$3pk$1@lumberjack.rand.org...
> Hi,
>
> It's unlikely you'll find 30-50 foot visibility from the shores of the Los
> Angeles beaches. More likely conditions are 5-20 feet at places such as
Leo
> Carrillo, Paradise Cove, etc.
>
> If you want that kind of visibility from a shore dive then take the ferry
> over to Avalon at Catalina Island (short trip). It's easy and convenient
to
> dive in front of the casino and the conditions are nice.
>
> Of course, boat diving around any of the Channel Islands is fantastic in
my
> opinion. Highlights include pinnepeds (esp. sea lions). Anacapa and
Santa
> Cruz islands are great locations, and a short trip from Oxnard and
Ventura.
>
> Visibilities at the islands vary from 20 to 80 feet. If I had to pick an
> average I'd say 35. The water temperatures range from 55 to 72F, which
> surprises many visitors who expect warmer water. You'll need a full 7mm
> wetsuit with hood and gloves (though I often dive without a hood in
summer,
> but most people do). The good news is that water sport (diving/sailing my
> favorites) are year round. The waters around LA are considered light wind
> areas and are typically calm.
>
> There are so many dive shops around I'm not sure what to recommend. Many
of
> the big chain stores have nice operations (eg, Sport Chalet).
>
> Just my humble opinions.
>
> Welcome to town!
>
> -Brien
>
> "ME" <mikeinta@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:69f2b$404a587c$43655720$22510@msgid.meganewss ervers.com...
> > Hi. I just moved to Los Angeles from Cleveland (big change). I am
> looking
> > for a advice on a couple things:
> >
> > Locations: I am looking for good SHORE dive locations around LA for
30-50
> > foot diving decent viz (I am used to 5-10 feet in Lake Erie). It's been
a
> > while since I dove, so after a refresher I want to do some shallow
diving.
> >
> > Shops: I am looking for good shops on the Westside of town. I am looking
> for
> > a technical shop that is less interested in the "sell" and more
interested
> > in sound training programs. I'd like to get back into my coursework and
> > would like to find a shop that really takes it seriously.
> >
> > Temps/Conditions: What kind of water temps, visibility and conditions
can
> I
> > expect out here? Any Web sites you'd suggest for dive profiles, weather,
> > etc?
> >
> > Thanks
> >
> > Mike
> > (Email is a dummy address to avoid spam, please post replies)
> >
> >
>
>

Welcome to sunny California . I would like to direct to a link for a
BBS in So Cal http://diver.net/bbs/ . You should be able to get all
the info you need their . Beach diving , boat diving , shops and the
like . I would highly recommend two dive boats , the Peace
http://www.peaceboat.com/ in ventura and the Great Escape
http://diveboat.com/great_escape_dive_calendar.shtml in Long Beach .
dawhale

A good dive shop on the west side is Reef Seekers in Beverly Hills.

For beach dives, check out sandeaters.org.

There are at least a dozen good sites along 20 miles of PCH (Pacific Coast
Highway -- SR1) from Corral Beach to the Ventura County line. Usually
visiblity is in the 10-15 foot range. My personal favorite is a secret!

For better viz, you need to do the boat thing. My favorite is The Spectre,
805-483-6612. Leaves out of Ventura Harbor, and goes to the Channel Islands,
usually.

--
"...My God, I actually pity those poor bastards
we're going up against. My God, I do. We're not
just going to shoot the bastards, we're going
to cut out their living guts and use them to grease
the treads of our tanks..." General George Patton, 1944

I've heard good things abour Reef Seekers. Another good one (IMO) is Ocean
Adventures Dive Co. in Venice. http://oceanadventuresdiveco.com/


"Rockinghorse Winner" <rockinghorse@anonymous.to> wrote in message
news:5ku9509phsdcs1ccnrc61pv77o9dq1rokg@4ax.com...
> A good dive shop on the west side is Reef Seekers in Beverly Hills.
>
> For beach dives, check out sandeaters.org.
>
> There are at least a dozen good sites along 20 miles of PCH (Pacific Coast
> Highway -- SR1) from Corral Beach to the Ventura County line. Usually
> visiblity is in the 10-15 foot range. My personal favorite is a secret!
>
> For better viz, you need to do the boat thing. My favorite is The
Spectre,
> 805-483-6612. Leaves out of Ventura Harbor, and goes to the Channel
Islands,
> usually.
>
> --
> "...My God, I actually pity those poor bastards
> we're going up against. My God, I do. We're not
> just going to shoot the bastards, we're going
> to cut out their living guts and use them to grease
> the treads of our tanks..." General George Patton, 1944
>