Freediving in California: San Diego to Monterey

Freediving in California means cold water, giant kelp and a coastline where many of the best sites are protected. A thick open-cell suit is the starting point in every month, a cutting tool belongs on your belt in kelp, and the first question at any new site is whether it is a reserve.

Deep water is close to shore in a few places, most of all at La Jolla, where submarine canyon walls drop from 70 to 900 feet (21-274m) within reach of a beach entry. Kelp forests line much of the coast and change how you descend and surface. This page is the destination guide: sites, conditions, rules and schools. For session length, warm-ups and suit donning, see the guide to cold water freediving technique and gear.

California splits into five coastal regions plus one inland lake used for depth courses. The south is warmer and more sheltered, the Central Coast is colder with more marine mammals, and the north suits experienced, self-sufficient divers.

The dividing line is Point Conception. A US Geological Survey study of the Southern California wave climate found that it shelters most of the Southern California Bight from North Pacific weather, so waves inside the sheltered zone run at less than half the open-ocean height to the west. San Diego, Orange County and Catalina sit inside that zone; Monterey and the north coast face the North Pacific directly.

Most freediving in San Diego happens in La Jolla, where two protected areas and two submarine canyons sit just off the beaches. The Matlahuayl State Marine Reserve covers 1.04 square miles (2.7km²) with depths from 0 to 331 feet (0-101m), and CDFW's rule is total: no living, geological or cultural resource may be injured, taken or possessed. The neighboring San Diego-Scripps Coastal State Marine Conservation Area allows only hook-and-line take of four small pelagic species, so it is closed to spearfishing too.

La Jolla Cove

La Jolla Cove lies inside the reserve. CDFW describes leopard sharks gathering there in massive numbers each summer and fall, in shallow water that draws snorkelers, and lists garibaldi, kelp bass and sea lions among the reserve's residents. Off the La Jolla coast, in an area called Tombstones, the seafloor holds memorial markers for members of the Bottom Scratchers, the 1933 freediving club, and other watermen.

La Jolla Shores and the canyon

La Jolla Shores is the training beach. CDFW notes that the La Jolla and Scripps canyons bring cold, nutrient-rich water into the reserves and that their walls fall from 70 to 900 feet (21-274m) within reach of the beach. Just Get Wet, a Molchanovs school in San Diego, runs the open-water days of its beginner and intermediate courses here, with intermediate students working to 24-30m (79-98ft). Because the bottom falls far beyond any target, dive on a buoy line set to a fixed depth rather than following the wall.

Point Loma kelp

UC San Diego researchers describe the Point Loma kelp forest as one of the largest in California, located offshore of the city. Treat it as a boat day with a captain who knows the kelp lines, and agree in advance where the boat will pick you up.

North of San Diego the freediving is kelp reef diving from shore, much of it in no-take water. At Laguna Beach, the State Marine Reserve covers 6.72 square miles (17.4km²) and 4.4 miles (7.1km) of shoreline, and an adjoining no-take conservation area adds 3.09 square miles (8.0km²). CDFW names freediving among the popular activities and describes giant kelp forests with spiny lobster and rock scallops among reefs and coves. Nothing may be taken in either area.

Palos Verdes

The Palos Verdes Peninsula sits roughly 20 miles (32km) south of Santa Monica. Point Vicente State Marine Conservation Area is no-take across 15.04 square miles (39km²). Next to it, Abalone Cove State Marine Conservation Area keeps a narrow exception that includes recreational spearfishing for certain finfish and white seabass, so read the species list before you load a gun. CDFW calls both areas well suited to scuba and free divers, with a chance of seeing giant sea bass.

Catalina Island and Casino Point

Catalina is about an hour by Catalina Express from San Pedro, Long Beach or Dana Point. In Avalon, Casino Point State Marine Conservation Area is tiny, 0.01 square miles (2.6 hectares) with depths of 0-73 feet (0-22m), but CDFW calls it the easiest beach diving in all the Channel Islands, with kelp to just beyond 70 feet (21m) and garibaldi, the state marine fish. It became one of the first underwater parks in the country in the 1960s.

It is no-take, yet feeding fish for viewing is permitted; CDFW says Casino Point and nearby Lover's Cove are the only two MPAs in the state that allow it. Scuba divers and snorkelers enter from land, and kayakers and glass-bottom tour boats use the same water, so tow a flagged buoy and rest beside it.

Central Coast freediving centers on the Monterey Peninsula, where water averages 12-14.5°C (54-58°F) and sea otters forage in the kelp canopy. Three shore sites cover most needs: San Carlos Beach in Monterey, Lovers Point in Pacific Grove and Point Lobos south of Carmel.

San Carlos Beach (the Breakwater)

San Carlos Beach is at Reeside Avenue and Cannery Row, near the Coast Guard pier. California Diving News gives depths of 15-60 feet (5-18m) and visibility of 10-30 feet (3-9m), with entry at the foot of the pier or down the stairs from the parking lot. California sea lions haul out on the far half of the breakwater, which is closed to people. The water is in the Edward F. Ricketts State Marine Conservation Area, which allows only hook-and-line fishing for finfish, so there is no spearfishing. Odyssey Freediving holds community line sessions in Monterey on Sundays.

Lovers Point

Lovers Point-Julia Platt State Marine Reserve in Pacific Grove covers 0.30 square miles (0.78km²) with depths to 88 feet (27m). It is fully no-take, and CDFW lists scuba diving, kayaking and wildlife viewing among its uses.

Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

Point Lobos has the strictest access rules of any site on this page. The underwater park lies inside the Point Lobos State Marine Reserve and the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, with kelp forest, lingcod, rockfish, harbor seals and sea otters. California State Parks sets these rules:

Reservation

Required in advance for scuba and free diving. Bookings open for the current month plus one month ahead.

Daily limit

Ten dive teams per day. Each permit is a team of two; a team of three needs two reservations. No solo diving.

Fees (as of October 2026)

$30 plus a processing fee on weekends and holidays, $20 plus a processing fee on weekdays, per pair. Parking $10 per car.

Where

Whalers Cove and Bluefish Cove only, entering and exiting from the Whalers Cove dive ramp.

Paperwork

All team members present with a certification card. Registration closes two hours before the posted closing time.

Not allowed

Fishing equipment and collecting tools.

The State Parks page lists scuba agencies such as NAUI, PADI and SSI as examples of acceptable cards, so if you hold only a freediving card, ask how to register it when you book.

Northern California and Lake Berryessa

The Sonoma and Mendocino coast was abalone country, and that fishery is closed. The recreational red abalone fishery shut in 2018, and in December 2025 the Fish and Game Commission extended the closure in Northern California until April 1, 2036. CDFW cites the widespread loss of bull kelp forests in northern California, unusually warm water and a large increase in purple sea urchins. Finfish can still be taken under the normal license and MPA rules.

For depth in the Bay Area, the answer is fresh water. Fins and Foam Freediving runs its AIDA 2 level class at Lake Berryessa, where depth is a few minutes' swim from shore, and its pool course at the College of Marin, a 16-foot (4.9m) pool the school calls the Bay Area's deepest diving pool.

San Diego averages 14.9°C (58.8°F) in February and 19.8°C (67.6°F) in August, while Monterey stays between 12.1°C (53.8°F) and 14.5°C (58.1°F) all year. These are surface averages from sea temperature records for each city.

The cold-month choices follow the site's wetsuit thickness guide: 7mm with hood and gloves for 14-17°C (57-62°F), plus boots or socks below 14°C (57°F), which is what all accessories means above. The guide suggests 7mm even at 17-20°C (62-68°F), but the San Diego Molchanovs course asks beginners for a 5mm two-piece suit, so 5mm is workable from July to October if you do not run cold. Monterey's monthly lows fall to about 10.4-10.8°C (51°F) between April and June.

Upwelling is why California water stays cold into summer. NOAA defines it as deep, cold water rising toward the surface, most strongly when winds blow along the shore, and notes that the rising water is rich in nutrients. The Monterey record shows the effect: averages sit flat at about 12°C (54°F) from January to June and only climb from July, so late summer and early fall bring the Central Coast's warmest water.

A thermocline is the transition layer between warmer mixed water at the surface and cooler deep water below. NOAA notes that its depth and strength change by season and that in temperate waters it is often deepest in summer. On a summer depth session you can drop out of a comfortable surface layer into much colder water, so dress for the water at your target depth, not the surface figure.

Swell depends on direction as much as size. The same USGS study found that storm waves inside the Southern California Bight come mainly from the west, long-period swells over 15 seconds mainly from the south-southwest, and that the Channel Islands selectively block westerly swell. Check a buoy-based forecast for direction and period, not just height, and pick a beach that faces away from the swell.

Visibility has no single number. California Diving News quotes 10-30 feet (3-9m) at San Carlos Beach. Upwelled nutrients feed plankton and surge can lift sand, so a site can turn murky within a day. Look at the water before you suit up and keep a second site in mind.

Move through kelp slowly and streamlined, surface into open water, and always carry a cutting tool. NOAA notes that kelp can grow up to 18 inches (46cm) per day in ideal conditions and rarely grows deeper than 49-131 feet (15-40m), because it needs light. The canopy is thickest at the surface, which is exactly where a freediver breathes and recovers.

Divers Alert Network's case study of a fatal kelp entanglement concludes that kelp diving requires streamlined equipment to reduce the risk of entanglement and a cutting tool to resolve one, and identifies panic as a key factor in the death. Kelp diving guidance from UC Santa Barbara's marine operations adds steps that apply directly to freediving:

1. 01 —Enter feet first with feet together. A headfirst or rolling entry can wrap kelp around you.
2. 02 —Keep anything that hangs, such as a lanyard, float line, catch bag or camera strap, tight against your body.
3. 03 —Wear the knife or cutter where either hand can reach it. UCSB notes that a knife strapped to the inner calf can reduce the chance of entanglement.
4. 04 —Expect a darker dive under a thick canopy, and plan each ascent into a gap you can see from below.
5. 05 —To cross canopy at the surface, use the kelp crawl: body flat on top of the kelp, dog-paddling rather than kicking.
6. 06 —If you snag, stop and stay calm. Free the snag by hand or with the cutter, and signal your buddy.

For a freediver the danger is timing: a snag at the end of a breath-hold leaves little margin. Keep dives in thick kelp short, and have your buddy watch from an open patch where they can reach you. The guide to compact freediving knives and line cutters covers blade types and where to mount them.

Looking is free in California; taking is not. Anyone 16 or older needs a CDFW sport fishing license to take fish, and fishing in ocean waters south of Point Arguello in Santa Barbara County also needs the Ocean Enhancement Validation. The whole San Diego, Orange County and Los Angeles coast, Catalina included, is south of that point.

Resident annual license

$64.54, valid for 365 days from purchase.

Nonresident annual license

$174.14.

One-day / two-day license

$21.09 / $32.40. No Ocean Enhancement Validation needed with these.

Nonresident ten-day license

$64.54.

Ocean Enhancement Validation

$7.30, for ocean waters south of Point Arguello.

These are CDFW's 2026 prices as of October 2026, and they change every license year. Before you hunt, the guide to how freediving and spearfishing fit together covers the skills side.

Marine protected areas

State Marine Reserves allow no extractive activity at all, including fishing and kelp harvesting, except permitted scientific collecting. State Marine Conservation Areas restrict some take, with exceptions that differ for each one. Swimming, boating and diving are allowed in all MPAs unless specifically prohibited. Check boundaries on CDFW's MPA map before every spearfishing trip, because one stretch of coast can switch between open water and a reserve.

Abalone, white sharks and dive flags

The recreational red abalone fishery stays closed until April 1, 2036, and white sharks have been protected since January 1, 1994. California's divers flag regulation, 14 CCR 7008, defines the flag as red with a white diagonal from upper left to lower right, allows it only while diving is in progress, and tells vessel operators to take precautions when they see one. It also states that nothing in the section requires anyone to carry one. The flag is optional in law, but it is the only thing a skipper can see, so fly one on your buoy.

White sharks are present along the coast, and incidents are rare. CDFW counts fewer than 250 shark incidents in California since 1950, most involving white sharks, and fewer than 20 fatal; an incident means a shark touched a person or their board. CDFW describes Southern California as a white shark nursery where juveniles are often seen in shallow water, especially in summer and warm-water years, and advises staying out where sharks have been reported or seen feeding and checking with lifeguards.

Sea lions live in the La Jolla reserve and on the Monterey breakwater, and sea otters feed in the Monterey kelp. The NOAA guidelines quoted by California State Parks ask for at least 50 yards (46m) from seals and sea lions and 100 yards (91m) from whales. If an animal reacts to you, back away.

At an open beach such as La Jolla Shores, every line session starts with a swim out from the sand. NOAA says rip currents can move at up to 8 feet (2.4m) per second and advises swimming parallel to shore, then back to land at an angle, rather than fighting one. The National Weather Service notes that rips often form on calm, sunny days, so ask the lifeguards where they are running before you go in.

Any emergency

Call 911. From a boat, call the US Coast Guard on VHF channel 16.

DAN emergency line

+1 919 684 9111, as listed by the USC Catalina chamber.

UC San Diego Hyperbaric Medicine, Hillcrest

A 12-place chamber that UC San Diego describes as the only civilian 24-hour emergency treatment center in San Diego, Imperial, Orange or Riverside Counties, treating diving emergencies from Mexico to the Los Angeles County border.

USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber

At Big Fisherman Cove on Catalina Island, with a helipad and crew available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

None of this replaces the basic rule: a trained buddy watches every dive from the surface, close enough to act on a blackout. The guide to the freediving buddy system sets out the one-up, one-down routine.

San Diego Freedivers is a club, not a school. A February 2024 City of San Diego Parks and Recreation Board report describes it as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports fellowship among Southern California freedivers, and its own website calls it San Diego's premier spearfishing club. It sells annual memberships, publishes guidelines on safe freediving, speargun safety and shallow water blackout, and holds events including the Blue Water Meet, the Lobster Blitz and a Selkies Women's Weekend.

The club also keeps the history of the San Diego Bottom Scratchers, formed in 1933 and described in the city report as one of the earliest freediving and spearfishing clubs in the United States. In 2024 San Diego Freedivers proposed a bronze plaque for Point La Jolla to honor them, and the parks department recommended approval. Bottom Scratchers candidates had to hold their breath for three minutes, dive to up to sixty feet (18m) and catch a horn shark by hand.

Schools and prices

The San Diego beginner course runs Friday evening to Sunday, from a pool session at The Plunge to a final day at La Jolla Shores, with targets of 12-20m (39-66ft) on bifins; students must first swim 200m (656ft) nonstop. The Bay Area Freediving 1 class is a single Saturday afternoon and includes basic gear rental and the AIDA card, but not a wetsuit. Prices change, so confirm before booking. For any school not listed here, the guide to finding a freediving course near you explains how to check instructors and what to ask before paying.

Both plans assume certified freedivers with their own buoy, line and cold-water suit, and one main session a day.

San Diego weekend

1. 01 —Friday: check the swell forecast for direction and period. Pack 5mm for July to October, 7mm otherwise.
2. 02 —Saturday morning: La Jolla Shores. Ask the lifeguards about rips, then set a flagged buoy and line over the canyon edge and dive one-up, one-down.
3. 03 —Saturday afternoon: snorkel La Jolla Cove for garibaldi and, in summer and fall, leopard sharks.
4. 04 —Sunday: a boat day to the Point Loma kelp if calm, or a pool session if the surf is up.

Three days on the Central Coast

1. 01 —Before you go: book Point Lobos the day the window opens; only ten teams a day get in.
2. 02 —Day 1: San Carlos Beach, 5-18m (15-60ft) of kelp beside the breakwater, clear of the sea lion haul-out.
3. 03 —Day 2: Point Lobos from the Whalers Cove ramp, registering together well before the two-hour cutoff.
4. 04 —Day 3: Lovers Point or a Sunday line session in Monterey, then a dry afternoon before the drive home.

If you would rather trade cold water for warm, the overview of the best places to freedive compares warm destinations by season.