San Diego Life Guards, Diving San Diego

What Happens When Things Go Wrong

a Jolla Shores  is a sandy beach approximately one mile long, nestled in a small beach community only about 1 mile long of beach. A west facing beach where waves are usually great for those just learning to surf and for those learning to Scuba Dive many novice scuba classes are held at La Jolla Shores. Or for those wishing to learn to surf a surf area is marked after 9:00 for surfing only where you could find Surf Divas out giving beginning surf classes,  and for those more skilled to practice techniques. Even though the waves are gentle  most of the time the beach, rip currents that can be quite strong at times.

The Park area where children can swing in the sand filled play area or climb on the child safe forts and slides while families picnic, or stroll on the broad walkway that runs the distance from the La Jolla Inn to the far end of the park area, along this walk way of about a mile long are several towers, and one main building that house the best of the best at La Jolla shores  the San Diego County Life Guards, stand ready to be there when you need them the most. watching the ocean for the rip currents that most of us would never see. Rip Currents can be Identified by the white foamy water being pulled seaward. When these currents get strong and swimmers not paying attention to the water around them tragedy can strike very quickly and silently, pulling a swimmer to deep water, panic can set in quickly bringing other non qualified persons to the rescue only to become another part of the already bad situation.

La Jolla Life Guards play a variety of roles at the beach from obvious life savers to finders of lost children, mediators of disputes, someone to talk to about the waters, minor first aid providers, to Emergency first responders, putting their lives in danger to save another.

Trained to swim threw the waves fight the rip currents, and bring you back to shore  maybe a little worn out from your ordeal but still able to say thank you, that’s what counts.

A Thankless Job

Some time the job of a life guard comes down to making people obey the rules of the beach no drinking, dogs off the beach by 9:00, even parking , but the fact is they are doing their job and are not there to ruin your day no  matter what you may think. Because even though you may get mad at them for telling you to get out of the swim area with a surf board or site you for having a dog on the beach after hours, or launching your boat or kayak at the wrong place, if something happens to you no matter how nasty you have treated or talked to or about them if you get in trouble in the ocean and need their help they will be there for you.

So Boat smart , dive smart , swim smart and respect those that have taken on the job of making sure you are safe, in out and around the water Your San Diego County Life Guards.

Happy Blogging

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Diving San Diego – Los Coronados

A Day in the  Los Coronados

Horn shark,

Just 15 miles south of San Diego, this is the best half-day trip for scuba diving in San Diego.  A small conglomerate of uninhabited islands just off the coast of Rosarito, Mexico (just South of the border), the most popular dive spots are at ‘North Island’, including ‘Keyhole’ and ‘Lobster Shack’. With depths ranging 15 – 100 feet, and even an old small wreck near ‘Lobster Shack’, the Coronados are a great dive for all skill levels and a “must see” dive site.  With visibility between 50′- 150′ on average, it’s not uncommon to see lots of purple coral, octopus, Moray Eels, Horn Sharks, Harbor Seals, Sea Lions, and Garibaldi.  Making the Coronados Islands a dive you’ll always remember of San Diego dive site

Once the trip is complete, You arrive at the dive site Lobster Shack a few moments later your boat is anchored, and the dive brief is over and your ready to dive. Several dive boats will take you there, The Marissa, the Water horse Charter , and the Lois Ann.

Doing a giant stride, into the cool waters, you descend the first thing to catch your eye is anchored in 40 feet of water you can see the bottom, obscured only by the thousand of fish that may get in your way, the water is a beautiful blue, the bottom has a great deal of structure bolders covered with grass. and soft growth, from the shore the bottom is rocky with eel grass as you move away from the shore, the bottom drops abruptly and becomes a rocky haven for eels lobster octopus and other ssorted fish, invertebrates.

Dropping further the bottom turns sandy with sparse plants and old wheels. and parts of a old cabin cruiser, that stories change with the amount of people that have been out to see whats left of this wreck, one story goes that two doctors went out on a fishing trip set the autopilot, fell asleep and ran aground. before it could be retrieved it was ran picked over by fishermen and left to sink off of lobster shack in about 65 feet of water. the ocean has taken it’s toll on this little boat and has been reduced to some boards and structural supports.

To dive this spot once is a great introduction to Diving San Diego, even though its really in Mexico, you start in San Diego. diving it again you find more and more things to look at. Sea Lions lay on the shore and the young pups come out to see what your doing. playing with your fins. you may surface with a group of young sea lions surrounding you wanting to be your friend.

Moray Eels hid in the rocks accompanied by cleaner shrimp, that craw in and out of the monster eel’s mouth, cleaning parasites form within and roaming over its body cleaning its skin as well. a strange partnership but it seems to work, for both the eel and the shrimp.

Moray Eel and cleaner shrimp

looking in the rocks you may see the Key hole limpet  Megathura Crenula the scientific name attaches itself to the rocks where it lives out its days eating algae, tunicates and sponges. related to Abalone. mussels, sea hares, and  Sea Snails.

key hole limpet

Diving San Diego boats out to the Coronado Islands can be one of the best vacation dives that people do when coming to California. Diving with a guide on the Island can also improve your diving experience by being shown the hiding places of some of the local sea life, with out worrying about navigating around the dive site.

Other dive sites on the Mexican Islands are key hole. Middle ground to name just a couple,  are also just as close as a few hundred yards to maybe a mile or two across  to the next Island. what ever your dive site on the Los Coronados you will have a great dive.

So come dive with us, enjoy what San Diego Diving has to offer you and your friends. Hope to see you soon happy Blogging

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