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Scuba Diving in California, United States

81 mapped sites

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Best dive sites in California, United States

Showing 49–60 of 81

Map of Cathedral Cove (Anacapa Island)

Cathedral Cove (Anacapa Island)

California · 6.1–21.3 m

One of the best-known dive sites in Channel Islands National Park, on the sheltered north side of East Anacapa Island about 1-1.5 hours by boat from Ventura. Reef structures top out around 20 ft and drop to 70+ ft sand channels, draped in giant kelp with arches and cavern-like formations, abundant gorgonians and a nearby sea lion rookery. The site lies inside a long-established no-take marine reserve, so fish life is dense and giant sea bass are seen with some regularity.

Boat entry
Map of Torrey Pines 2

Torrey Pines 2

California · Up to 13.4 m

Artificial reef built from Quarry Rock, Cocnrete Dock Floats

Boat entry
Map of Carmel River Beach

Carmel River Beach

California · 6.1–18.3 m

A long, gently sloped beach at Carmel River State Beach, far more forgiving than neighboring Monastery Beach. The bottom drops in rocky steps from 20 to 30 to 40 feet and then slopes past 60 feet, beneath one of the healthiest kelp beds in Carmel Bay — often too thick to surface-swim through in summer and fall. Enter and exit at the very north end near the Scenic Road stairs.

IntermediateShore entry
Map of Hurricane Bay

Hurricane Bay

California · 3–33.5 m

Hurricane Bay, on Tahoe's west shore about 1.4 miles south of Sunnyside, is a local favorite for deep and night diving: free year-round parking sits just 50 ft from the water and the bottom drops away immediately, so there is virtually no surface swim. The silt-and-sand slope holds large sunken trees from 40-100 ft, the famous 'Alley Cat' sunken sailboat at about 60 ft, and an old truck-chassis boat trailer near 110 ft, with visibility around 70 ft. It is a high-boat-traffic area in summer, so divers should enter and exit close to the beach.

IntermediateShore entry
Map of Pendleton Center

Pendleton Center

California · Up to 13.1 m

Artificial reef built from Quarry Rock

Boat entry
Map of Pitas Point

Pitas Point

California · Up to 8.5 m

Artificial reef built from Quarry Rock

Boat entry
Map of Rubicon Wall (D.L. Bliss State Park)

Rubicon Wall (D.L. Bliss State Park)

California · 3–39.6 m

Rubicon Wall, just south of Calawee Cove in D.L. Bliss State Park on Tahoe's southwest shore, is widely regarded as the most breathtaking dive in the Sierra: a near-vertical fractured granite precipice studded with quartz that plunges from a rim at about 40-50 ft to 800-1,000+ ft. Divers reach it by a ~900 ft surface swim from Calawee Cove (or by boat) and drop over the edge into exceptionally clear blue water — visibility of 70-100 ft is common — passing crawfish on the cliff face and huge schools of fingerling trout and Lahontan redside shiners in the 30-35 ft shallows. At 6,229 ft elevation the altitude penalty is severe (130 ft measures like ~162 ft physiologically), making this a disciplined advanced dive despite the easy beginner terrain inside the cove.

AdvancedShore + boat
Map of Scripps Canyon

Scripps Canyon

California · 21.3–30.5 m

A narrow, sheer-walled branch of the La Jolla canyon system near the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, with vertical rock walls plunging toward roughly 1,600-foot depths. A popular site for scientific and recreational diving thanks to the high density of marine life on its walls, usually dived by boat. Coordinates estimated at the canyon head offshore of Scripps Pier.

AdvancedShore + boat
Map of Train Wheels

Train Wheels

California · 18–30 m

Train Wheels is a quirky Point Loma boat dive where two full-sized sets of train wheels on their axles rest in a rocky slot canyon at about 95-100 feet, possibly dumped as ship ballast or during a Navy exercise. The surrounding terrain sits within one of Southern California's largest and healthiest kelp forests, with prime diving between 60 and 80 feet along ledges and canyon walls. Reliable macro life - especially nudibranchs - and dramatic kelp seascapes make it a favorite with photographers; tidal currents are common.

IntermediateBoat entry