Frank Lukowski's Dive Log

Honeymoon Cove is a great alternative spot to dive when other easier accessed sites such as White Point, Marineland and Malaga have poor conditions. Honeymoon's is one cove north of Christmas Tree cove. Like its conjoined twin 'Christmas Tree', Honeymoon averages excellent visibility in the range of 15-20ft. I have not explored Honeymoon Cove fully, but from what I've seen its a great spot to dive. There are two main zones which I have dove. One being the extreme Northern point of the cove which stays surprisingly shallow '15-25ft'. This area has low lying reefs consisting of urchin barrens and loosely spread kelp forests. The usual critters inhabit this area including schools of opal eye, surf/zebra perch and senoritas. The second zone which I've explored is directly out from the middle of the cove. My normal route is to surface swim directly out to about a depth of 25-30ft. From there I would descend and kick out to about 60ft. At this point heading parallel to shore in either direction will bring you to a series of larger reefs, some with interesting mini arches, overhangs and crevices. It is at these reefs at which I've encountered some more interesting marine life. They include Cabazon, Scorpionfish, a few large sheephead and even a few Octopi. In the extreme shallows 'within the tidal zone' there is a few thermal vents, like the ones found at White Point. These are located in 5-10ft, depending on tide and can be quickly found by looking for the white algae blanket which feeds on the warmth of these vents. Entry at Honeymoon is easier then other surrounding sites, but be prepared for some boulder hopping. Also the hike down the goat trail to Honeymoon is one of the most difficult on the peninsula. Be prepared for loose gravel, dirt and steep terrain. Honeymoon is a very unique spot which any shore diver is sure to enjoy.

The majority of my post certification dives has been here at marineland. There is two different dive spots at marineland and they are both very different. 120 reef is on the far south side of the dive site. It is called 120 reef because you take a 120 compass heading after swimming directly out from the cobblestone beach. At 120 reef you can find a variety of animals and plant life on small reefs in about 20-35ft. As far as fish, I've seen opaleye, blacksmith, garabaldi, sheephead, barracuda, senorita, baitfish, treefish, and various types of rockfish. Nudibranchs can also be found here and I have personally seen Yellow Dorids and Spanish Shawls. Long Point is the second dive site located at marineland and is more for the advanced to intermediate diver. In order to get to the Long Point dive site you must either enter at the north point 'Long Point' or take a 15-20 min. surface swim from the cobblestone beach. After getting out past Long Point, you should look for a storm drain grate and metal pole. Descend about 150 feet out in about 35 feet of water between the metal pole and storm drain grate that can be seen from shore. Once you descend, dial in 180 degrees and head down till you hit 55-65ft of water. In this area you'll find large pinnacles which are covered in life. In the 35-45ft range there are still some pinnacles but are less numerous and not as large. Long Point is where you get the TRUE marineland experience. Here you'll find all the normal reef suspects of the 120 reef but also blue banded gobi's, black eyed gobi's, LingCod, Cabazon and a multitude of Nudibranch's. On one dive I've heard of people seeing more then 14 varieties of nudibranchs! Personally my record has been only four, including Spanish Shawls, Yellow Dorids, Porter's Chromodorids, and Hermi's. Long Point is a great site which cannot be passed up by any So Cal diver. Certain things must be noted though. Do not attempt a dive at Marineland in high surf! The cobblestone shores and rocky entries are deadly in anything larger the 1-2ft swells. Even 2ft swells can be difficult to manage here. Long Point is also notorious for strong currents. Be careful and be safe.

Went for my first dive at Shaw's cove yesterday and it certainly won't be the last. When you enter, surface swim out to the rocks and descend down to about 15ft. There you will follow the reef on your right, gently descending on a mild slope. You will eventually come to a huge pile of shells. If the current is down and visibility is up, you can then venture directly right of the shell field into a crevice in the reef. This will take you under a rock arch, which then opens up into a larger area. In this larger area there are many cracks in the reef. One crack is even large enough to swim through. This larger crack leads you out onto the lower reef which ends in about 50ft of water. A beautiful dive site, with plenty of reef life abound. When the southern swell is down, visibility can reach up to 35ft. Sea Life seen on my dive: Garibaldi, Sheephead, Giant Sea Star, Painted Greenlings, Senorita, BlackSmith, Rock Wrasse, Tube and Green Anemones, Gorgonian Sea Fans, Barred and Kelp Bass and Rock Scallops A Video of my dive can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Opx1vhS2r30

Malaga Cove is one of two spots on the Palos Verdes Peninsula that has easy beach access. The other being White Point. I've dived Malaga cove quite a few times and it's either hit or miss. When it's good, I've found 25ft+ visibility. When its bad, it could be less than a foot. The good thing about Malaga is that it's extremely shallow. You have to go really far out to get over 40 ft and most points of interest are at 25 to 30. You'll encounter plenty of garibaldi, opaleye, sargo, senorita, and a few sheep head. As well as some lobster, if you know where to look. Most divers enter over the rocks by the yacht/dive club and then plan their dive perpendicular to the club. If a high southern swell is up Malaga can be a safe haven for divers. If a Northern swell is brewing, you're better off diving elsewhere.

First Late Spring / Early Summer dive and it was great. Lots of ground critters and high amounts of opal eye, kelp bass, Black Surfperch and senoritas. A few Garibaldis and Halfmoons were around, but were extremely skittish. Visibility went from 5-15 ft on the southern point to over 30ft on the outer shelf. Great dive, will be back soon.

Trail is re-built and ready for usage. Still very treacherous descent and climb up. Hike to point is hard with gear but worth the effort." Best to keep gear to a minimum ie:FREE-DIVING" Kelp beds off far point have moderate amount of life. Surge is present off point, which can be dangerous for inexperienced divers. Closer in to the cove, rays can be found. Enjoyable dive, take your time on descent and climb up.