Scuba Diving in San Diego

Location: La Jolla Shores, Mission Beach, and Other Coastal Locations.

Features: Wreck Alley, La Jolla Underwater Ecological Reserve, Kelp Beds, Very Large Diving Community

San Diego Scuba Diving Highlights: Despite cooler water temperatures, San Diego has a very active diving community with a number of good diving sites along the San Diego coast as well as offshore.

The most popular dive site in San Diego is at La Jolla Shores. The calm waters provide an excellent location for scuba diving lessons. (You will see dozens of students on weekend mornings.) La Jolla Shores also provides divers abundant marine life with its 533-acre San Diego-La Jolla Underwater Park Ecological Reserve. Two extremely deep sea canyons (reaching 1,000 feet) just 100 yards offshore and a kelp bed provide divers additional opportunities for exploration.

Another popular spot is Wreck Alley. It is located just off of Mission Beach and includes the Canadian Warship HMCS Yukon. Additional wrecks can be found off Imperial Beach, where divers will find a submarine and other naval vessels.

Also for out-of-towners to note, when you hear or read about the Coronado Islands, they are not referring to the Coronado across the bridge from Downtown San Diego, which is a tourist destination. They are referring to the uninhabitable islands you see off the coast when looking down to Mexico on a clear day.

San Diego Scuba Diving Resources: Divebums.com is the authority on scuba diving in San Diego. Travelers should start by visiting the DiveBums’ web page written for out-of-town visitors. You will also find an extensive list of diving resources, including information on current conditions, dive companies, and instructors. (DiveBums itself is not a commercial venture.) For more details, including pictures and descriptions of marine life you will find while diving off of San Diego’s coast, visit the DiveBums home page.

San Diego Diving Tours

Here is a dive company in San Diego that offer tours.

OEX La Jolla – Daily dives are offered from both La Jolla Shores and La Jolla Cove. Rates range from $110 to $130 for 3 to 4 hour experience.

Dive Videos – Check out underwater Dive Videos posted at the bottom of TourGuideTim’s description of the La Jolla Ecological Reserve.