Created in the 1970s, this tiny jewel off the coast of La Jolla, California, is home to four underwater landscapes: Visit a Redwood forest (the kelp bed), go bouldering (the shallow rocky reefs), swim through a desert (the sandy flats), or descend into the Grand Canyon (the submarine canyon). All of these diving adventures await you in a scant square mile and a half area.

La Jolla Cove, the gateway to the underwater park, has been called a "public aquarium" for swimmers, snorkelers, and scuba divers; the inside area of the Cove is only 8 feet deep. Its usual calm, shallow waters harbor a plethora of life that includes flamboyant orange garibaldi fish, brilliant yellow sponges, lobsters colored red and blue, and schools of silvery sardines--all tossed together in a salad of red, green, and brown marine plants. Just outside of the Cove, adventurers can explore a series of natural caves and swim-throughs. Or, head out to the park's yellow buoy boundary marker, and visit a kelp bed. Find kelp snails with their flashy orange bodies, kelp bass, and nosy harbor seals that may follow you on your dive.

Across the bay from La Jolla Cove is La Jolla Shores. It is San Diego's most popular scuba diving spot because of its variety of terrain and marine life and because the waves that splash onto its mile-long, sandy beach are usually the most gentle of all San Diego beaches. Back in 1907, scientists discovered a canyon off the shores that plunges to about 1,000 feet deep. Shaped like a wide bowl, the submarine canyon is home to many strange and beautiful marine creatures. As you enter the water off La Jolla Shores, you will kick across a sandy bottom that very gradually descends to about 30 feet. At this point (about 1/4 of a mile distance), there is a quick drop-off until you reach the first ledge at 50 to 60 feet deep. You can follow along the ledges to see octopuses, wart-necked piddock clams, and trough-nose worms or descend to the valleys to find fire-engine-red gorgonian fans, tube-dwelling anemones, and sarcastic fringehead fish. Don't forget to bring a dive light to illuminate the many animals that blend in or burrow into cracks and crevices. A light will also allow you to reveal a critter's true colors.

Would you like a map of the area? Want to learn more about local marine life behaviors, the area geography, and an archaeological site? Please visit my Books, etc. page.

[Updated 1/08]