La Jolla Cove & Canyon · United States · Wall · Kelp forest
La Jolla Canyon
The seabed drops 150 metres at the edge of the slope
Area photo: Jarek Tuszyński · CC BY-SA 4.0
A submarine canyon head close enough to the beach to reach on a shore dive. Sand and kelp run out from the shallows until the bottom goes: ScubaGo describes a sudden 150-metre plunge where the slope ends, into a canyon that reaches 180 metres inside the underwater park. Divers work the rim at 18 to 24 metres, with kelp beds on the outer slope.
Where it is and how deep
32.8560° N, 117.2650° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The dive is a swim out to an edge. Sand and kelp lead away from the shallows and then the bottom simply goes: ScubaGo describes a sudden 152 m plunge (500 ft) beyond the slope, the head of a submarine canyon that reaches 180 metres within the underwater park. Scuba San Diego runs the site as a 60- to 80-foot dive, 18 to 24 metres, so what you are diving is the rim and not the canyon.
Kelp beds sit on the outer edges of the slope and that is where the life concentrates: seals, dolphins, birds and fish all work these beds, which are a popular fishing spot for the same reason. The park around them holds four habitats in a short distance — rocky reef, kelp bed, sand flat and the canyon itself. Turn along the rim rather than over it, keep the depth honest against the drop, and finish by working back up the slope into the shallows.
Marine life and season
- Seals & sea lions
- Dolphins
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good |
Season follows La Jolla Cove & Canyon: Leopard sharks mass in the shallows Jul–Oct when visibility is also best; the market squid run peaks Nov–Mar on night dives.
Know before you go
- The rim is a sudden drop, not a slope: beyond it the bottom falls 150 metres. Fix a maximum depth before you go in and dive along the edge rather than out over it.
Dive videos
Scuba Diving La Jolla Canyon Awesome Dive · Matthew Westover on YouTube
Horn Shark & Lobster City! La Jolla Canyon Wall Dive (Drysuit Return) · California Dive Guy on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the La Jolla Canyon dive?+
Scuba San Diego lists it as a 60 to 80 foot dive, roughly 18 to 24 metres, which is the rim. The canyon itself falls away a further 150 metres beyond the slope and reaches 180 metres within the underwater park.
Sources
- La Jolla Canyon dive site — ScubaGo (SSI MyDiveGuide)
- Scuba San Diego – Activities — Scuba San Diego
- Diving in the United States — DiveZone
- La Jolla Shores dive site — PADI
In The Logbook
- Kelp forest diving, and where it still growsCold water · 13 min read
- Where to dive with seals and sea lionsBig animals · 17 min read
More dive sites in La Jolla Cove & Canyon
Sea lions in the kelp, and sevengill sharks in April
Leopard sharks and rays over open sand, straight off the beach
Sand slope
A sand flat that holds 3 to 5 metres for 100 metres out
Similar dives elsewhere
A 77-metre wall at 18-20 m, off the cove boat ramp
Wall dives at Ablahamn and odd rock formations at Ransvik
Sea lions from the local colony and black coral caverns at 30 m
Bull kelp over a cliff that rolls down to nearly 37 m (120 ft)