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| Image by David Doubilet |
The Channel Islands of Southern California
In the history of diving, Southern California has been a launching point for almost everything we take for granted in today's recreational dive world. The first recreational dive magazine started there. The first US dive clubs started there. The first standardized certification agency started there, and PADI's headquarters have always been there. Why such an abundance? Well, one of the world's most vibrant and magical marine ecosystems sits right off the coast. The Channel Islands have collectively been called one of the seven underwater wonders of the world, and it all centers around one ecosystem: the kelp forest.
They've been referred to as "the Redwoods of the Sea," and they make diving Southern California an experience unlike anything else in the world. Giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera), which can grow up to a foot in one day, dominate the seascape. Like the great terrestrial forests, the massive stands of kelp that surround the eight Channel Islands harbor a wild kingdom of marine life.
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Venice Beach One of the greatest places on Earth for people-watching. Get your palm read, pump some iron, play streetball, sunbathe, skateboard and surf. |
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1 Ship Rock 2 East End Reef 3 The Arch 4 Begg Rock 5 Cathedral Cove |
When diving in these fairytale marine forests, you'll encounter massive black sea bass as docile and huge as a market cow; vain neon-orange Garibaldi, which have no intention of using the environment as camouflage; vivid Spanish shawl nudibranchs; mud-dumb horn sharks; and hundreds of other species. There's even a clown prince and an evil dictator on the scene.
A constant source of merriment in the SoCal dive world, sea lions, which gather in rookeries strewn throughout the northern and southern Channel Islands, always have their game on. They have to: Cruising just beyond the edge of visibility hides their chief nemesis, the rarely-seen-by-divers great white shark.
Cruising through the kelp is akin to flying through a forest. It helps make Southern California diving one of the world's greatest scavenger hunts: You never know what's around the corner, but you know it will be different from what you just saw.
A favorite activity for all divers involves doing nothing but hovering in the water, surrounded by magical, flirty beams of sunlight dappling and streaking through the kelp fronds (crepuscular rays, if you want the big word). The sensation is ethereal.
No matter which island you visit, you're not only bound to run into some interesting creatures, but you'll experience a diving sensation that's uniquely Southern California
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