San Clemente Island is Southern California’s best-kept secret. Most divers opt for the more popular Catalina Island or go south to the Coronados, but San Clemente is a great place to go on a short liveaboard trip from San Diego.

The wreck of the Ruby E is part of San Diego’s famous ’Wreck Alley.’ Sitting just offshore from Mission Bay, the Ruby E is accessible only by boat and sits in deeper water, therefore is recommended for advanced divers only.

The Yukon lives in an area known as ’Wreck Alley’ and is San Diego’s most popular wreck dive and one of the largest wrecks in all of California at 366 feet long! Sitting just off Mission Bay, the Yukon is an advanced dive as it sits in 100 plus feet of water.

Mission Bay is not the most desirable dive spot but is a great back-up location, especially for open water classes, for when the ocean swell is too high for diving. The bay is protected so the water is always calm but visibility is not great and there is not too much to see.

Just around the corner from one of Southern California’s most popular dive sites, La Jolla Shores, sits La Jolla Cove, the playground for a resident group of sea lions. This site is rockier and has kelp so it’s much different than its La Jolla Shores neighbor.

Entry: use the alleyway next to The Marine Room Restaurant. Careful during higher tide as the water will wash on to steps. Sandy bottom, stays 3-5 meters for at least 100m out from shore.

La Jolla Shores is the most popular dive site in San Diego county. Accessible from Kellogg Park, “The Shores“ is an easy beach entry unless the surf is high, then only those experienced in high surf entries should dive.

Kelp beds on the outer edges of the slope are popular fishing spots and great for observing seals, dolphins, birds and fish. Beyond the slope the bottom takes a sudden and 500-foot (150 m)-deep plunge into the La Jolla Canyon. The canyon reaches depths of 600 feet (180 m) within the park.

Located right on the California coast in Encinitas, this dive site is a block west of the historic 101 costal highway. There is a parking lot located above the dive site with a trail that leads you directly down to the beach. The trail is only a couple hundred yards long but does have multiple switch backs.

Little to no current, easy dive for divers looking for macro but also plenty of schools of fish in all stages of maturity. Max depth 65 feet; water temp low 80s