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Diving La Jolla Shores, San Diego: The Usual Suspects

by Ashley on May 1, 2012 | 13 Comments

I have a confession to make: It’s been weeks since my last time diving La Jolla Shores. Conditions have been less than wonderful and life has gotten in the way. This morning, a friend and I finally got back in the water (in honor of his birthday!) and had a great time. It sounds silly, but diving at the Shores this morning and visiting all the usual suspects was a little like coming home.

Off the La Jolla Shores beach, most divers like to surface-swim out to the edge of the canyon before dropping under. I personally prefer to swim underwater on the shallow sand, because I love the things I see there–snails, crabs, and sand dollars for sure, and the occasional (if I’m lucky) guitarfish, angel shark, halibut, or juvenile horn shark. We did a little of both, and spent a few minutes on the sand before arriving at the canyon.

One of the first things I saw in the shallows was a patch of squid eggs. It reminded me of the squid run late last year, which set the scene for some of my favorite dives of all time.

The sandy shallows at La Jolla Shores are always riddled with crabs. Here, one indulges its cannibalistic tendencies…

And a pair relish the privacy afforded by a few sand dollars…

Once we got over to the canyon wall, I saw a nudibranch I’ve never seen before, Diaulula sandiegensis (San Diego Dorid). From its name, I’m guessing it’s actually pretty common, and the fault for never having seen it is all my own!

We also saw some pretty tube anemones…

… and lots of brown rockfish.

Total dive time was 57 minutes; maximum depth was 79 feet; average depth was 45 feet. Visibility was 10-15 feet. Temperatures ranged from 53F to 61F.

It was so great to be back diving La Jolla Shores again!

Filed under Underwater Photography, tagged beach, california, diving, la jolla, macro, nudibranch, ocean, photo, photography, san diego, scuba, underwater