California Diving News | The Authority in California Diving

Small Fish / BIG Personality: California’s Iconic Damselfish, the Garibaldi

Marty Snyderman | Featured, Fish, Marine Life, Marine Life Identification | No Comments

Make a dive in a southern California kelp forest and it is highly likely that a bright reddish-orange damselfish called…

The Fascinating/Confusing California Sheephead

Marty Snyderman | Featured, Fish, Marine Life, Marine Life Identification | No Comments

With at least 558 species described in 70 genera, the fishes commonly known as wrasses comprise a relatively large family.…

Dive Spots

California’s Underwater Treasure: 18 Tips for Diving Avalon Underwater Park

When asked by out-of-towners who have never dived California waters where to begin, one of my favorite answers is the…

Spotted “Sausages” and Beachmaster Bullies: California’s Pacific Harbor Seals and Northern Elephant Seals

Harbor and elephant seals belong to a group of carnivorous mammals called pinnipeds, of which there are 35 species around...

The California Spiny Lobster

In a crowd of divers, there are a handful of animals that when mentioned in conversation will cause everyone else...

A Curious Encounter: Our California “Octopus Teacher”

Chances are, you’ve watched the Netflix original film, My Octopus Teacher, which won the 2021 Academy Award for Best Documentary...

Forests of Giant Kelp

The mere mention of an upcoming trip to a tropical destination will almost certainly capture the attention of California divers....

The Silky: The Blue Shark of Tropical Seas

To my photographer’s eye, silky sharks are beautiful animals that bear strong resemblance to blue sharks. Their skin has a...

Sleek, Slender and Stunning: Blue Sharks

Adjectives such as graceful and gorgeous are not the typically mentioned descriptive terms when sharks are being discussed. But in the case of...

A Freak of Nature: Anacapa Island’s Underwater Arch

Divers are familiar with bubbles, so the underwater arch at Anacapa Island should not be such a big surprise to...

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Blue Friday: A Healthy Alternative to Black Friday Shopping Insanity

“Don’t Shop. Dive.” Do you wait all year for Black Friday? It seems only natural, if not compulsory, to drive...

Safety Stop Strategies

We all know how important it is to perform a 15-foot deep "safety stop" at the end of a no-decompression...

Kelp Diving 101

Once upon a time, before I took up underwater photography, I was a hunter. Off San Clemente Island one day...

An Old Divemaster’s Guide to Preventing Seasickness

There's an old sailor's proverb that states, "The only cure for seasickness is to sit on the shady side of...

Top Ten Tips to See More Fish

California reefs are full of fascinating critters adorned in living color. Our fish are among the most colorful and interesting...

Getting Schooled as a Scuba Diver: Finding the Lesson in Every Dive

A dear friend, a diver with seven decades of diving experience, once told me something that stuck with me. “I’ve...

The Fun of the Hunt: Discovering (and Rediscovering) Local Dive Sites

A glass globe of the earth sitting in sand of a beach with waves crashing in the background. California divers...

Beyond Basic Dive Gear: Gadgets and Gizmos that Up Your Game

When I hit the dive center for tank fills I inevitably find myself cruising the equipment area, marveling at the...

Salty Talk: A Diver’s Guide to Seas and Oceans and Bays and Such

Archipelago. I love that word. While it can mean any group of islands close to each other I frequently hear...

Suit Yourself: What You Need to Know — Thermal Protection for California Diving

The rich California coastline offers a bounty of marine life and a range of dive locations to suit every diver....

A Shore Thing: Tips for Diving the California Shoreline

I have had some of my most incredible diving experiences on beach dives. Many frequent beach divers will...

Better Together: The Benefits of Being a Dive Club Member

A person with a wide circle of friends – one who’s always on the go, attending parties and events...

How To Be A Comfortable Diver

Learning to dive is a lot like learning to drive a car. A certification card, like a driver's license, is...

Solutions for Common Topside Problems

I am very blessed to have Dale as my dive buddy. He is great in the water and makes my...

Benefits and Fun of the Social Aspect of Diving

This is going to sound like blasphemy but there is more to diving than just diving. Of course our primary...

Safe Abalone Diving

Each spring Northern California divers look forward to the beginning of abalone season with the exuberance of children waiting for...

Gear You May or May Not Need

Most active California divers also travel to exotic destinations one a twice or year to dip their fins into warm...

How to Choose A Dive Trip

So you've found yourself with a day or two off and a few bucks and you want to go diving....

Top Ten Tips to Keep Your Dive Gear Working Like New

Remember how your dive gear looked and felt when it was brand new? Your wetsuit was flexible and slipped on...

Top Ten Tips For More Enjoyable California Diving

California offers divers both unique opportunities and challenges. Divers become comfortable and enjoy new diving situations by gaining confidence through...

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Upcoming Dive Trips in Your Area

Getting out to the Channel Islands or into California marine sanctuaries is as easy as boarding one of the coastal charter boats; many have served divers for decades.

You can take a half-day dive trip or a multi-day adventure, the choice is yours. There is so much to discover on the California coast!

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California’s Underwater Treasure: 18 Tips for Diving Avalon Underwater Park

When asked by out-of-towners who have never dived California waters where to begin, one of my favorite answers is the...

A Freak of Nature: Anacapa Island’s Underwater Arch

Divers are familiar with bubbles, so the underwater arch at Anacapa Island should not be such a big surprise to...

The Shallows of Monterey’s Submarine Canyon: Exploring Monastery South

Monastery Beach in Carmel is home to two rather different dive sites. The North end of Monastery Beach has relatively...

Enjoying the East End Pinnacles of Santa Rosa Island

Wiping the sleep from my eyes, I saw that our dive boat had reached the backside of Santa Rosa, the...

Mixing It Up at Santa Cruz’s Quail Rock

It was a strange sensation. It was like one minute we were diving the far reaches of the Northern Channel...

A NorCal Coastal Treasure: Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary By Jennifer Stock

It was 1977 when avid diver, career scientist and intrepid explorer Dr. Robert Schmieder spotted Cordell Bank on a nautical...

A New Discovery Off Carmel Bay’s Outer Pinnacle: Exploring the Horseshoe

What makes a great dive site? Clear water? Varied topography? Lots of fish? Colorful invertebrates? While most great dive sites...

Crowd Control: Now’s a Great Time to Enjoy Catalina’s Cherry Cove

When the crowds of summer have gone, divers can safely get into nooks, crannies and reefs of Isthmus Cove that...

Two-for-One Fun at Anacapa: Goldfish Bowl

Just the name Goldfish Bowl makes you think of a fun, cute dive site. And it is. But there is...

Big Fun, No Matter How You Define It: Enjoying Aumentos Reef

On a good day in Monterey many boat divers hope their captains head south to Carmel Bay. While Carmel does...

Marine Life Read More

Small Fish / BIG Personality: California’s Iconic Damselfish, the Garibaldi

Make a dive in a southern California kelp forest and it is highly likely that a bright reddish-orange damselfish called...

Spotted “Sausages” and Beachmaster Bullies: California’s Pacific Harbor Seals and Northern Elephant Seals

Harbor and elephant seals belong to a group of carnivorous mammals called pinnipeds, of which there are 35 species around...

The California Spiny Lobster

In a crowd of divers, there are a handful of animals that when mentioned in conversation will cause everyone else...

Spotting Giant Sea Bass: Using AI and Photography to Save the King of the Kelp Forest

It’s truly amazing that you can be cruising around the kelp specifically looking for a giant sea bass, and all...

Seals Seen Outside Our Waters: The Atlantic Harbor Seal, the Southern Elephant Seal, and More

Those of us who enjoy watching local harbor seals and elephant seals will be happy to know there are seal-sighting...

Lingcod: Lazy Ambush Predators

One of the west coast’s laziest and most sought-after fish is the “buckethead,” a moniker given to the lingcod for...

The Fascinating/Confusing California Sheephead

With at least 558 species described in 70 genera, the fishes commonly known as wrasses comprise a relatively large family....

Deep Danger: Underwater Robots Reveal SoCal’s Coastal Waters Used as Toxic Waste Dumpsite

Eighty years after it was deployed during the last half of World War II as a lifesaver for troops and...

A Curious Encounter: Our California “Octopus Teacher”

Chances are, you’ve watched the Netflix original film, My Octopus Teacher, which won the 2021 Academy Award for Best Documentary...

Coral Reefs: The Kelp Forests of Tropical Seas

Even though our local kelp forests support as many as 800 marine species, they can’t hold a candle to coral...

Forests of Giant Kelp

The mere mention of an upcoming trip to a tropical destination will almost certainly capture the attention of California divers....

The Whale Shark

For many divers, a whale shark sighting is analogous to finding diving’s Holy Grail. Over the years, untold numbers of...

The Basking Shark

In this issue’s marine life columns, we’ll examine the basking shark and the whale shark. Both are big. They flood...

Make a Splash: 10 Ways to Celebrate Earth Day as a Diver

The first-ever Earth Day, organized by Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson, was held on April 22, 1970, as a day of...

The Silky: The Blue Shark of Tropical Seas

To my photographer’s eye, silky sharks are beautiful animals that bear strong resemblance to blue sharks. Their skin has a...

Top Ten Tips to See More Fish

California reefs are full of fascinating critters adorned in living color. Our fish are among the most colorful and interesting...

The “Big-Winged” Whales: California’s Humpbacks

In last month’s Marine Life column we featured gray whales. This time we’ll spotlight humpbacks (Megaptera novaengliae). Blue whales will...

Sleek, Slender and Stunning: Blue Sharks

Adjectives such as graceful and gorgeous are not the typically mentioned descriptive terms when sharks are being discussed. But in the case of...

“Baby Shark” Spotting Off Monterey Bay—What It’s Like to Be a Citizen Scientist

Baby shark. Doo doo doo doo doodoo. Since its release in November 2015 the original “Baby Shark” video has had...

They’re on the Move Again: Encountering Pacific Gray Whales

I know of no other wildlife excursions where seeing an entire animal is rare and viewing parts of it are...

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Learn about marine life, openings, pricing, visibility, directions and much more from scuba diving destinations across the United States.

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Recipes from the Scuba Chef

These receipes are a celebration of the bounty of sustainable seafood from the coastal waters off Southern California.

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