Crescent Bay – Laguna Beach, CA
Crescent Bay is a very beautiful beach in general, getting its name from its crescent shape. It’s very picturesque, with Laguna Beach’s signature fancy beach houses overlooking the immediate area. It’s very close to downtown Laguna Beach, and is an excellent beach for snorkeling/diving in additional to all of the other typical beach activities.
As with most of the beaches along Laguna Beach this beach is a protected beach, so you’ll have to abide by the rules posted at the entry sites.
Crescent Bay Snorkeling and Beach Info
There are good snorkeling spots at Crescent Bay both on the north side and the south side of the beach. In the middle it’s pretty much just smooth sand with no other features (maybe a ray or two).
The south side has pretty much one large rock that juts quite a ways out away from shore. The further out along this rock you go, the more likely you are to get to the giant kelp beds that lie between Crescent Bay and Shaw’s Cove, the next beach south.
The north side has the majority of the features for this beach. There are tidepools on this side, and it’s the rocky area out in front of these tidepools that provides the underwater topography that really makes Crescent Bay an interesting snorkeling site. This reef area extends out about 100 yards from shore or more at its furthest point. The seafloor is pretty deep when you get out that far, maybe 30-40 feet. There is also an area in the middle of the reef that kind of forms a small underwater valley. This area can be really cool when the swell is low.
Both the north and the south side have many Garibaldi, Big Sea Stars, Sea Urchins, Rockfish, Sandbass, Perch and Eelgrass. I have seen a few rays and small leopard sharks here as well.
Getting There
Crescent Bay is located off of Pacific Coast Highway just a mile northwest of Main Beach in Laguna Beach, CA.
Little Corona
Little Corona is a small beach just south of the bigger Corona Del Mar beach. Its rocky and there are a lot of tidepools. It has always been really choppy and low visibility when I have been here. More info to come after my next visit…
Shaw’s Cove – Laguna Beach, CA
Shaw’s Cove is another one of the many smaller, semi-secluded beaches in Laguna Beach. A very beautiful and picturesque snorkeling location, with Laguna Beach’s signature fancy beach houses overlooking the immediate area. It’s very close to downtown Laguna Beach, and is an very popular beach for snorkeling/diving because of its sea life, epic reef structures, and kelp forests.
As with most of the beaches along Laguna Beach this beach is a protected beach, so you’ll have to abide by the rules posted at the entry sites.
Shaw’s Cove Snorkeling and Beach Info
Shaw’s Cove is a really rocky beach, as is typical with Laguna beaches. There are good snorkeling spots both on the north side and the south side of the beach, although the most interesting sea life and structures are on the north side. The beach isn’t long and there is pretty much just sand in the middle, no big rocks or other features.
The north side has a little bit of everything. Just off the shore there is an area with really shallow lying vegetation, like at Fisherman’s Cove. Lots of eel Grass, some gorgonians, small rocks and maybe some urchins and anemones. As you head out further along the predominant rock structure, the sea floor drops quite a bit. Depending on the tide, you might be at a level to swim above the main reef structure plateau, or it may be above you. Keep going north/northwest along this large structure and it will take you to some impressively large swaying kelp forests. The reef/rocks extend out quite far here, and if you keep going out and across/north you’ll end up at south Crescent Bay. There is also a popular underwater arch that is more easily accessible to scuba divers, but you might have a go at it yourself if you are a good swimmer.
The south side is as a rocky reef structure that extends out about maybe 150 feet. Lots of urchins here. Shares a lot of the features of the north side, but to a lesser extent. Keep swimming south around the rock and you’ll be at Fisherman’s Cove.
You’ll of course see many varieties of fish, Garibaldi being some of the most common of course. Expect to see some perch, sandbass, rockfish etc.
Getting There
Shaw’s Cove is located a bit off Pacific Coast Highway just a mile northwest of Main Beach in Laguna Beach, CA. You’ll find the entry off of Cliff Dr. and Fairview.
Fisherman’s Cove – Laguna Beach, CA
Fisherman’s Cove is a really nice small beach/cove, very secluded. It’s just north (literally just around some rocks) of Diver’s Cove. Once again, very rocky hills above sand with Laguna Beach’s signature fancy beach houses overlooking the immediate area. It’s very close to downtown Laguna Beach, and is a beach that I would say is almost exclusively for snorkeling/diving.
As with most of the beaches along Laguna Beach this beach is a protected beach, so you’ll have to abide by the rules posted at the entry sites.
Fisherman’s Cove Snorkeling and Beach Info
The whole length of the beach has really good snorkeling that extends out quite far from shore. This is a great beach for beginners as well because there is plant and sea life just about 10 feet from shore. It doesn’t get too deep too fast if you are intimidated by that either.
There is usually a little bit of a shelf right as the waves crash. Like maybe 2 – 3 feet, so be aware of that, there will be a drop-off as soon as you get into the water. There are also a lot of abalone shells that can be a little annoying to step on or have pushed into you by the waves, but they are only right where the waves crash.
You’ll see Garibaldi, big Sea Stars further out, Sea Urchins, Rockfish, Sandbass, Perch and Eelgrass. I have seen a few rays and small leopard sharks octopus and lobster here as well.
Getting There
Fisherman’s Cove is located off of Pacific Coast Highway about a mile northwest of Main Beach in Laguna Beach, CA.
Lover’s Cove – Avalon, Catalina
Lover’s Cove is a small to medium sized cove on the island of Catalina just off of California’s Coast. It is literally a 2 minute walk from the boat landing.
This dive spot offers some great scenery not to mention animals that are very used to people – meaning you can get pretty close to them without them swimming away. Excellent kelp forests as well as a variety of depths make this a pretty sweet spot.
Lover’s Cove Snorkeling and Beach Info
This spot is a great spot for beginning snorkelers and advanced snorkelers alike. For the beginners it’s great because you don’t have to swim too far from shore to have a great experience. The fish are also very used to people, and there are a lot of them.
The fact that this is an east facing cove/beach also means that the main pacific swells are not hitting the beach directly, meaning much smaller waves and better visibility.
For the more advanced snorkelers or those who feel comfortable in the water, this location is great because of the expansive kelp forests that go from the shallows all the way out into the depths. You can hold you breath and dive right down into the midst, and really get in there to get a feel for the habitat.
Some things to note about this location:
- There is no scuba diving allowed, snorkeling only.
- This is that same area that a lot of the glass bottom boats tour (a little further out than most people tend to swim while snorkeling), but you do need to stay somewhat alert to make sure you don’t get in the way of a boat. Usually there will be a small coastguard boat that comes by right beforehand to let you know where to be.
- The “beach” is really just a bunch of rocks, so definitely plan on wearing your fins from the get-go and doing a backwards shuffle into the water.
Getting There
You’ll have to take one of the boats from the mainland to Avalon to get to this snorkeling location. I’ll provide a link soon.
La Jolla Cove – La Jolla, CA
La Jolla Cove is a really popular snorkeling/dive location. It’s usually pretty busy there because of this. The way that the beach is almost north facing makes the beach very sheltered from the waves. La Jolla usually offers some of the warmest waters off the coast of CA as well.
This beach has everything, and more. It is one of the prime snorkeling destinations in southern California right up there with snorkeling in Catalina. The fish are used to people, there are often sea lions/seals in the area, and just around the corner are a multitude of spectacular sea caves.
It’s a protected beach, as a lot of snorkeling locations are.
La Jolla Cove Snorkeling and Beach Info
If you already like snorkeling, you simply have to get to La Jolla Cove. It has so much of everything that makes snorkeling enjoyable. All sorts of aquatic life -multitudes of various species of fish – I have also seen octopus, rays, swell sharks, seals and sea lions, sea slugs, sea stars, urchins, schools of fish ranging from tiny species to medium size species. Near the shore is has a low-lying rocky topography surrounded by high jutting rockscapes.
The waves are usually really light here, and you don’t have to go out far to see a ton of fish and other stuff so there are a lot of beginners here. It would be a good spot to introduce someone to snorkeling, because they are almost guaranteed to have a good experience (as long as you choose to go on a day with low swell or course).
If you swim around to the left you’ll encounter a very rocky area with tidepools above, which are also accessible on foot during low-tide. During certain times of the year there will also be quite a few seals and sea lions here. If you swim around to the right and keep heading east along the shore eventually you’ll encounter the caves
The Caves: The tides have over time eroded the rock surrounding La Jolla Cove to form spectacular sea caves that you can swim right into — when conditions are right! It takes a decent swim around the corner from the beach and up the coast to get there (approximately 5-10 mins depending on your pace). A lot of fish like to hang around in there and it’s just for some reason a really awesome experience swimming in and out of the caves amongs the rocks. I also saw quite a few sea lions on the rocks right there too. There are approximately 7-10 different sea caves in the area, each a bit different. There are also some areas just below the surface where you can swim right in between some tightly spaced rocks.
Diver’s Cove – Laguna Beach, CA
Diver’s Cove is a medium sized semi-secluded beach in Laguna Beach, CA. It’s right on the north side of Heisler Park. There are some small cliffs, a road and sidewalk overlooking the beach, part of Heisler Park is directly above as well. It’s very close to downtown Laguna Beach, and is a popular beach for snorkeling, general beach activities and for beginning Scuba.
As with most of the beaches along Laguna Beach this beach is a protected beach, so you’ll have to abide by the rules posted at the entry sites.
Diver’s Cove Snorkeling and Beach Info
The whole length of the beach has really good snorkeling that extends out quite far from shore. This is a great beach for beginners as well because there is plant and sea life just about 10 feet from shore. It doesn’t get too deep too fast if you are intimidated by that either.
There is usually a little bit of a shelf right as the waves crash. Like maybe 2 – 3 feet, so be aware of that, there will be a drop-off as soon as you get into the water. There are also a lot of abalone shells that can be a little annoying to step on or have pushed into you by the waves, but they are only right where the waves crash.
You’ll see Garibaldi, big Sea Stars further out, Sea Urchins, Rockfish, Sandbass, Perch and Eelgrass. I have seen a few rays and small leopard sharks octopus and lobster here as well.
Getting There
Fisherman’s Cove is located off of Pacific Coast Highway about a mile northwest of Main Beach in Laguna Beach, CA.
Heisler Park / Picnic Beach
Heisler Park / Picnic Beach is pretty much a part of Diver’s Cove, on the south side. So a lot of what you’ll experience here will be similar to Diver’s Cove. All the way to the south of this beach is a really rocky area that is somewhat surprisingly restricted only to surfing.
Moss St. Cove
Moss St. Cove is right at the end of Moss St. off of PCH (it’s a really short street, maybe 100 yards long). This beach is super beautiful and picturesque. Very small and quaint with the typical ritzy houses overlooking the beach. Quite a number of steps down to the beach itself. Very rocky. Been a while since I have been there, but it probably offers a good experience on the right day.
Table Rock Beach
I have only tried snorkeling here once, and it happened to not be the best day, but it’s rocky and beautiful, and a great beach to visit if you don’t mind trucking down about 500 steps or so. Has a little mini cove on the south side, and a rocky tunnel to the beach to the south, which I believe is a private beach.
Snorkeling Tips
As long as you already know how to swim, learning to snorkel is pretty easy. No formal training is required (such as the certification you need if you want to go scuba diving). Sometimes it can be as easy as that. But there are some pointers that I’d like to offer to help you maximize your fun, and minimize your troubles.
There are really only three things you need: Mask, Snorkel, Fins. Optional: Wetsuit Southern California’s waters can be cool, so many snorkelers like to have a wetsuit too. Not necessary, but can aid in your fun by keeping you comfortably warm.
Swimming/Breathing Technique
Swimming: When you are snorkeling, you let the fins do the majority of the work. Your arms can generally stay at your sides. Smooth undulations are preferred as opposed to rapid frantic kicking, which will only cause bubbles and stir up sand and silt (making it harder to see anything).
Breathing: You might want to practice breathing through the snorkel in a pool before you attempt to jump right into the unpredictable ocean waves so you can get comfortable first. Most importantly — slow deep breaths in and out are how you need to breath. Avoid hyperventilating. Keep your head underwater facing toward the seafloor; snorkels are manufactured to function best when your head is oriented like this. Most snorkels have a special device at the top to keep water from going in in case you want to dive with your whole head underwater. When you get to the surface, you can give a short quick breath out, to expel any excess water out of the purge valve and the bottom.
Choosing a Site
In general, if you are wanting to choose a good snorkeling site at the beach you have to know that there are good snorkeling beaches and bad snorkeling beaches. In general, if the beach is good for surfing, its probably not good for snorkeling. The reason is that good surfing beaches are often sandy with a very low slope so that the waves last a long time before crashing, thus giving a decent amount of time to surf the waves. Good beaches for snorkeling are usually rocky beaches. Beaches with rocks offer sea life something to latch on to. You’ll have kelp and other plant life on the rocks, and the creatures that live among the kelp and the creatures that eat those creatures — the whole food chain right? So anyway, if you are trying to decide – from outside the water – whether a certain beach might have something cool to see under the water, look for rocks!
Safety
Whenever you are at the beach or in the ocean you have to remember to take safety seriously. The water/waves can drown you, pound you, and the rocks can cut you, bruise you, and of course some of the animals can pose dangers of their own.
- Don’t try and go into the water on a day with high waves. Not only will you not be able to see anything underwater, you can get rolled by the waves, or get pushed into a rock.
- I recommend always going with someone else! It’s always nice to have someone to watch your back, they may see or realize something you didn’t.
- Put your fins on once you’re already up to your waist in the water. You wont have any success trying to walk with “duck feet”.
Understanding Ocean Conditions
It’s important to know that you can’t expect to go out and have a good snorkeling experience on and ol’ day. You have to make sure the conditions are right. Generally you’ll need to consider water-temperature, wave-swell, and visibility.
Water temperature is a bit subjective. Different people can have a good snorkeling experience at different temperatures. In general, you never have to worry about the water being too warm, it’s usually a matter of whether or not it’s warm enough. In SoCal the water temperature commonly reaches a low of about 57°F in winter and a high of about 75°F (rarely) in the summer.
Waves/swell conditions are perhaps the most important factor to consider when planning an outting, but can also be hard to interpret. The waves that crash on the beach can have a number of different origins, which have varying strengths, and can come in from multiple directions. In general, the cutoff wave-height for adequate snorkeling conditions is about 2-3 feet. Any higher than that, and it is likely that visibility and safety will be compromised.
Visibility is usually a product of the waves/swell conditions. There is not much real-time data available on visibility conditions, so you should take a look at the waves/swell conditions to deduce whether it is likely that there will be good visibility. Things in the water that can reduce visibility are sand, bubbles, algae/plankton (rare that this is a large factor in SoCal).
General Tips
- If you are using a wetsuit, put it on and take it off at the car to avoid sandy problems.
- If you are worried about being comfortable with the temperature of the water, go in first with just your wetsuit on (or just your bathing suit, if you don’t plan to wear a wetsuit). That way you can acclimate for a few minutes before having to deal with your other gear.
Entering the Water from the Beach
Generally, you enter the water from the beach when snorkeling in SoCal. Some sites will offer the opportunity to enter from rocks or a boat or kayak, but that isn’t as common.
Before you start floating there trying to see something, make sure you swim past the breaking waves. It’s potentially dangerous to stay there too long – you might get caught off guard by a wave – but mainly the likelihood of good visibility and the likelihood that there will be anything to see is low.
As you are swimming out, if you do encounter any bigger waves, it’s generally better to swim under them, than to try and stand up with your fins on or somehow get over them. With the mask and snorkel on, the wave shouldn’t pahse you too much, unless it crashes right on you. It’s a good idea to hold the mask onto your face with one hand in case things do get a bit rough swimming under a wave.
