La
Jolla CoveLike most Northern California divers, when I head south I normally hop on one of Southern California's charter boats. However, on a recent trip to San Diego I had the pleasure of trying out a few of the area's beach dives. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of diving that I found.
One of the spots we tried out was La Jolla Cove near downtown La Jolla. This is one of the more popular dive spots in the San Diego area, and for good reason. The entry is both picturesque and protected, and the cove offers very easy access to very good diving. Good, shallow diving may be found only a short distance from shore.
The bottom near shore is rocky and is covered with a thick layer of kelp, most notably, featherboa kelp. This is a great place to snorkel since many garibaldi and kelp bass find homes among the swirling mass of kelp. Depths are mostly less than ten feet.
After one swims past the shallow rocks the bottom drops to about 20 feet and very gradually drops to about 40 feet. The rock bottom is mostly flat with ledges and rock piles. In the crevices within the rocky areas hide numerous lobsters, abalone and fish. Since La Jolla Cove is a reserve, none of these animals may be disturbed; consequently, this is a great place to photograph these game animals. Yes, they know they live in a reserve and you can't touch them.
The low-profile rocky reef is covered with encrusting invertebrates - golden gorgonia, sponges, and tunicates. Also, along the rocks are found numerous nudibranchs, navanax, shrimp and crabs. This is a good place to find horn sharks.
The rock bottom is being eroded away by a horde of boring clams. These industrious animals rasp away at the soft rock with their shells until they make a burrow a foot or more deep. Many rocks are so weakened by the honeycombed burrows that they are easily broken up by winter storms. Pieces of shale with neatly drilled holes, which are often washed up on the beach, are the handiwork of these clams.
If
you have the energy and want to swim out 300 yards to the right you
will find a mostly sand bottom with a few angel sharks and halibut.
However, if you swim 300 to 400 yards around the point to the left
you will find a large kelp bed where the bottom drops off to about 60
feet. While the marine life there is similar and just as abundant as
points inshore, the visibility will be a bit better.
The only difficult part about diving La Jolla Cove is finding a place to park. While there are plenty of spaces, divers share them with swimmers, sun worshipers, and picnickers. They tend to fill up early. My advice is to arrive before 7 a.m. on weekends or dive the spot on weekdays. However, once in the water you'll find the diving relaxed and uncrowded.
Dive Spot At - A -
Glance
Location:
In La Jolla, along Coast Blvd., near downtown.
Access and Entry: Park near the entry along Coast Blvd. Parking is free but some areas away from the cove have a two or three hour time limit. Access is via a pair of well-maintained stairway and a sandy beach. There is a lifeguard station at the cove and is a good place to seek diving advice.
Skill Level: Beginner or better.
Depth: 10 to 60 feet.
Visibility: Good, 15 to 25 feet.
Hunting: None, this is part of the La Jolla Underwater Park. Nothing may be taken or disturbed.
Photography: Great spot to photograph fish, lobsters and abalone.
Special considerations: While there is plenty of parking spaces, you are sharing them with many other beach goers. Plan on arriving before 7 a.m. to get a parking spot near the entry on weekends or dive the cove on weekdays. Watch for rip currents and breaking waves in shallow areas.
Conditions: (619) 221-8824 or visit the great webcam at http://sandiego.sidewalk.com/ljcovecam (dive conditions too).
Bruce Watkins is a frequent contributor to California
Diving News, lecturer and author of the book A Diver's Guide to
Monterey County.