San Diego
Scuba Diving Guide
Main Diving Areas
La Jolla
Wreck Alley
Point Loma
Coronado Islands (in Mexico)
When to Go
Diveable Months: Year-round
Best Conditions: Fall & Winter
Access
Boat Diving: All dive sites
Shore Diving: La Jolla only
Cost
Boat Diving: avg. $170 - $350
Shore Diving: free - $180
Visibility
Average: 15 to 30 ft
Best: 50 ft - 100 ft
Surface Water Temp
Imperial: 58° to 70°F
Metric: 14° to 21°C
Bottom Water Temp
Imperial: 48° to 65°F
Metric: 8° to 18°C
Exposure Protection
Mandatory: 7mm wetsuit or drysuit
Recommended: Hood, booties, gloves
Marine Life
Red gorgonian, strawberry anemones
Sevengill, horn, swell, & angel sharks
Stingray, bat ray, guitarfish
Yellowtail, lingcod, halibut
Halfmoon, blacksmith
Garibaldi, sheephead
California spiny lobster
Giant spinned sea star
Sea lion, harbor seal
Giant sea bass
Nudibranch
Boat Diving
Waterhorse Charters (us!) ⭐️
Marissa Charters
All in one Mission Bay shop
Check-in, rental gear fitting, boat boarding
Main San Diego Scuba Diving Areas
What to expect
San Diego scuba diving packs the whole punch of cold-water diving:
- Kelp Forests: richer at Point Loma area, but also found in La Jolla
- Canyons & Walls: prime spots are Scripps Canyon & Train Wheels
- Wreck Diving: famous underwater collection at Wreck Alley
- Sea Lion Diving: a day trip to Coronado Islands' local rookery
- Specialty Diving: lobster, night, and shark diving are possible here
Dive conditions
Visibility changes hourly, from site to site. These are San Diego scuba diving averages:
- Average: 15 to 30 ft
- Best: 50 ft+ locally & 100 ft+ at the Coronado Islands (fall & winter)
- Worst: 5 ft (usually during algae blooms)*
Surface temperatures vary with the seasons and range between:
- May - October: 62° to 70°F
- November - April: 58° to 61°F
Bottom temperatures don't ever get too high and range between:
- May - October: 56° to 65°F
- November - April: 48° to 55°F
Brave birthday diver ventures out at the Coronado Islands without a wetsuit (Photo by Jon Schmitt)
Photo by Jon Schmitt
Coronado Islands, a day trip to Mexico away, tend to have 1 to 3°F higher surface and bottom temperatures. Every bit counts!
San Diego waters are nutrient-rich, which helps kelp forests and cold-water species like sea lions and some shark species to flourish.
Dive conditions here change hourly. We keep a running Conditions Report spreadsheet to better forecast future visibility for our boat charters.
Gear requirements
If you plan to scuba dive in San Diego, exposure protection is a must.
An extra layer of neoprene is always helpful when diving in San Diego, which is why we recommend full 7mm wetsuits with hood, booties, and gloves.
If you are certified and comfortable with it, a drysuit is not a bad idea for an even-warmer dive.
✨ LOCAL TIP: Ocean Enterprises, Beyond Land Adventures, and San Diego Divers are some of the San Diego dive shops that rent drysuits (in select sizes), but only if you are certified for it.
Accessing dive sites
You can dive La Jolla Cove and La Jolla Shores by shore, but you'll need a private or commercial boat to access any other dive site in San Diego.
Waterhorse Charters - us - and Marissa Charters have the only United States Coast Guard inspected commercial dive boats in town.
Photo by Phil Colla
Shore diving in La Jolla is a strenuous, yet rewarding physical activity
Tanks and weights included
Closest commercial dock to the ocean
Main San Diego dive sites
The San Diego scuba diving map and list below includes our favorite dive sites from La Jolla, Wreck Alley, Point Loma, and Coronado Islands. Although not all of San Diego dive sites are represented here, these are the main local recreational dive sites.
Darker icons represent advanced sites (over 60 ft) and brighter icons represent open water dive sites (under 60 ft).
Scripps Canyon
- Max. Depth: 130 ft+
- Level: Advanced
- Formation: Canyon
- Highlight: Deep Walls
La Jolla Pinnacles
- Max. Depth: 90 ft
- Level: Advanced
- Formation: Rocky Pinnacle
- Highlight: Nudibranchs
La Jolla Shores
- Max. Depth: 130 ft+
- Level: Open Water, Advanced
- Formation: Sand, Canyon
- Highlight: Night Diving
La Jolla Cove & Reefs
- Max. Depth: 50 ft
- Level: Open Water
- Formation: Kelp Forest
- Highlight: Shore Diving
HMCS Yukon
- Max. Depth: 100 ft
- Level: Advanced
- Formation: Wreck
- Highlight: large size (366 ft)
NOSC Tower
- Max. Depth: 60 ft
- Level: Open Water
- Formation: Wreck
- Highlight: Mini 'Oil-Rig'
Ruby E.
- Max. Depth: 80 ft
- Level: Advanced
- Formation: Wreck
- Highlight: Colorful Anemone
Old Ingraham St. Bridge
- Max. Depth: 70 ft
- Level: Advanced
- Formation: Wreck
- Highlight: Bridge Rubbles
El Rey
- Max. Depth: 80 ft
- Level: Advanced
- Formation: Wreck
- Highlight: Kelp Harvester
6 Fathoms
- Max. Depth: 60 ft
- Level: Open Water
- Formation: Kelp Forest
- Highlight: Sevengill Sharks
New Hope Rock
- Depth: 35 ft
- Level: Open Water
- Formation: Kelp Forest
- Highlight: Shallow Reef
Horsehead Reef
- Max. Depth: 60 ft
- Level: Open Water
- Formation: Kelp Forest
- Highlight: Walls
Dino Head
- Max. Depth: 100 ft
- Level: Advanced
- Formation: Kelp Forest, Cliffs
- Highlight: Dinosaur Rock
Train Wheels
- Max. Depth: 100 ft
- Level: Advanced
- Formation: Kelp Forest, Cliffs
- Highlight: Wrecked Wheels
Lobster Shack
- Max. Depth: 60 ft+
- Level: Open Water
- Formation: Rocky Reef
- Highlight: Sea Lions
Middle Grounds
- Max. Depth: 60 ft+
- Level: Open Water
- Formation: Rocky Reef
- Highlight: Archway
Keyhole
- Max. Depth: 60 ft
- Level: Open Water
- Formation: Rocky Reef
- Highlight: Rocky 'Fingers'
✨ LOCAL TIP: We didn't include Mission Bay as a main San Diego dive area because ocean conditions always triumph. Despite poor average visibility, Mission Bay is often used for scuba courses and lobster diving.
Tanks and weights included
Closest commercial dock to the ocean
Shark diving
Here is what you need to know about shark diving in San Diego:
- Common Species: horn sharks, leopard sharks, sevengill sharks
- Rare Species: swell sharks, tope sharks, smooth-hound sharks
- Rarest Species: great white sharks, blue sharks, mako sharks, thresher sharks
- Cage Diving: there is no great white shark cage diving in San Diego, but charters leave from San Diego to Mexican Guadalupe Islands
- Dangers: Shark attacks are incredibly rare in San Diego, specially for scuba divers
- Season: scuba diving in the Kelp Forests for sevengill sharks (spring), snorkeling at La Jolla Shores for leopard sharks (summer), looking under rocks and inside crevices on most dive sites for horn and swell sharks (year-round)
If you're interested in shark diving, see our San Diego Shark Diving guide.
Photo by Charles Hobson
Photo by Charles Hobson
Lobster diving
Here is what you need to know about lobster diving in San Diego:
- Season: October through March (specific dates here)
- Required Gear: Lobster game bag, gauge, dive light
- Lobster Limit: Seven lobsters per person, per dive
- Licenses: Lobster Report Card and Fishing License (buy them here)
- Legal Size: 3 ¼ inch carapace (measured like this)
- Location: Anywhere you don't see red (or some blue) on this map
- Best Spots: Point Loma Kelp Beds & Mission Bay
Photo by Michael Wimmer
Photo by Michael Wimmer
Night diving
Here is what you need to know about night diving in San Diego:
- Season: year-round
- Gear: dive light, SMB, reel
- Species: shrimps, octupus, crabs, horn sharks, guitar fishes, halibuts
- Best Spots: Mission Bay & La Jolla Shores (from shore), Scripps Canyon & HMCS Yukon (by boat)
Waterhorse Charters
Ocean Enterprises
- Dive Shop
- Dive Courses
- Dive Travel
- Guided Shore Diving
Beyond Land Adventures
- Dive Shop
- Dive Courses
- Dive Travel
- Guided Shore Diving
Zach Scuba Shack
- Scuba Courses
- Guided Shore Dives
North County Scuba Center
- Dive Shop
- Dive Courses
San Diego Divers
- Dive Shop
- Dive Courses
Scuba San Diego
- Scuba Courses
- Guided Shore Dives
House of Scuba
- Dive Shop
- Dive Courses
- Dive Travel
Marissa Charters
- Boat Diving
Odyssea by Fletcher
- Dive Courses
- Boat Diving (6-pack)
- Guided Shore Diving
San Diego Scuba Guide
- Scuba Courses
- Guided Shore Dives
La Jolla Dive
- Scuba Courses
- Guided Shore Dives
scuba diver girls
- Guided Shore Dives
Weekly trips on two dive boats
Friendly crew and creature comforts