Destination guide
California, United States has 81 public dive sites on PickADive. Use the list below to compare mapped sites by depth, access, difficulty, ratings, and reviews before opening a site page.
Seasonal patterns
Typical conditions by month across dive sites in California, United States— historical patterns, not a forecast.
From 81 sites’ typical conditions · historical typicals, not a forecast
Showing 1–12 of 81
California · 0.9–12.2 m
A shallow reef shore dive off the southern end of La Jolla Shores in front of the Marine Room restaurant, a quieter alternative to the main Shores entry. Known for green sea turtles, leopard sharks in the early summer months, and stingrays on the sandy bottom. Coordinates estimated just offshore of the named landmark.
California · 4.6–27.4 m
An advanced Carmel shore dive named for the private home with a butterfly-shaped roofline on Scenic Road south of Carmel Point. A steep winding path leads down the cliff to a rocky staging area and tricky entry, beyond which lie granite reefs, sand channels and a rich giant kelp forest with depths dropping from 15-20 feet near shore to 60-90 feet within kicking range. The site is exposed to swell from nearly every direction and should only be dived on very small swell.
California · 12.8–21.9 m
Artificial reef built from Quarry Rock
California · 6.1–27.4 m
A Carmel Bay shore dive at the south end of Carmel Beach, named for the distinctive copper-roofed home above the entry. A staircase leads to the beach, and divers enter on the far left (south) side near the rocks, working out to kelp-covered granite reefs and an outer reef in 20 to 90 feet of water. Easy on flat days but quickly becomes an intermediate-to-advanced site when swell wraps into the bay.
California · 3–13.7 m
A small pocket beach on Cannery Row next to the El Torito restaurant, diving over historic cannery debris and a healthy kelp forest. Lengths of old pipe run from near shore out to about 40 feet and serve as navigation aids, and McAbee Pinnacle lies offshore. An easy, protected entry popular for relaxed kelp dives close to downtown Monterey.
California · 3–39.6 m
The southern curl of Monastery Beach, where the shoreline hooks so divers can enter almost facing north with slightly more protection than the rest of the beach. Rocky reef and a dense kelp forest border the Carmel submarine canyon, with spectacular walls and deep water close to shore. The same lethal shorebreak and undertow as North Monastery apply — this is an advanced site that has claimed many lives and must only be dived on very calm days.
California · 6.1–25.9 m
A large white-domed rock at the edge of Isthmus Harbor near Two Harbors, offering varied terrain: shallow reef, an underwater arch, and a wall that drops vertically from about 20 ft to 70 ft, with another section running from the surface to 85 ft with deep undercuts. Scattered boulders and kelp continue to 60-80 ft. The boundary of the Blue Cavern Onshore State Marine Conservation Area cuts through the reefs here, so most divers treat it as a no-take site.
California · 6–21 m
Historic three-masted steel sailing ship wrecked on Talcott Shoal off Santa Rosa Island. NOAA and NPS materials document underwater wreck imagery, making this a legitimate Channel Islands boat-wreck target for experienced cold-water divers. Expect scattered wreckage integrated with reef/kelp habitat rather than a complete ship.
California · 16.8–39.6 m
Open-ocean seamount about 1.5-2 miles off the backside (southwest) of Catalina Island, with pinnacles rising from 200+ ft to peaks around 55-60 ft. It is famous for dense stands of protected California purple hydrocoral covering the walls, with most diving in the 90-110 ft range. Exposed position means it is only diveable in calm seas, and currents can be strong; the site is protected within the Farnsworth Offshore State Marine Conservation Area.
California · 3–45.7 m
Meeks Bay, on Lake Tahoe's west shore about 5 miles north of Emerald Bay, is one of the lake's most popular and family-friendly shore dives, with easy beach entry from the resort or campground and visibility that can exceed 60 ft. The mostly shallow bay slopes gradually before dropping at about 45 degrees into deep water, with rocky ledges and outcroppings on the south side that shelter fish and abundant crawfish, plus a sunken motorboat at around 90 ft. At ~6,225 ft elevation it is an altitude dive in cold water year-round.
California · Up to 21.9 m
Artificial reef built from Quarry Rock
California · 9–18 m
The NOSC Tower was a 100-foot steel research platform secured to the seafloor about a mile off Mission Beach in 1959 by the Naval Ocean Systems Center for oceanographic and acoustics experiments. A large winter storm toppled it in 1988, leaving a 40-foot-square base and a tangle of girders and beams in 30-60 feet of water - the only Wreck Alley structure not sunk intentionally. The open lattice is plastered with strawberry and yellow anemones, gorgonians, hydrocoral, sponges and mussels, making it one of the most life-dense and photogenic dives in San Diego.
California has 81 public dive sites in the PickADive catalog. Start with the map when coastline, nearby alternatives, and travel distance matter.
Explore sites on the mapCurrent public data shows 40 intermediate and 13 advanced dive sites. Listed depths range from about 0m to 84m where available. Boat is the most common listed access type. Use those signals as a starting point, then confirm the plan against training, equipment, and current local guidance.
PickADive can help with research and comparison, but it does not certify that a dive is safe today. Weather, current, visibility, entry, boat traffic, and local rules can change quickly.
How condition context worksUse the ranked list on this page to compare 81 public dive sites in California. PickADive highlights ratings, reviews, depth, access type, difficulty, and mapped location so you can move from destination research to a specific site page.
PickADive does not yet have enough beginner-labeled public site data to summarize California confidently. Review difficulty, access, depth, and recent notes on each site page before deciding.
Yes. PickADive currently marks 13 dive sites in California as advanced or expert level. These dives deserve extra attention to depth, access, current, visibility, and local guidance.
Listed PickADive depth data for California ranges from about 0m to 84m. Use that as a research starting point, then verify current conditions and site-specific guidance.
Yes. Use the map link on this page to compare California dive sites by location, coastline, nearby alternatives, and individual site details.