Laguna Beach - multiple sites

Laguna Beach offers some of the finest and most varied shore diving in Southern California, with a collection of distinct sites strung along its scenic Orange County coastline that together create an extraordinary diving destination just 50 miles south of Los Angeles. The multiple sites encompassed within the Laguna Beach diving area — including Divers Cove, Shaw's Cove, Crescent Bay, and Moss Street, among others — share the same fundamental character: rocky reefs and kelp beds immediately offshore, accessible by shore entry across sandy beaches or via concrete stairways cut into the coastal bluffs, with depths ranging from 15 to 70 feet depending on how far from shore you venture. The underwater topography varies pleasingly from site to site, with some areas featuring dramatic boulders and surge channels, others offering gentle sand-and-rock habitat carpeted in colorful invertebrates. The marine life of Laguna Beach is quintessentially Southern Californian in character: the garibaldi, California's official state marine fish, is ubiquitous — brilliant orange males patrol rocky territories with pugnacious dedication, attacking dive masks and cameras they perceive as threats. California moray eels lurk in nearly every rock crevice, their blunt faces and undulating bodies characteristic of the Pacific species. Kelp bass and calico bass lurk in the kelp canopy, while varieties of rockfish — vermilion, blue, and copper — hover near the rocky bottom. Spiny lobster shelter under ledges throughout, particularly abundant at sites within the Laguna Beach Marine Protected Areas where take is prohibited. Leopard sharks rest on sandy patches between reefs, their beautiful spotted patterns perfectly suited to the dappled light filtering through the kelp. Octopus, Spanish shawl nudibranchs, and bat rays complete a roster of photogenic subjects that draws underwater photographers from across the region. Water temperature ranges from the high 50s Fahrenheit in winter to the low 70s in late summer.