The diving in San Diego is some of the most underappreciated and spectacular diving in the world. During the course we will dive kelp forests, wrecks, and rocky reefs. The water is cold so this needs to be accounted for. Almost all the diving will be done off of local boats but there are some shore-based options depending on the weather. You never know what you may run into the San Diego waters.

Getting There:

San Diego is easily connected by driving from most of the Western United States or the San Diego International airport has a ton of flights from around the world. 

Getting Around:

Once you arrive in San Diego you will need a rental car to get around as things can be a little spread out. We will mainly be boat diving out of Mission Bay.

Dive Logistics:

Almost all of our boat diving will be with Marissa Charters and they have the ability to do fills and helium as needed. Despite San Diego having some excellent diving the local shops are not setup well for working with technical divers. 

Diving:

Almost all the diving will be completed off of local dive boats with our preference being Captain Lora with Marissa Dive Charters. She is an incredibly experienced captain and can put us on the wrecks! The average water temp at depth is in the low to mid 50s. and currents, lower visibility, and sea swell are all common conditions when diving in Southern California. The boat diving will mostly be done by live boating and following a shot line to the site and then being picked up after decompression. This can create some challenging conditions for newer CCR divers. 

Where To Stay:

We recommend staying near Mission Bay. There are a ton of airBNBs or hotels in the area. Pick one that meets your budget and you will be set. 

Other Things to Know:

While the diving in San Diego can be amazing it can also be challenging. We have found and identified 20+ WWII airplane wrecks in the last 3-5 years and these can make some great training sites in the 170-250′ range if your diving is up to par! It is also relatively common to lose some days due to weather and swell so this should be factored in if you are planning on completing your CCR course in San Diego.