Stearns Wharf

★★★☆☆ (0)

Right in the heart of Santa Barbara, Stearns Wharf is an easy beach entry with a shallow, sloping sandy bottom; a great dive site for beginners.

Not a ton of marine life but look for life in the sand like stingrays, sand dollars, and smaller fish like bait balls of anchovies.

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: 7000

iStock-Michael Zeigler

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Dive Sites Nearby

Channel Islands Scuba, 91360 Thousand Oaks

Ruby E (Wreck) (★4.2)

The wreck of the Ruby E is part of San Diego’s famous ’Wreck Alley.’ Sitting just offshore from Mission Bay, the Ruby E is accessible only by boat and sits in deeper water, therefore is recommended for advanced divers only.
David F. (#2551895)

HMCS Yukon (Wreck) (★4.2)

The Yukon lives in an area known as ’Wreck Alley’ and is San Diego’s most popular wreck dive and one of the largest wrecks in all of California at 366 feet long! Sitting just off Mission Bay, the Yukon is an advanced dive as it sits in 100 plus feet of water.
Scubapro, Stephen Frink

Mission Bay (★3.1)

Mission Bay is not the most desirable dive spot but is a great back-up location, especially for open water classes, for when the ocean swell is too high for diving. The bay is protected so the water is always calm but visibility is not great and there is not too much to see.
Scubapro

La Jolla Cove (★3.9)

Just around the corner from one of Southern California’s most popular dive sites, La Jolla Shores, sits La Jolla Cove, the playground for a resident group of sea lions. This site is rockier and has kelp so it’s much different than its La Jolla Shores neighbor.
Aqualung

The Marine Room (★3.9)

Entry: use the alleyway next to The Marine Room Restaurant. Careful during higher tide as the water will wash on to steps. Sandy bottom, stays 3-5 meters for at least 100m out from shore.
Aqualung

La Jolla Shores (★4.0)

La Jolla Shores is the most popular dive site in San Diego county. Accessible from Kellogg Park, “The Shores“ is an easy beach entry unless the surf is high, then only those experienced in high surf entries should dive.
Mares

La Jolla Canyon (★4.0)

Kelp beds on the outer edges of the slope are popular fishing spots and great for observing seals, dolphins, birds and fish. Beyond the slope the bottom takes a sudden and 500-foot (150 m)-deep plunge into the La Jolla Canyon. The canyon reaches depths of 600 feet (180 m) within the park.
Scubapro, Stephen Frink

Beacons (★0.0)

Located right on the California coast in Encinitas, this dive site is a block west of the historic 101 costal highway. There is a parking lot located above the dive site with a trail that leads you directly down to the beach. The trail is only a couple hundred yards long but does have multiple switch backs.
Aqualung

Cress Street (★3.8)

One of the very best dives in Laguna Beach. Easy entry, however you must enter and exit north or south of the houses you see to your left as you go down the stairs. Failure to do so can cause you to end up on a shallow reef.
Aqualung

Divers Cove (★3.9)

Diver’s Cove is an easy entry shore dive great for beginning divers. You can access the beach by either the stairs located on the north side of the parking lot on Beverly & Myrtle Streets on Cliff Drive or the ramp on the south side of the parking lot. Be careful of sand as it makes the stairs and ramp slippery.
Scubapro

Crescent Bay (★4.1)

Located in the heart of Southern California, Crescent Bay in Laguna Beach is one of the most popular dive sites in this area. It can be accessed from Circle Way via a set of stairs or near Cliff Drive via a paved ramp. The stairway is between private homes so please be mindful of the neighbors.
Scubapro, Stephen Frink

Shaws Cove (★3.9)

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.
Mares, Predrag Vuckovic

Corona Del Mar State Beach (★3.7)

Corona del Mar State Beach is a great local beginner dive. Enter and exit at lifeguard tower 5 only. This is a City of Newport Beach requirement. Kick out to the first buoy in front of tower 5. This will be about 100m out. Descend and follow the reef towards the east.
Aqualung

Corral Canyon State Beach (★2.9)

The kelp forest at Corral Beach is easily accessible with plenty of parking and great amenities since the best entry point is at a state beach. The shortest swim to the kelp is from the Northwest end of the beach. Always check surf and ocean conditions before heading out to dive this site.
Aqualung

Leo Carrillo State Beach (★3.5)

With over a half-mile of beach, Leo Carrillo State Beach offers a few different good dive sites with easy parking and great amenities. Unusual for a beach dive, the kelp bed here is huge and easy to reach from shore. The shallow depth and proximity to shore makes this site great for diving and snorkeling alike.
Channel Islands Scuba, 91360 Thousand Oaks

Deer Creek (★3.0)

Easy beach entry. Park on the side of Pacific Coast Highway at Deer Creek Rd. A set of stairs leads down to the beach. Two separate kelp forest / reef systems to explore. Be careful after big storms - sand gets washed out and beach becomes rocky entry.
Scuba Schools Of America, 91763 Montclair

WaterWorld Universal Studios (★4.4)

Water World Dive Tank @ Universal Studios Hollywood, is the deepest of the dive sites at Universal Studios. If you are an SSI Dive Leader with Universal Technical Services or with Scuba Schools of America & Swim, you may schedule dives at Water World.
Frederick T. (#4532825)

Channel Islands Break Wall (★4.2)

An easily accessible dive site from Channel Island Beach. A great spot for beginners with an easy swim out to the site. Lots of critters hiding within the rocks of the break wall.
Mares

Ledbetter Beach (★3.0)

Ledbetter Beach is the most popular dive site in Santa Barbara. It’s an easy entry shore dive with low surf, low to no current, easy accessibility, and shallow sloping bottom. It has great picnic sites including barbeques.
Mares

Goleta Beach Park (★3.2)

Although visibility here is never more than 15-20 feet, there’s still an exceptional amount of marine life to see, it is an easy beach entry, and beachside facilities are great. Navigation is easy as well making this a great site for beginners.
Lake Havasu Scuba, 86403 Lake Havasu City

Copper Canyon (★3.6)

Copper Canyon is known for its famous cliff jump and boat tie-ups. Which makes it great for treasure hunting underwater. I-phones, watches, sunglasses, and box anchors are jump some of the items that we have found while diving.
Lake Havasu Scuba, 86403 Lake Havasu City

Half Moon Bay (★5.0)

Half moon bay is located across the lake from site 6 on the California side. Dropping down on our mooring line you will find a sunk sailboat that leads to multiple sunk boat and fish habitats. This dive site leads to the butt hole dive site which is the deepest part of the lake
Mares, Predrag Vuckovic

Butt Hole (★0.0)

Welcome to the butt hole. The deepest, darkest place in all of Lake Havasu. Drop down the morning line and you will follow the lines to multiple sunk boats and reach the bottom of the lake which is around 80’ deep
Lake Havasu Scuba, 86403 Lake Havasu City

Millers Folly (★3.3)

This site is in Skier’s Cove and is also known as Miller’s Folly. This wreck is the remains of one of the early Lake Havasu Party Boats. Millers Folly is located in 25 feet of water next to one of the larger fish habitats. A few sunk boats sit right around Miller’s Folly.