 Printer-Friendly | Back  In the early morning sun, my buddy and I shuffled through the one-foot surf, then turned and plopped our faces into the chilly but clear water for a short swim out to the dive site. It was a beautiful day off the south Orange County town of Laguna Beach. After spooking up a few small bat rays we descended to the reef face on the west side of the cove and continued to follow it out, spying the opaleye and perch as they picked a meal from the rocks. We headed further out to sea along the reef face. Less than 100 yards from shore, the reef opened up into a giant crevice.  As many times as I have dived Shaw’s Cove, I never tire of the thrill of approaching “The Crevice” as it is know by the locals. Entering it is like piercing some kind of inner sanctum. The massive gap is in about 20 feet of water, depending on the tide, and forms an archway into an intriguing part of the reef. Here are a variety of overhangs, mini-caves, and smaller cracks and crevices, all of which hold marine life. Although certainly not uncommon, my favorite is the garibaldi. The juxtaposition of the bright orange fish against the arch illuminated in the morning sun is one of my favorite underwater scenes along our coast. Adorning the walls of the crevice are growths of bright yellow sulphur sponge and gray moon. Previous dives I’ve had here were surgy, where you get rocketed in and out of the gap in a thrill ride that can be fun for those comfortable in such conditions but dangerous for the uninitiated. Today, however, was serenely calm. Just past the arch, to the left, is a very narrow gap that I had never explored much. Today it actually looked passable. I took the risk and moved in, my first time ever. What a thrill! Barely wide enough for me and my tank, in the dark gap my light illuminated more encrusting sponges, a small lobster, even a moray eel. Fantastic. We popped out on the southeast side of the reef and then followed it seaward. Deeper water brought us to gardens of small gorgonian growths. Here and there were rock scallops. But the most delightful find was a Hopkins Rose nudibranch, a bright pink nudibranch not common to these parts but for some reason has been showing up in increasing numbers specifically at Shaw’s Cove. Other kinds of nudibranchs often spotted on the outer reef include the bright purple and orange Spanish shawl and an occasional Hermissenda. Fun with fish is best on the outer reef. I once saw a Mola cruising past. Venture out on the sand and you will likely see big bat rays. By the way, the big holes you find in the sand are from bat rays digging deep to feed on buried invertebrates. During the day small schools of blacksmith will congregate next to a señorita for a cleaning. On the rocks you will find cabezon, scorpionfish and barred sand bass hanging about. Smaller fish include black-eyed gobies, island kelpfish and kelp greenlings. At the end of the reef at about 35 feet, we turned around and headed back along the rock face then cut back into the crevice, this time following it much deeper. It goes all the way through to the next cove if you want to follow it that far. We made another left into jumble of cracks and crevices in about 15 feet of water. There we spied more lobster and morays as well as an octopus. My buddy led the way through a small swim-through that I never knew was there. Amazing— as many times as you dive a site you always seem to find something new. Dive Spot At A Glance  Location: Stairs to the cove are at the intersection of Fairview St. and Cliff Dr. in Laguna Beach.Access and entry: A fairly easy set of stairs to usually protected sand beach surf entry. Diving on both sides of the cove but best on the west (right) side. Skill Level: All when calm. Depths: 15 to 35 feet. Snorkeling: Good. Visibility: Good, averaging 15 feet, more in the winter. Photography: Good with easy entry when calm and a wide variety of subjects. Good wide angle in “The Crevice” when calm and visibility is good. Hunting: All Laguna Beach is a Marine Life Refuge and carry strict restrictions. See posting at the top of the stairs. While some spearfishing and lobster hunting is allowed, it is a waste of time as fish and lobster are small. Restrictions: In City of Laguna Beach one must dive with a buddy and a snorkel. Classes must be off the beach by 10 a.m. in the summer. Facilities: None except a pay phone at the top of the stairs. Parking is limited on the street. Dive shop on Pacific Coast Highway 2 blocks away. Conditions: Online visit www.lagunaseasports.com or call 949-494-6573. Dale Sheckler is editor and publisher of California Diving News, producer of the SCUBA Show 2007 expo (www.scubashow.com) and co-author of the book Southern California's Best Beach Dives. © Copyright 2007, all rights reserve, by Saint Brendan Corporation, P.O. Box 11231, Torrance CA 90510, mail@cadivingnews.com. No part of this may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system/website, or transmitted in any form by any means without prior written permission of the publisher. IMPORTANT NOTICE: The contents of this publication/website are opinions of the individual writers. The publishers of California Diving News and its contributors assume no responsibility for any mishap claimed to be a result of use of this material. Diving is an adventure sport and with it comes inherent risks. Improper use of diving equipment or improper diving techniques may result in serious injury or, in extreme circumstances, death. Readers are admonished to use their own best judgement in each individual situation. |
