New Hope Rock

This is a rocky reef that peaks at less than 20 feet deep and drops down to almost 60 feet. There are a ton of cracks and huge caves that hold an unbelievable variety of fish and invertebrate life. The whole reef is less than a quarter mile wide at the widest. It almost seems to have a horseshoe shape of pinnacle rocks. At the base of the rocks it is a little deep (for me) for freediving, but the tops are easily reached and it is enjoyable to snorkel on a clear day. Photography here is great as there are a ton of small inverts and a lot of macro algae to frame your shots. The Macrocystis canopy gets pretty thick in the summer, but this is in the vast Point Loma Kelp Beds. Hunting can be okay, and if you shoot calicos there can be some sport here. Lobster are present but most are tiny little crayfish, especially after the commercial guys have put out their pots. Expect to see a few thousand baby little bugs and nothing of any size. As for life, we have seen: calico bass, sand bass, rockfish(kelp, black/yellow, gopher, brown, tree, etc), sheephead, senorita, garibaldi, blacksmith, banded guitarfish, giant skates, bat rays, thresher sharks, giant seabass, moray eels, silversides, macks, Bathymasterids, lobster, sea stars, urchins, nudis of all makes...pretty much everything SD has to offer. The rocks are covered with encrusting inverts (c/s tunicates, encrusting bryos, rock scallops, anenomes, etc), kelps (Pterogophora, Eisenia, young Macros) and gorgonians. Bring a flashlight to have a look in the abundant and sometimes huge caves. Inside you may be rewarded with the sight of a treefish, lobster or male sheepie. Boat access only. Launch from Shelter Island launch ramp in San Diego Bay, or go down from Mission Bay. Go to the coordinates and look for some structure on your sounder.