| United States - Eastern Pacific Live-Aboards | |
California's coastal waters can be divided into two distinct regions. North
of Pt. Conception (a hundred-mile drive from L.A.), temperatures drop into the
low 50s above the thermocline, visibility ranges from 10 to 60 feet, and animals
closely resemble those of Puget Sound and British Columbia. Shore diving in
this region requires surf entry, and each year unskilled divers are killed trying
to enter or exit. Abalone are allowed only to free divers.... South of Pt. Conception,
surface temperatures may reach the 70s in summer, though temperatures below
the thermocline remain in the low 50s year-round with visibility ranging from
20 100 feet. Animals and plants in this region resemble those in northern
Mexico. There's beautiful kelp and good fish life around the Channel Islands,
which are accessible by boat from Santa Barbara and Los Angeles.... The best
time of year for diving is in late summer or early fall, when plankton blooms
cease and winter storms have yet to begin.... A 1/4" wetsuit or a drysuit
is needed everywhere in California regardless of the season.... There's roughly
one great white shark attack annually north of Monterey; free divers are most
at risk, followed by surfers and scuba divers....
For full reviews of the following California destinations, see: Santa BarbaraTruth Aquatics, August 1999, Roger Clark, Midland, TX. Vis: 30-40 ft. Water: 52-60 degrees. Good boat, good crew, water unseasonably cold. Went to Northern Channel Islands. Cloudy and foggy 3 days. Get on with dive shop that chartered boat. Pre-arrival orientation by Truth Aquatics not adequate on open boat. Groups gave out bunk assignments one month before we arrived. (Telephone 805-962-1127; Fax 805-564-6754)
Truth Aquatics/Vision,September 1999, Peter Golitzen (pgolitzen@home.com), El Cerrito, CA. Vis: 30-50 ft. Water: 55-60 degrees. Weather: cloudy. Water: surge. Restrictions: None. Camera accommodated well, E-6 onboard. Took Limited Load trip, better than a cruise. Co-owner Glen Fitzler captains Vision,the best of the best. Food upgraded from usual good fare to superb for LL trips. $24 extra/day. (I've been on TA boats 10 times since 1993 this LL trip was the best). Glen a tad more aggressive than other captains so we did San Miguel instead of hiding in lee of Santa Cruz rollers were coming in but wind was low. Great food, sit-down dinner. Best diving along California Coast by far! Great crowd, a few fellow CA folks that know a winner along with a big bunch from New Jersey and 2 couples from France. Dry suits more common in this nifty group. Extensive contact with seals in the rookeries around San Miguel. On land, Hearst Castle not too far away for visitors to consider. Interesting dinner spot in Goleta - Pino's - classic Italian (Calabrese) great fish over Linguini in red sauce. Concepcionis almost as good a boat as the Visionbut Truthis somewhat inferior. I've been on all three. Bunk space okay, good ventilation in Visionand Concepcion,mediocre in Truth. San DiegoHorizon,June 1999, Ralph Baker (tedtown2@aol.com), Las Vegas, NV. Vis: 80-90 ft. Water: 59-67 degrees. Sunny, dry. Water: choppy, surge. You were responsible for your own safety and profile. Full day to San Benitos Islands from San Diego, day and half coming back against current and wind. Saw 3 blue whales and scores of common dolphins, albacore tuna (fishermen in our group caught 62 in 90 minutes). Horizonwas chartered by Scuba Schools of America. Bunk style sleeping arrangements, three showers and two had toilets. Boat holds 30 divers but it would be crowded with that many. We had 20. San Benitos Islands offer pristine diving. Fish and seals aren't used to divers so they allow you to come close. Seals swim up and look into your mask. Free divers had to push fish away so they could get them in front of their spear guns. Mixture of Southern California fish and tropical fish. Scythe butterfly fish common. Close to the islands, Sheepsheads are common. Farther out large Yellowtail common. Humboldt Squid came up to the boat at night. California sea lions, Guadeloupe fur seals, elephant seals and harbor seals were so common we stopped commenting on them, but they were always fun! Some sites fabulous and others boring. Night diving was not good. Northeasterly winds push the warm water out to sea, allowing colder water to upwell. Most divers used dry suits. Hurry before its unique quality is lost due to the increase of scuba divers and hunters. (Telephone 619-277-7823 or 619-222-1144; Fax 619-560-6811)
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