Shaws Cove
★★★★☆
(963)
Shaws Cove is one of the most popular dive sites in Orange County, California. It’s an excellent shore diving site, easily accessible from Fairview Street and Cliff Drive. The stairway off of Cliff Drive is the easiest way to access the beach but use the handrails, the sand on the stairs can get very slippery.
Sea urchins are everywhere, along with lobsters, eels, rays, octopus, garibaldi, calico bass, Kellet’s welks, tree fish, small sheepshead, bat stars. Sometimes dolphins can be spotted.
Dive Activity
Potential Wildlife Sightings
Wildlife Sightings are Based on User Generated Content
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 300
Alamy/Reinhard Dirscherl
34 Sightings
J
0
F
4
M
0
A
0
M
0
J
6
J
0
A
9
S
3
O
0
N
7
D
5
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 200
Alamy-WaterFrame
Moray Eel
23 Sightings
J
0
F
0
M
0
A
0
M
6
J
0
J
0
A
6
S
0
O
0
N
5
D
6
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 600
iStock/ultramarinfoto
Wrasse
17 Sightings
J
0
F
0
M
5
A
0
M
0
J
0
J
4
A
0
S
3
O
0
N
5
D
0
AdobeStock_cherylvb
Garibaldi Damselfish
191 Sightings
J
17
F
13
M
13
A
5
M
26
J
25
J
19
A
25
S
12
O
10
N
18
D
8
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 55
Shutterstock-RLS Photo
Lobster
70 Sightings
J
0
F
5
M
6
A
0
M
12
J
7
J
4
A
14
S
5
O
6
N
6
D
5
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 80
iStock/Extreme-Photographer
Stingrays
57 Sightings
J
5
F
6
M
0
A
7
M
15
J
8
J
4
A
12
S
0
O
0
N
0
D
0
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 60
iStock-Global_Pics
Spiny Lobster
46 Sightings
J
7
F
0
M
0
A
5
M
5
J
0
J
5
A
9
S
6
O
0
N
5
D
4
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 3000
SSI-Peter-Schinck
Nudibranch
30 Sightings
J
0
F
0
M
0
A
4
M
0
J
0
J
5
A
9
S
4
O
0
N
8
D
0
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 120
AdobeStock-Composer.
Flounder
23 Sightings
J
0
F
0
M
0
A
0
M
9
J
7
J
7
A
0
S
0
O
0
N
0
D
0
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 250
Shutterstock-Henry_and_Laura_Whittaker
Grouper/Basslets
16 Sightings
J
0
F
5
M
4
A
0
M
0
J
0
J
0
A
7
S
0
O
0
N
0
D
0
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species approx.: 7000
iStock-Michael Zeigler
Crab
15 Sightings
J
0
F
4
M
0
A
0
M
8
J
0
J
0
A
0
S
3
O
0
N
0
D
0
