Dive Sites in California (North America)

The popular sate of California offers rich kelp forests, reefs, excellent whale watching opportunities and The Channel Islands -California's answer the The Galapagos.

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Dive Site Overview for California

California, considered one of the most popular states, is located on the West Coast of the United States with hundreds of miles of coastline leading into the Pacific Ocean.

Diving in California offers huge kelp forests with rugged coastlines, colourful reefs, pinnacles and lush marine diversity.

The North of California is great for both fine wines and abalone diving, especially around Sonoma and Mendocino.

The Channel Islands lie to the south of California and offer some of the world's best scuba diving where warm currents mix with colder currents to create a thriving marine environment. Visibility here is fantastically clear often reaching 100 feet (over 30m). There are many islands to explore, each with its destinctive character.

Just south of the Channel Islands are several other small islands offering good diving opportunties. Santa Barbara Island is a great place for sealion watching, there are rocky walls and caverns to explore offering healthy biodiversity. Both Catalina Island and San Clement Island lie close to the coast offering excellent dropoffs and deep water pinnacles rich with colourful corals and kelp beds.

California is a hot spot for whale watching. Grey whales migrate twice a year; south along the west coast from December to February and then north again from February to April. Migrating Blue whales and humpbacks are often found around the Channel Islands