Corona
Del Mar State Beach -When I was told I couldn't dive where I wanted because as a scuba diver I was "a hazard to swimmers," I was angry. The lifeguard pointed 300 yards down the beach to some rocks in the distance. "Dive there," he said coldly. While I'm still angry about what I consider unrealistic restrictions, I have to thank the pompous bronze kid for some excellent advice. It was a fantastic dive! There are still great beach dives with easy access and Inspiration Point is one of them.
Corona Del Mar State Beach lies just south of the mouth of Newport Bay. Its south breakwater is the border of the beach. The breakwater is a great dive, but with a "safe swim area" along nearly the entire stretch of the beach the lifeguards will not allow you to access the water with scuba gear anytime they're present (the beach opens at 6 a.m. but lifeguards usually are not there until 9 a.m. and only on weekends in the winter).
From the south end of the parking lot it is about a 200-yard walk to where the sand meets the rocks and the safe swim area ends. There is also access to this location down a steep paved path at Inspiration Point park on Ocean Blvd. I recommend using the parking lot access. You'll have showers and rest rooms at your disposal and more parking to choose from. There is, however, a fee but it can be avoided if you arrive early as the toll gate is usually not staffed early in the morning.
The 5 m.p.h. buoy marker placed to keep personal watercraft (a.k.a. jet skis) at bay is almost perfectly placed to guide you to the reefs. The inner buoy, closer to the breakwater, indicates the end of the safe swim zone. The outer buoy is to the south a bit and out about 150 yards out. There is a great reef just inshore and another to the east.
The sand bottom surrounding these reefs vary in depths from 20 to 30 feet. The reef closest to the buoy has a very large overhang, big enough to swim under. There are moon sponges, scallops and other filter feeders benefiting from the surge that courses through this location. Garibaldi dance under the ledge with the light playing from above. It is a beautiful spot. A bit further out, the reef climbs rapidly to a small mountain with tiny arches like windows where the fish swim in and out.
But you ain't seen nothin' yet. Inshore and to the east is another reef that reaches from the bottom at 28 feet straight up to within 8 feet of the surface. This mini-pinnacle is easy to spot from the surface, even in poor visibility.
This is a good fish dive. There are abundant kelp and barred sand bass, some large. Blacksmith and mackerel school over and around the rocks. Reef fish included opaleye, sheephead, halfmoon, and painted greenling. This is not just a fish here and there but abundance with size. The nearby sand habitat also presents other fish including rays, halibut, and leopard sharks.
Invertebrate life is good here as well. Small stands of gold gorgonians dot the reef like trees on a steep mountain side. Stars included the giant spined, bat and in the sand the (what else?) sand star. Spanish shawl nudibranchs dot the reef and you'll see their slug cousin predator, the navanax, in hot pursuit (for slugs, you've got to be patient). You'll also see sea hares, colorful encrusting sponges, wavy turban snails and an over-abundance of urchins. The urchins could be why the kelp is thin. There is kelp, but only in sparse clumps. Looking for lobster? They are here but not in large numbers, way back in crevices, and not very big.
Save the last third of your tank for the swim back in. There are shallow reefs with octopus, eel grass and more garibaldi. One section has a mini-wall raising from 20 to 8 feet. Some of these inshore reefs are boring and surgy, others interesting. If you're lucky, you'll see shy leopard sharks that lounge in the shallows over the sand bottom just outside the surf zone.
Dive Spot At - A - Glance
Location:
Southeast end of Corona Del Mar State Beach, city of Newport Beach in
South Orange County.
Access and Entry: 200 yard walk from parking lot or down paved path off Ocean Blvd. Calm, generally easy sand beach entry protected from northwest weather by breakwater but open to south swell.
Skill level: All.
Depths: to 30 feet.
Snorkeling: Very good around shallow rocks when calm.
Photography: Good for both macro and wide-angle.
Hunting: Some good sized fish for spearfishing. A few rock scallops and lobster.
Facilities: Rest rooms, showers, changing rooms. Large parking lot. Fee.
Conditions: (949) 494-6573
