San Diego Kelp Forests
The kelp forest is one of the most incredible habitats in nature. If you’re a scuba diver or freediver, you’ve got to dive the kelp forest at least once in your life—it’s a bucket list dive.
San Diego is one of the best places in the world to visit a kelp forest. While most kelp forests are found in regions with very cold water and weather, San Diego has some of the warmest [possible] water for kelp diving—not to mention spectacular weather, year-round.
Want to explore the San Diego kelp forests? There are two marvelous kelp forests in San Diego that you can visit any time of year.
Dive Right In:
What's a Kelp Forest?
Kelp is a type of algae that resembles a plant or underwater tree. The largest, fastest-growing species is giant kelp.
Aptly named, giant kelp grows vertically in the water (as fast as two feet per day!) and forms a canopy over the ocean surface.
A kelp forest (sometimes called a “giant kelp forest”) is an area where the kelp grows in thick, dense clusters with a very lush canopy.
Kelp forests are very important habitats because they:
- Provide food and shelter for all sorts of marine life
- Remove harmful carbon dioxide from the ocean and atmosphere (they help us breathe!)
- Give us the ingredients for products like toothpaste and ice cream
- Provide a large amount of our local seafood
- Shallow Depth: The depth of this kelp forest ranges from 30-50 feet, and strong currents are rare. That makes it a great dive site for beginners and for those who prefer an easy-going dive.
- Lots of Variety: When you dive the La Jolla kelp forest, you can also check out the big reefs and swim-throughs at La Jolla Cove. Compared to Point Loma, La Jolla is a more dynamic location for scuba diving.
- Bigger Animals: It’s easier to find marine mammals, sharks, and rays at the La Jolla kelp forest. La Jolla is also your best bet if you want to encounter sea lions.
- Scuba Diving: If you’re going to scuba dive, you need to enter at La Jolla Cove. The kelp forest is about 200 yards west from the cove.
- Freediving: Lifeguards will not allow you to bring any flotation devices into La Jolla Cove, so freedivers should enter from Boomer Beach. The kelp forest is just west of Boomer Beach.
Although La Jolla Cove is considered a “beginner-friendly” dive site, you still need to take great caution when diving here. Here are a couple of things to be mindful of:
- Visibility: The La Jolla kelp forest has unpredictable visibility. On its best days, viz ranges from 20-40 feet. On its worst days, the viz may be 10 feet or less. It can be difficult to safely navigate to the kelp forest and back unless you’re proficient in underwater navigation.
- Rocks: As you’re kicking out into the Cove, you need to be wary of underwater rock outcroppings that are hidden just inches below the water. You can be seriously injured if the surf pushes you against or on top of these rocks.
- Surge: The surge at La Jolla Cove can be very strong, which can make diving and navigation more difficult.
- Larger Kelp: You’ll find much taller kelp at Point Loma because it’s a deeper kelp forest. The depth at Point Loma ranges from 40 to 70 feet, and the height of the giant kelp will often match the depth at which you’re diving. The Point Loma kelp forest is a truly awe-inspiring diving experience.
- Great for Macro Photography: The kelp may be large, but the wildlife at Point Loma tends to be on the smaller side. There’s an excellent variety of nudibranchs, algae, and invertebrates at Point Loma, which makes it popular with macro photographers. It’s unlikely you’ll encounter many sea lions.
- Tougher Diving: There are stronger currents at the Point Loma kelp forest, and some of the dive sites may only be suitable for advanced divers. If you’re diving where the canopy is very thick, there may be very little light at the bottom. The deeper depth also means that the water is colder than in La Jolla.
- Boat Diving Only: You can only reach the Point Loma Kelp Forest on a boat dive. It lies about 600 yards offshore from the peninsula–much too far for a surface swim (shore entries from Point Loma are illegal, anyways).
- Giant Kelp
- Sea Lions
- Garibaldi
- Black Sea Bass
- Shovelnose Guitarfish
- Sevengill Sharks
- Tope Sharks
- Blue Sharks
- California Spiny Lobsters
- Sheephead Crabs
- Kelp Bass
- Sheephead
- Horn Sharks
- Moray Eels
As we mentioned earlier, it’s easier to spot marine mammals, sharks, and rays at the La Jolla kelp forest. The Point Loma kelp forest has larger and more expansive kelp beds, although the wildlife tends to be smaller.
