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

Siskiyou 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

Cold water lake dive. good for dry suit training

West of Siskiyou Lake

Dunsmuir

Castle Lake

Shallow Lake for training. Cold water.

West of Mount Shasta City

Siskiyou Lake

Shallow Lake with cold water...

West of Redding

Whiskeytown Lake

Another quintessential Oregon Coast diving site, also known as Lone Ranch.  The facilities include picnic tables and restrooms, and, on a sunny day, you can't beat the beachcombing!  You'll find the best diving to the North, after a short kick to the deeper water.

About 4 miles North of Brookings, you'll see the beach area and the turn off.

Twin Rocks (Lone Ranch)

Very quiet place. Good to mix a familly pic-nic and a shore dive with friends.

About 4 miles North of Brookings

Twin Rocks is also known as Lone Ranch.

Twin Rocks

This is an altitude dive and the trail in is steep. Lots of tourists but basically no divers except for us fools into torture. Beware the altitude change as lake is at 6100 feet and parking lot is at 6900 feet. If you call ahead and arrange with Crater Lake park rangers they may haul your gear back up the hill at end of day in exchange for recovery of gear. You may want a dry suit as water Temp. in August was 42 F 

From Cleatwood cove on North side of lake a 1 mile long 700 foot drop trail to lake. 

Crater Lake

Plenty of kelp so keep to the open paths to find the depth you are looking for.
This is one of Mendocino County's best spots for abalone diving.
Be sure to check the current regulations on ab harvesting to avoid fines from the strict enforcement by the good people at the Department of Fish and Game. 
Visibility can be limited but the amount of life is abundant, especially if you have access to a kayak or an inflatable.


Just North of Mendocino along HW 1 you can find Little River, or Van Damm state park.
Parking is free and just a small walk across the beach to the ocean.
The access is protected by an offshore reef structure that makes this access the safest along the North Coast.

Little River is also known as Van Damm.

Castle Lake

Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at Castle Lake