Dale
and I made our entries off the mixed rock and sand beach and headed
out for the short swim to the kelp offshore. Visibility looked as if
it was, unfortunately, going to be less than expected, around 8 to 10
feet. But I knew I would find something to interest me on this dive.
California diving rarely disappoints.
That thought no sooner left my mind when I saw a dorsal fin slice the water just offshore and to the west. My heart raced. I told Dale and he looked.
Nothing.
We went back to swimming out. Lifting my head, I saw it again, only much, much closer. This time I could not help but scream. Not one of those terror screams but more of a kind of scared delight. This time Dale saw it. Dolphins, he assured me, calmly, but then he, too, got excited. There were a lot of them. And they where heading right for us.
The group of about 8 rose to breath a mere 15 feet from us, split and
then dived. We never saw them underwater due to the bad viz but the
thrill stuck. We continued to hear their clicks and squeals
throughout the rest of the dive. And of course we were always looking
over our shoulders.
So much of the beachfront along Malibu coastline is private. Although the beach from mean high tide line to the water's edge is public property, good luck getting to it. One of the places where Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy. 1) drops close to the water and there are no private beachfront homes to impede access is at Corral State Beach. Crowds here are limited by the narrow beach, limited roadside parking and, at the west end where the offshore reefs are, limited facilities. While not a beach comber's or sunbather's paradise, there is some nice, easy diving at Corral Beach.
Offshore the west end of the roughly 3/4 mile long beach are small reef structures almost always easily located by kelp that reaches to the surface. Directly out from the restaurant across the highway is a series of small patch reefs and a couple of nice substantial rocks that hold the best of what this dive site has to offer.
Golden gorgonian is abundant. Hiding in the swaying fans are sheep crabs and rockfish. Where there is no gorgonian, patches of corynactis anemones provide color in hues of pink, lavender and purple. Nudibranchs are sprinkled here and there. This is a good dive for the macro-photographer, but what about bringing your camera through the surf?
Corral Beach is somewhat more protected than beaches to the west
beyond Point Dume. Surf is generally small but always call surf
report in advance. What can make the entry here tough, however, are
the rocks in the surf zone. Pick your entry point carefully and watch
your step!
Being east of Point Dume does has its disadvantages. Clean water ocean current is deflected by Point Dume and waters east of the point tend to stay dirtier longer. Visibility at Corral Beach is at best only fair, averaging 10 to 15 feet. The best time to dive here is after a healthy blow of Santa Ana winds that gust from the land out to sea. This will bring an upwelling of clear water to the entire area. Stay away from this spot when a heavy south swell is rolling in, as sometimes it does in the late summer and early fall. Also avoid this spot when it has rained. Runoff drains directly onto the beach.
The bottom around reefs averages 25 to 30 feet in depth. The tallest reef is about 8 feet high. There are larger, more dramatic reefs farther out and to the west, but you'll be in for a long swim if you want to visit this kelp forest. This outer reef is good for lobster hunting in season. The only other seafood hunting worth mentioning here is halibut. Large halibut have been encountered in the mixture of rock and sand between the beach and reefs. Keep your eyes peeled as they will be hard to spot in this surgy area.
This is an easy, casual dive with only short hike to the water's edge and short swim through usually calm waters. And you might get luckier than us and encounter the dolphins that frequent this area on a day that you can actually see them underwater.
Location: Just across from Beaurivage Restaurant at 26035 Pacific Coast Highway.
Access and Entry: Short dirt path to usually sand beach surf entry. Watch for rocks in surf zone.
Skill Level: All levels with beach diving experience.
Visibility: Fair to poor. Averages 10 to 15 feet.
Depths: 15 to 30 feet.
Snorkeling: Water in shallows generally dirty.
Photography: Good macro with wide variety of subjects. Poor wide angle due to poor visibility.
Hunting: Some lobster on outer reefs to west. Halibut.
Facilities: Limited free parking along Highway. Portable toilets.
Conditions: (310) 457-9701.
Kim Sheckler is executive editor or California Diving News and executive director of the annual SCUBA Show convention held each year in Southern California.
