Our April Club dive on the 10th will be a beach dive. Will be diving one of my favorite dive site at Veteran’s Park!
Veteran’s Park has an easy entry and exit so it used for scuba classes on the weekends.
We will meet in the parking lot at 359 Esplanade, Redondo Beach, CA 90277. Look for the AVDD Baner. There are parking meters for parking, so please bring quarters for the meters. Last time I was there it was $1.50 an hour. I will bring extra just in case anyone forgets.
Meet at 9AM for dive briefing
Plan on entering water around 9:45
After the dive we can go have lunch at the pier
Here is a little site briefing form jadescubaadventures.com
Dive Site: Veteran’s Park bottom topography is a large sandy sloping bottom. It slopes down well past recreational limits into a deep sea canyon. It’s not a very long swim to get out to 60, 100, or 130 feet. There’s no reef structure here. The deep canyon tends to cause a very noticeable thermocline typically colder than other sites around Southern California.
Vets gets an unfair bad rap because it’s very sandy. Lots and lots of sand. But if you slow down, go deep, or come out at night, then there’s a ton of life to find. In the shallows at day, I’ve found Round Stingrays, Thornback Rays, Spiny Sand Stars, Sea Pansies, White Sea Pens, Yellow Rock Crab, Spider Crab, Dungeness Crab, Horn Shark, Leopard Shark, Angel Shark, Shovelnose Gitarfish, California Halibut, and Horny Head Turbot. Not to mention the infamous Target Shrimp.
As you go deeper (45-80 feet) you’ll start to see more plant life growing in the sand. That means more fish and invertebrates to hide in them! Look for Wavy Turban Snail shells, there may be a Sarcastic Fringehead or One Spotted Fringehead lurking inside. At night, you can almost always find some Two-Spotted Octopuses crawling around. In the day, they like to hide inside glass bottles. Keep your eyes peeled, and if you’re lucky you’ll spot a baby Giant Sea Bass swimming around.
Each month, AVDD hosts a beach or boat Club dive. This is a great opportunity to hone your skills as a diver as you dive with other experienced and learning divers. Our club dives are typically held on the first Saturday of each month. Get your spot quick for boat dives before they sell out!