Catalina Island · United States · Kelp forest
Doctors Cove
A wreck, elk kelp and summer leopard sharks, all under 20 m
Area photo: BavaroGirl2014 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Doctors Cove is a shallow kelp dive on the mainland side of Catalina, just northwest of Emerald Bay, with a wreck lying on the bottom. Depths run from 6 to 17 m and visibility averages 9 to 15 m. Large bat rays work the ground between the kelp, and leopard sharks come into the cove through the summer.
Where it is and how deep
33.4702° N, 118.5311° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
Most divers arrive by boat, though anyone with access to the Boy Scout camp onshore can swim in from the beach or paddle across by kayak. Kelp is the structure here, and elk kelp grows in the cove alongside the ordinary stands, so much of the dive is spent picking lines through the stalks and watching what moves between them. The whole cove fits inside a single tank without much planning.
There is also a wreck in the cove, though nothing is published about the vessel or how it came to be there. On the open ground the standout is bat rays, which run large here, and through the summer leopard sharks move into the cove. The rest is the normal Catalina fish life working the kelp, and with 9 to 15 m of visibility you generally see them coming.
Marine life and season
- Stingrays
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair |
Season follows Catalina Island: Jul–Oct brings the warmest water and best visibility as the kelp thins; winter storms cut visibility and cool it to 13°C.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Doctors Cove?+
Between 6 and 17 m across the site, with average visibility of 9 to 15 m. That is shallow enough to cover the cove on a single tank.
When can you see leopard sharks at Doctors Cove?+
Leopard sharks are reported in the cove during summer, alongside the large bat rays. Outside those months you are diving for the kelp, the wreck and the normal Catalina reef fish.
Sources
- Doctors Cove dive site — Scubago
More dive sites in Catalina Island
Kelp forest
Concrete steps into the first underwater park in the US
Pinnacle
Swim-throughs and mini-walls on the outer pinnacles
Similar dives elsewhere
A 77-metre wall at 18-20 m, off the cove boat ramp
Sea lions in the kelp, and sevengill sharks in April
Shore dive on a 9 m cove inside a no-take marine reserve
Shore entry over shingle into boulders and kelp to 15 m