Top Snorkeling and Scuba Diving in Los Angeles

There's something for everyone at White Point. Beginner and expert divers will find interesting underwater vistas to explore. Ship wrecks and old construction have left bits and pieces of history strewn through the area. Plus, reefs and kelp around the point are harbors for the elusive critters. The Big Attraction here is the Warm Water Vents in the Shallows. About 50 Yards out you'll find areas with almost no growth and a mixed White and Black Sandy Bottom. You may see "Murky Water" in these areas as well. If so, you're over the vents - Try taking your Gloves off and putting them in the sand, you'll feel the Heat - It's pretty Cool (or is that Hot)! Expect to see Bat Stars, Sea Cucumbers, Moray eels and lots of Nudibranchs as you venture away from the Vents. Go a little Deeper and East and you'll run into Kelp and Rock outcrops loaded with goodies. The best diving is in the kelp bed about 200 yards east of the cove, Rock formations with dramatic overhangs, schools of fish darting throughout the kelp, barracuda, Giant Seabass, lobster, large sand rose anemones and batrays can be found here. Entry in the cove can be tough. Slippery rocks and shallow water extends more than sixty feet from shore. It is best to dive here at high tide. The park is closed at night, but you can enter via the fire road east of the baseball field and enter the water on either side of the point. Two thousand feet offshore is a beautiful reef with several species of sponges, different nudibranchs than those found inshore and various rockfish. The reef is about thirty feet wide and one hundred feet long and rises twenty feet above the sand. There are smaller rocks about fifty feet NE of White Point Rock. The only location on Palos Verdes Peninsula with parking right by the water. Swim approx 200 yards straight out at 40' depth. 1.5 miles East of the junction of I-110 and the Pacific Coast Highway, take Western Ave South toward the ocean. In about 5.5 miles, it will merge with West Paseo Del Mar. You'll see the view of the following picture.

Sand with Halibut and Rays. Some crabs Just south of Imperial Avenue

The Star of Scotland sits in 75 feet about a mile off the Santa Monica Pier. During the summer it is home to more than two dozen giant sea bass. Visibility is usually poor, but can reach thirty feet or more during good conditions.

The Radio Tower rests on its side in 100 feet less than a mile off Pt. Fermin. There is some debate as to what the tower actually was, but there is no debate about what a great site it is. Metridium anemones hang from nets and lines draped across the legs of the tower. Fish, sponges, anemones and nudibranchs cover every inch of the tower.

Although the visibility is usually poor here, at times it can be good enough to have a great dive. It is the easiest access in Los Angeles county. Little to no surf, packed sand and the reef begins a short distance from shore. Showers and restrooms are right next to the sand. The Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is an interesting visit after diving. It is filled with the local marine life you may have encountered under water. The boat launch at the northeast end of the parking lot has nudibranchs atop the kelp next to the dock in the spring and summer. The best diving is at the outer edge of the kelp, beyond the swim buoy. It's a long swim, but there is an old military wreck in the middle of the kelp and the low-lyiing reefs are filled with clams, fish, sea lions and harbor seals. Gray whales pass by in the winter and can be seen from shore. Dolphins swim in the kelp most mornings and evenings. For non-divers there is a fishing pier, the aquarium, parks with playground equipment and tidepools to explore along the base of the cliff. Take Stephan White Drive from Pacific Avenue in San Pedro.