The Canyon - La Jolla
Diving the “Canyon” is a very different type of Southern California dive experience. To get to the dive site you can proceed to the parking lot adjacent to Kellogg Park located in the San Diego community of La Jolla. I have been to this site many times and on August 30, 2020, along with my son Spencer, we were back to do it again. It was another beautiful Southern California morning; the air temperature was in the high 60's and the surface water temperature was between 66-70 degrees. The skies were clear and sunny, and we started our 57-minute dive at about 9am. The canyon is a deep dive site and we proceeded on this trip down to a depth of 56 feet at our deepest.
This is a very popular spot for divers, especially for those going through any kind of training, class or certification. Today’s conditions showcased why, the ocean water was almost “lake like” calm, there was no surge or rip tide and the visibility was somewhere between 15 to 25 feet. There were many divers present and several classes in progress. The only real challenge to taking good photos is the sandy bottom which can be easily stirred up.
As my Son and I were suiting up in the park, we could overhear other divers talking about their “great” dive that they had just completed. One young lady was going on and on about the “seahorse” that she had seen. I have always wanted to spot a seahorse but have never been so lucky. I asked her about her sighting and she excitedly explained that the “seahorse was in 6 to 8 feet of water, all alone over a sandy bottom.” None of this description fit with my preconceived notion of where I might eventually spot a seahorse. She sheepishly explained that she wasn’t able to take a photograph of her sighting but hoped that she would be able to identify the specific species of seahorse when she got home and consulted her reference materials.
With this “excitement” in the air my Son and I proceeded to the shoreline. Another attribute of this dive spot that favors class instruction is that it is an entirely sandy bottom, there are no rocks, kelp or sea grass at all. While maybe good for classroom instruction, this attribute dampens the enthusiasm of many experienced divers from diving this site because it is “boring” – almost a moonscape. However, as the accompanying photos attest, this moonscape is full of life; rays, sea pens, nudibranchs, sea stars, sea pansies, anemones and many others.
As you travel over this moonscape on a heading of 2700 you are on your way to the La Jolla canyon that is located approximately 300 yards from the shoreline. I don’t personally know of any divers that have traveled over the edge of the canyon wall and found it to be boring. As you approach the canyon wall the water becomes dark, foreboding and still. The water is deeper, much deeper, and colder, much colder.
When we started our day my hope for this dive was that we would see striped nudibranchs and a California Sea Hare. We had seen both of these species on prior dives and on this trip, we were not disappointed – we had success on both counts. And as an added bonus we spotted a spectacularly beautiful corymorpha palma.
Now about those seahorses! No, we did not see a seahorse, but as we left the canyon and started back to the shoreline over the moonscape, we came across 5, five, pipefish. Each was alone over a sandy bottom. I am not sure what reference materials she is consulting about seahorses, but I can tell you that seeing five different pipefish on one dive is pretty darn cool.
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