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Of all the Channel Islands, the island with the best visibility is San Clemente. Even the worst portions of the island at the worst time of year will have visibility in the 20-to 30-foot range. But much of the island averages 40 to 60 feet year round and other locations in prime time will exceed 80, even 100 feet of visibility—as good as any tropical diving locale.
One of the best areas for clear water is the lee side of the south end of the island. Clear oceanic currents sweep down along a steep rocky cliff face cleansing away what little silt there is. Dramatic drop-offs, both ashore and underwater, create spectacular scenery. At a dive spot boat captains call Disneyland (on the charts as “Little Flower”), a large finger reef extends into the current swept waters creating swirling upwelling and dramatic underwater topography.
Extending from the cliff is a shallow rocky shelf 10 to 20 feet deep out about 100 yards. Just before the bottom drops away vertically, less than 10 feet deep, it is covered in various marine algae and inhabited by a variety of marine life, including abundant fish, bat rays in sand channels, lobster, and visiting harbor seals. The bright sunlight and clear waters create a magical environment as you hover over the precipice. The shallows are a fun place to snorkel and great for beginners, but you may want to head inshore to escape some of the effects of the current.
From the high point at 10 feet the rock face is vertical to depths of 90 feet and beyond. There are crevices in the rock with small colorful fish, sea stars, a few small scallops and colorful reef fish such as garibaldi, treefish and kelpfish. Hover along the rock face about half way down where you can look up and appreciate the size of the drop-off and gaze down to spot passing bat rays.
The reef hooks out to sea at one point creating a wall you can tuck in behind to rest from the current. But if possible, don’t stop here. Climb up over the reef extension and drop down the other side to more drop-offs with deep crevices at about 50 feet. They are wide enough to let a diver pass and the light passing through the 20 foot deep rock gashes is quite photogenic.
This dive site is excellent for the wide-angle photographer with dramatic rock faces and terrain. Many of the rocks are covered with colorful algae that create excellent backdrop for fish photos of garibaldi, calico bass, sheephead and more. Macro photo here is fair with some invertebrates along the wall although it can sometimes be difficult to hang on the vertical rock face in the current.
Spearfishing is fair with a fair population of good sized calico bass in the shallows near shore. Yellowtail will pass over the finger reef. Sheephead are present but most are small. There are a few good sized lobster in the rock piles at the bottom of the walls, but these rocks are quite deep (90 to 100+ feet down). Lobster are also present on the shallow shelf but most of these are short.
If you are clear water junky, San Clemente Island is the place for you and this dive spot is the perfect spot to experience this exciting crystal blue experience.
Dive Spot At - A - Glance
Location: Southeast end of San Clemente Island, lee side. (GPS N32°50.425', W118°22.104'. GPS for reference only. Do not use as your sole source of navigation.)
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Access: Boat only.
Skill Level: All.
Snorkeling: Good over shallow shelf near island. Watch currents.
Depths: 10 to 100+.
Visibility: Excellent; 70 feet common, 100 feet not unusual.
Photography: Excellent wide angle; fair macro.
Hunting: A few lobster. Spearfishing fair for calico bass, yellowtail.
Hazards: Currents, depths.
Suggested Boats Serving This Area:
Horizon/Ocean Odyssey - (858) 277-7823or see the California Scuba Calendar section of this issue for trips to San Clemente Island.
Dale Sheckler is Editor and Publisher of California Diving News, Producer of the annual SCUBA Show expo (each June in Long Beach, CA), and co-author of the book newly released A Diver's Guide to Southern California's Best Beach Dives, 3rd Edition.
