San Miguel Island

Santa Cruz Island is the largest and most topographically diverse of the eight Channel Islands. The island is split into East and West; the east end of Santa Cruz Island is owned by the National Park Service and the west by the Nature Conservancy. Both are available for diving, accessible only by boat.

Refugio State Beach is a very popular beach destination including 100 campgrounds so plan on the beach being very crowded. Once underwater, however, the crowds all but disappear. An easy beach entrance with protected waters from waves and swell, you’ll find beautiful kelp forests just offshore.

Although visibility here is never more than 15-20 feet, there’s still an exceptional amount of marine life to see, it is an easy beach entry, and beachside facilities are great. Navigation is easy as well making this a great site for beginners.

Ledbetter Beach is the most popular dive site in Santa Barbara. It’s an easy entry shore dive with low surf, low to no current, easy accessibility, and shallow sloping bottom. It has great picnic sites including barbeques.

Right in the heart of Santa Barbara, Stearns Wharf is an easy beach entry with a shallow, sloping sandy bottom; a great dive site for beginners.

From spectacular walls and deep drop-offs to dive-bombing sea lions, wrecks, and relaxing kelp, Anacapa Island, the smallest of the Channel Islands, has it all. Although Anacapa Island is only reachable by boat, there are several dive charter operations that leave from the mainland daily, making it very accessible

An easily accessible dive site from Channel Island Beach. A great spot for beginners with an easy swim out to the site. Lots of critters hiding within the rocks of the break wall.

Easy beach entry. Park on the side of Pacific Coast Highway at Deer Creek Rd. A set of stairs leads down to the beach. Two separate kelp forest / reef systems to explore. Be careful after big storms - sand gets washed out and beach becomes rocky entry.

With over a half-mile of beach, Leo Carrillo State Beach offers a few different good dive sites with easy parking and great amenities. Unusual for a beach dive, the kelp bed here is huge and easy to reach from shore. The shallow depth and proximity to shore makes this site great for diving and snorkeling alike.

About 700 yards off Santa Barbara Island, Sutil Island is more of a rock than an actual island, rising 300 feet above the water’s surface. Its sides are pocketed with caves above and below water.