Diver Reviews:    (Please share your own experiences by clicking here!)

07/28/2008 Dustin (Avg: 3.58 Review) - (No Comment)

03/19/2008 Brian Xavier (Avg: 3.40 Review) - We dove Crescent Bay from the second access point- the one with the smooth sidewalk. Nice looking dive but tried going in at the middle of the beach and it was low vis. We should have gone to the north and near the rocks. Great spot with showers. Good parking if you get there early.

12/09/2006 Troy Simmons (Avg: 3.66 Review) - This is a really nice beach I dove, especially out and around seal rock. Just stay away from the rock a little as the seals will attack while protecting their young. It was a really fun dive but the surface swim was long to seal rock. Overall it was a fun dive.

04/03/2005 Chris Groll (Avg: 3.41 Review) - There were 5 of us diving at this site today as a group, and we were lucky enough to experience some dolphins frolicking just outside the surf area. They would dive down to check us out with a few circles and head bobs, then take off again. What a fun time!! As mentioned in previous reviews, there is a very nice reef area to the north side of the cove, easy entry and exit. One warning: if there is any surge at all it gets very strong nearing the shallower rocks. We saw a giant Sheep Crab, about 2 1/2 ft wide at the legs, lots of Garibaldi, lots of purple urchins, Ginat Spined Stars, Sheepshead and other numerous sea life. Good heck-out site.

03/07/2005 John in LA (Avg: 3.52 Review) - Dove Dead Man's on March 6th. Only one other group of divers out that morning. Visibility was typical for the area. More garibaldi than I've ever seen in one place. Very enjoyable, although its hard to find the spot without someone who's been there before. To drop Dead Man's, surface swim northwest until you see a flagpole among the coastal homes to the northeast centered between the two guano encrusted rocks. It's about a 40' drop.

02/06/2005 Erik Wade (Avg: 3.55 Review) - South Crescent is a very fun little maze to check out. The reef is adjacent to Shaw's Cove and I have found a huge amount of life swimming about. Keep your eyes peeled in the cracks and crevices for eel and octopi. South Crescent has a great little maze to check out. The reef is adjacent to Shaw's Cove and I have found a huge amount of life swimming about. Keep your eyes peeled in the cracks and crevices for eel and octopi. This location offers an assortment of nice dive sites including: South Crescent, North Crescent, Sea Rock (I suggest this on a clear warm day when they are more active and playful), Dead Man's Reef, and Pinnacle. Keep in mind, Dead Man's, Pin, and the Rock are a mile swim minimum. Depths range from 10-40ft at the reef at South and North Crescent to a max of 50-65ft at Dead Man's. In an effort to prevent any soiled wetsuits, please note that the seals do get very playful at times and love to suddenly appear right next to you. I mention this only because I have witnessed countless divers emitting a brown cloud when they notice a sea lion within arms reach having a little fun with them. My best advice is to take every dive here slow, so you won't miss the stuff that makes this a great spot.

06/01/2004 Frank Wimberly (Avg: 3.44 Review) - It's a great dive. Many divers go to Deadman's Reef or Seal Rock, but check out the eastern side of Crescent Bay. There is a maze of wide crevices that will easily accommodate two divers swimming side-by-side.

05/31/2004 Dan and Rob Fox (Avg: 3.03 Review) - My son and I dove North Crescent Bay trying to make it out to Seal Rock. The long swim out was just too far for the conditions. We dropped down to about 40 feet a 100 yards from the rock. The bottom was reef like with some sandy patches. We saw Garibaldi, urchins, cucumbers and some kelp. The vis was about 8 feet, the water temp was 53 at below the thermo cline and the surge was really strong. Get there early parking is limited and there are a lot of steps to the beach. I would like to go again when conditions are better.

05/20/2004 Sven Manhouser (Avg: 4.09 Review) - I saw a huge BEARDED clam and lots of mussels on shore. A whole gaggle of sea lions roared at my entry into their most private of places. An overall blast!

04/15/2004 Anonymous (Avg: 3.61 Review) - I've been diving Crescent for many years, because this site has a lot to offer. Deadmans reef, Seal Rock and Pinnacles are more advanced type dives but can be done by less experienced divers, as long as they are accompanied by more experienced divers who have dived this area before. Average vis. in winter is approx. 15ft with avg. temps around 55 degrees. I have experienced 50ft vis and temps in the mid 60's. Like most good dive sites in Southern California, you need to go to the beach and check the conditions for your self! I would have missed out on some great diving had based my decision to dive solely on dive reports from local shops and or publications, etc. If you're in need of a buddy, there are several great dive clubs in the local area that welcome new divers of all levels of experience with open arms. You don't even have to become a member to dive with the clubs, in most cases.

09/15/2003 Anonymous (Avg: 3.78 Review) - I dive this site on a regular basis. It has great scenery and plenty of life, micro and macro. Dead Man's reef and around to the Sea Lion rock are for more advanced divers, especially when conditions are rough, but are great dives. Average visibility is 10-12 feet, but I have seen it as high as 25 and as low as 2 feet.

07/05/2002 Jeff 1 (Avg: 2.79 Review) - A nice dive site. Very popular with dive schools. Not much underwater scenery in the middle of the cove and visibility is poor near the rocks.

03/24/2002 Anonymous (Avg: 3.21 Review) - There are sea lions to dive with.

ShoreDiving Resources:


Additional Resources:

Dive Site Links:   (If you have a relevant link for South Crescent Bay, please write us here.)
No external links have been submitted.

Diver Averages for  South Crescent Bay  (1=worst, 5=best)