Veteran's Park, Redondo Beach

Vet's Park is one of the easiest shore dives in California. There is plentiful parking (bring lots of quarters), restrooms, bottled water vending machines and fresh water showers to rinse off after the dive. Redondo Canyon begins very close to shore here, so access to deep water is only minutes away. Most divers swim straight out from the stairs adjacent to the restrooms until you are parallel to the end of the pier. Dropping down here will put you within just a few kicks of the drop-off. Depths range from 0-40 feet in the shallows to well beyond recreational diving depths in the canyon. During Winter, squid runs bring in mating squid and nearly every animal in the food chain follows them. It is not uncommon to see thousands of mating squid during a big run. Bat rays, blue sharks, sea lions and large Sheep crabs can also be seen here. South of the canyon is the Topaz Street jetty. This can be a productive lobster spot on occasion. The conditions at Vet's are usually better than sites just a few hundred yards south. Flat surf is the norm here, so entry and exit is fairly easy. Located at the intersection of Pearl Street and Esplanade, the parking lot at Veteran's Park has plentiful metered spaces. Stairs to the beach are located at the Southwest end of the lot.