California Coast

[Telna]

Has anybody here gone scuba diving off the California coast? How does it compare to your experiences in other places? My grandpa lives here so he does most of his diving in Monterey, CA but he says there are much more beautiful places out there.

[oldsarge]

I had friends who had done some Kelp diving off the west coast. Sounded a little creepy and claustrophobic to me.

[Deluxe]

I live in Southern California and did my first dives and classes out here. I enjoy diving out here, but be prepared to have a thicker wet suit with a hoodie. The only other place I have dived is in Hawaii and it was amazing. If you're interested in kelp forests you should check out Catalina Island. They have a natural preserve with kelp forests and the water is generally clear. It's free to dive there and it's just a shore dive with easy access to the water. You do have to pay for the ferry out of Long Beach to get there though. Also if you're in Monterey I know that the San Simeon area has some nice dive spots. I would suggest diving out here. You'll see plenty of life just like with any dive. The only problem I run into regularly while diving out here is the water visibility tends to be pretty low. Hope this helps

[carmen]

It is on my list of places to visit and it will be much closer to plan a trip if all goes well and we move for a new job. I would like to be within a few hours of everything.