UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Underwater photographer Mike Bartick waxes lyrical about the diving opportunities off the coast of California, which can be highly rewarding and, above all, adventurous

Photographs by Mike Bartick

The Pacific Ocean touches all 1,000 miles of the Californian shoreline and is the deepest ocean, reaching over 6 1/2 miles deep. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.

Diving in California can be enjoyed all year with some obvious considerations that the winter months (DecemberFebruary) will be cooler than the summer months (June-August).

By shore or by boat, diving in California can

Diving in California should be on every diver’s roster of locations to visit. There are few things in life that can compare to gliding through a kelp forest, getting buzzed by sea lions or being stalked by friendly giant black sea bass.

On a wider overview, California is the third largest state in the US, which makes it feel like its own country. The 800-mile coastline stretches from the US/Mexico border all the way to Oregon, with much of it accessible to divers.

The plankton-rich waters attract big animals too, and much of California is a migratory corridor for cetaceans like the majestic blue, humpback and gray whales, an occasional orca, super-pods of bottlenose dolphins and even risso dolphins. Of course, the macro life also has its bragging points and, although the bio-density might not be as prolific as the Philippines or Indonesia, there is certainly enough to keep a diver busy exploring for a lifetime.

California is certainly a world-class dive destination, though the cool turbid water, surge, waves and swell just don’t appeal to the masses. In fact, the prevailing conditions don’t even appeal to most of the divers that learn how to dive in California. For those of us that are enthusiastic enough - or who are just dumb enough not to notice - diving in California can be highly rewarding, photogenic and, above all, adventurous.

A large group of fish are called a school, but what do you call a large group of jellyfish? Technically, it’s called ‘a smack’, but I just call it awesome! For a few months a year, sea nettles bloom and drift through the Monterey Bay area, which makes the diving otherworldly. The emerald-green water and giant jellyfish tell their own story and are uniquely California diving.

The HMCS Yukon is a sunken Canadian destroyer and is one of San Diego’s more-popular dives. It was sunk intentionally in 2000, and lies about two miles off the coastline of San Diego. Almost all of the ship is within easy reach of the weekend diver, and she lies in about 100ft of water. For the most part, the community of divers throughout the San Diego area is strong in nearly every location or beach city along the meandering coastline, generally anchored around dive shops. Tank fills are easy to obtain, dive boats are easy to book and finding a local dive buddy is usually an easy task.

San Diego’s La Jolla shores, Point Loma and Wreck Alley all attract divers from every skillset and are well worth spending the time to explore. La Jolla is a local favorite for shore diving, with easy access, and is known for great macro while offshore, the Coronado Islands offer a different experience.

In Laguna Beach, Shaw’s Cove is synonymous for dive training and macro shooters with somewhat easy access to shore diving. Shaw’s has a great dive shop right at the top of the street that offers dive training, rentals and tank fills in addition to local dive reports. Other hot spots for shore entry include Newport Pier and Vet’s Park.

For a truly distinctive experience, the offshore oil platforms form a unique marine habitat and are one of the few places where divers can actually dive under oil platforms.

Accessible only by boat, these massive structures are basically man-made reef systems that have both macro and wide-angle options.

Mantis shrimp can be found in Californian waters

Colder waters do not mean less color on the rocky reefs

Vibrant anemones can reach spectacular sizes

MIDDLE LEFT Playful sea lions

The La Jolla shore line, showing the easy access to the water

Pier legs smothered in marine growth

‘Smack’ of sea nettles

Blue-banded goby

Various species of seastar inhabit Californian waters There are three platforms that are dive-able in SoCal - Elly and Emma, which are connected, and Eureka. They bottom out at approximately 700-1,000ft and usually have schooling fish and baitballs under the main platforms. The beams and pillars are encrusted with colonial corynactis, hydroids and anything else that has found its way to this open ocean oasis, including the state fish, a bright-orange damsel called the Garibaldi.

There are seven Channel Islands in Southern California - San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz and Anacapa to the west, and Santa Catalina, San Clemente and Santa Barbara further south. All are rugged and rocky and have their own sense of personality and marine life. Only Catalina is inhabited year-round, while some of the other islands are used for camping, day hikes or military exercises.

San Miguel is a haunting, windblown and very exposed tiny island at the western tip of the archipelago the protrudes outward from the ‘California Bite’. Quite often, San Miguel is a destination for overnight or weekend LOB trips that fail to reach San Mig’ due to weather, which only adds to the mystique of actually diving there. Underwater, San Mig’ rewards its divers with pinnacles and channels, schools of rockfish, colorful reef systems and a chance to dive in an area that rarely sees divers. Anacapa island is one of my absolute favorite places in California to dive. Much of the front of the island is protected by state ‘fish and game’ laws, which allows the marine life here to thrive without overfishing.

The island is home to sea lion rookeries. The sea lions have become very accustomed to divers and the boats that bring them there. The dive boat Spectre uses an underwater car alarm that signals the sea lions, which then rush the boat like a herd of puppies. They love to play with divers, and this is one of the few places that I know of that offers this kind of experience.

In addition to playful sea lions, there are also mischievous harbor seals that love to tease divers with their aloof attitude. They will tug on your fins, push on your head, even grab ahold of your tank or leg vying for your attention. But as soon as you turn around, they bolt away pretending it wasn’t them. Waiting and pretending to ignore them seems to work the best to capturing photos of them.

California is the birthplace of the internet. In 1969, the first ARPANET message was sent from a UCLA site. That first message? ‘Lo’. He meant to say ‘login’, but then the system crashed!

How to dive in California – Dive with a local for the best insights. Diving can be done from shore or by boat. Large dive boats run Friday through Sunday. Six-pack charters are also available for custom itineraries. When to dive it – September-November usually offers the best visibility. Year-round diving is also possible, but weather dependent. Exposure gear – Prepare for full coverage, year-round average water temps can range from mid-40s-60s. 7mm with gloves and booties, hood and/or hooded vest. Most locals opt for a drysuit year-round for maximum comfort. How to shoot it – California is one of the few remaining places globally to experience diving in giant kelp, so bring your wide-angle lens but be prepared to shoot macro.

• Cell connectivity in many state parks is limited or non-existent.

Tell a responsible person back at camp or at home where you are going and when you plan on returning. • Do not walk off-trail or enter closed areas otherwise you risk the chance of getting lost or injured. Best to stick to the marked trail. • Take plenty of drinking water with you. Leave the natural stream, river and lake water for the park wildlife. Take your time, get set up and wait for them to come to you for the best results.

Anacapa offers wonderful macro year-round as well, with a plethora of nudibranchs and other small critters to be found. Go slow, explore the seabed and rocky outcroppings and see what you can find.

I have to admit that even though I grew up diving in Southern California and cutting my teeth in the Channel Islands, Monterey has to be the most quintessential of all of California diving. Monterey Bay is in Central California only an hour south of San Francisco. The nutrient-rich green water backdrops the kelp beds in an undersea setting that is unlike anywhere else. Massive smacks of sea nettles, wolf eels, toothy lingcod, colorful anemones, supersized nudibranchs and blennies are typical on almost every dive site. Despite the hearty cold water conditions of Monterey, the dive community here is very active, with dive boats and local charters readily available. Shore diving in Monterey is also a local favorite, with easiest of all being the breakwater. Other shore dive spots include Monastery Beach, Point Lobos and Lover’s Point. All of these are weather dependent, of course, and best dived with a local.

The name ‘California’ comes from a mythical island paradise written about in an early 16th-century Spanish novel. There are now many nicknames for the state – The Golden State, The Land of Milk and Honey, The El Dorado State, and The Grape State.

Wolf eel, also known as a wolf fish

A bright orange Garibaldi

California is a huge state with several divergent micro-climates. The best way to dive here is probably a ‘Drive and Dive’ style strategy that would also provide ample time to explore a little topside. Because most boats run exclusively ThursdaySunday, it also allows visitors the travel time to get from one place to the next, defrost, get tank fills and to get the full California experience.

Diving in California certainly isn’t for everyone but it should be on all diver’s radars. With the proper planning and preparation, a visit to nearly any location mentioned will certainly create a memorable experience in addition to images that will certainly match the occasion. From shore or by boat, wrecks, reefs or rigs, California diving is like striking gold! n

Getting there You can fly into San Francisco, Los Angeles or San Diego easily from many countries. California is also well served by highway networks.

When to visit You can dive California all year round, weather dependent. September-November usually offers the best visibility.

Currency US dollar.

Entry Requirements If you are driving, you don’t need a passport. If you are flying in from abroad, check the entry requirements for your country of origin. CHECK CURRENT COVID-19 GUIDELINES.

Electricity 110 volt, two-pin socket – standard US plug.