LA - Casino Point

This is as good as shorediving gets in California. It almost doesn't seem fair to consider Casino Point a shore dive since it's so easy to get in the water...but alas you are entering from the shore, so technically it is a shoredive. So: entry is easy, rarely is there surf, rarely is there surge, the kelp is big and healthy, there's lots of sealife and vis averages from 30-50ft and at times can be 100ft. Not to mention there is an airfill station on-site. Few downsides to this spot though. It's pretty busy on weekends, and on weekends in the summer it's PACKED! Seriously, sometimes there's a line of divers waiting to get in the water. Also, sometimes vis is excellent, but gets screwed up by OW classes silting up the water like nobody's business. Also, since there's so many divers, Casino Point isn't exactly in pristine condition (although it's definitely not destroyed or anything like that). And there can be some fairly strong currents there as well. Lastly, although there is a good amount of sea life, I actually find that I see more fish and a wider variety of fish at Heisler Park in Laguna…so this is not the Socal fish mecca you might think it is. Drawbacks aside, this is still my favorite Socal Shoredive as it offers depth, great vis, tall/healthy kelp, easy access, an on site air fill station and a good amount of sealife. You can do boat dives that will give you a better/more beautiful dive-experience, but as far as shorediving goes, Casino Point is the best diving in Socal.