Corona del Mar

The areas of interest are the South Jetty and the reefs that speckle the outer swimming area. This is a great place for beginning divers to get their feet wet, and where more advanced divers can find a safe night diving experience. Parking and facilities are excellent. The showers are worth the price of admission!

Little Corona Del Mar vs. Corona Del Mar Beach. Great fun.

Bad site, people!

This was my second night dive. I decided that I wanted to free dive for lobsters and looking at Google maps this seemed like a pretty good place to try. I quickly determined that it was not. I saw six other divers looking for lobsters and none of them caught any. I saw a total of five in the hour I was there but all were well under legal size. If you go there looking for a beginning night dive this place is really nice though. It was very calm with decent visibility and quite a bit of sea life. I saw several stingrays, lots of baitfish, some small sleeping game fish, an octopus, dozens of small crabs and so on.

I dove both big Corona del Mar and little Corona del Mar. Near the jetty is great for new divers and it's easy to get to. Little Corona del Mar has a long hill to walk down and sucks carrying all your gear but it's free to park and great when you get down there. There usually not too many people, and they have tide pools there (now off limits to walk on) and diving is great. Lots of sea life, and easy to get in for beginner scuba divers. It ranges from 20 feet to 60 feet and you will not be disappointed.

Corona Del Mar would be a nice dive site for beginner scuba. I dove left of the channel near the jetty, under the boat moorings. Did see some nice sheep crab and a few Calico bass, but not much else. Lots of sand; it reminded me of Monterey State Beach. Parking $8.00 at the gate for all day, or you can park up on the hill, but it's a long way down to beach.

This site, also known as Big Corona, is best appreciated in the off-season, after Labor Day, when the crowds dissipate, the temperature drops a bit, and the sunset views from Ocean Blvd and the rocks are "Kodak moments". Other than during offshore storm conditions, the surf is easy to negotiate. If your interest lies in studying SoCal marine life, this may not be the best choice of sites. I'd recommend it as a place to certify, to refamiliarize with scuba after a long absence, to work with recently certified divers, but it's not a "must". It's a relatively shallow dive, not difficult, and there are critters hiding in the breakwater rocks. The bottom is relatively flat, with a few rock formations or reefs that provide a refuge for Garibaldi, senorita wrasse, surf perch and other species common to the area. There are fire rings on the broad beach for the post-dive picnic and meltdown, though it can be a long stroll back to your vehicle with your dive gear. The food concessions are closed during the off-season, but I don't consider that a loss; there are dozens of places to eat on nearby PCH. If your economy of time requires preplanning for quality dives, I would rate this site lower than nearby Little Corona for diving, but it's a great photo opportunity and a fine place to unwind in the late afternoon and evening, after your day's diving has ended at other Orange County locations nearby.

As with many So. Ca shore dives when the Santa Ana winds kick up the ocean gets flat and the vis here gets pretty good. Watch your trim as the bottom is silty and vis goes quickly when you're on the bottom. There are some small reefs to the left. It's an easy in/out, no stairs (yea!).

As an update, Corona Del Mar now only allows divers in areas not roped off for swimmers. Down past tower five is a good spot without a long walk.

Easy access, mild waves to contend with, by far the highlight of this dive for me was the encounter with an incredible "bed" of sand dollars sitting in their natural environment, embedded in the sand at a 45 degree angle. Easy for beginning divers to gain shallow water and mild wave and beach entry experience. Felt kind of out of place in scuba making our way through the sun bathers and wake boarders. Once in it was nice. Showers are key. Enjoy if you get a chance. Would like to explore the breaker wall for night dive!