Top Snorkeling and Scuba Diving in Santa Barbara County
Ready to check out the best sites in Santa Barbara County for scuba diving, snorkeling, shore diving, free diving or other ocean activities? Zentacle has 5 dive sites, snorkel spots, beaches, and more. Discover hand-curated maps, along with reviews and photos from nature lovers like you.
No matter what you're looking for, you can find a diverse range of the best ocean activities in Santa Barbara County to suit your needs.
#1 - Mesa
USA, California, Santa Barbara
Cool reef overhangs, fish in the kelp beds... Great place for a summer-time free dive.
Park on Mesa Lane and lug your gear down the stairs. Enter the water between the kelp beds. If you have a boat, you are stoked...
#2 - Coal oil point
USA, California, Santa Barbara
If you are lucky, you may be able to see actual oil seeps as well as gas seeps, coming from the ocean floor. The oil seeps look like long black sticks from the ocean floor on calm days. These seeps make up the tar accumulation on the beach. Not the oil platforms offshore
Park in IV and follow the bike trail down to the beach.
Coal oil point is also known as Deveroux point.
#3 - Refugio
USA, California, Santa Barbara
It is truly great. Tgher are many fish and the marine life in the kelp is great.
Drive along Highway one southbound past Gaviota State Park until you reach Refugio state Beach. Go into the park and park along the beach by the point. Dive in the kelp beds along the point.
Refugio is also known as rights.
#4 - Biltmore
USA, California, Santa Barbara
Several low reefs off the beach provide habitat for fish and footing for kelp. Occasionally you'll see horn sharks on the sand.
Traveling South along US 101, take exit 94A to Olive Mill Road. Go straight along Spring Road, and turn right at the first stop sign, onto Olive Mill Rd heading South. Olive Mill Road bends to the right and becomes Channel Drive, along the beach. Park along Channel Drive, preferably on the ocean side across from the Biltmore Hotel. Gear up and take the stairs to the beach. The dive is off the beach and generally to the right (East).
#5 - Tajiguas
USA, California, Santa Barbara
Directly off the beach are large sand flats. Look for pipefish and (at night) cusk-eels. A short underwater swim to the right are low rocky reefs and shelfs. Giant kelp and gorgonians are plentiful. Occasionally you'll spot abalone, giant sea bass, and maybe a cormorant.
Drive North from Santa Barbara and Goleta on US 101. 2.8 miles past the entrance to Refugio State Park, make a U-turn at the turnaround, watching of oncoming traffic. Pull into the turnout on the right. Look for trains, then cross the tracks and carefully walk to the beach. Make a careful surf entry.