California has three beautiful diving regions.

The North coast region is renowned for lush, moist forests of the world's tallest trees, coastal bluffs, secluded coves and wildlife areas. From the pristine beaches and coves of Carmel by the Sea and Monterey Bay, the coastline includes numerous dive locations North of San Francisco, all the way to Mendocino and Crescent City. Each site offers its unique underwater topography and associated marine life.

The California mid region includes diving locations from South of Pt. Lobos State Park (Carmel by the Sea) to Laguna Beach. This long stretch of beautiful beaches can be categorized as open-water diving, with some protected coves and inlets. Capitalizing on optimal weather as well as observing tides and current conditions are crucial to an enjoyable dive experience.

The California South listings include the greater San Diego area (Pt. Loma North to La Jolla) continuing up through Orange County to Laguna Beach. Each ShoreDiving location has unique conditions -- and beauty!

As always, check with your local resources for exact local conditions for the ultimate safe and rewarding dive experience.

California

San Diego County

Divers will travel far and wide to find the best diving. But those who live in the United States have plenty of great diving on their doorstep as well, with plentiful access to the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. From warm-water reefs to temperate seas, here are some of the top places to scuba dive in the United States.

United States

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.

New Hope Rock