Hi! Just thought I would drop in and introduce myself. I currently live in Los Angeles, but New Jersey will always be home to me. I've lived in Cherry Hill, NJ since I was about 4, and my folks still live there. I was recently OW certified a little less than 9 months ago, so I am a newer diver. I've logged 130 dives in that time, mostly beach diving off the shores of southern California. Taken classes for NAUI Rescue and NAUI Master Diver, as well as the LA County's Advanced Diver Program. I'd like to dive in New Jersey when I get back home to visit my parents. My heart has always been enamored by the wrecks. Have dove wrecks in Florida and southern California. Hopefully, I can hook up with some of you when I get back to New Jersey in the summer.

Thanks,
Ken

Hey Ken,

Welcome to the board. 130 dives in such a short time is impressive. What is there to see while doing a southern California shore dive? Is this the kelp forest area? I'd like to dive them. When you come to NJ, be sure to check to see which boat is going where. We'd love to have you come diving with us.

Mike

I think that the cool thing about diving in Southern California is that there is such a variety of different dives one can do:
- sandy beach entry dives
- rocky beach entry dives
- wreck dives
- oil rig dives
- boat dives
- night dives
- lobster hunting
- spear fishing
etc.

On the beach dives, you definitely can hit kelp forests with such a plethora of marine life. Too many for me to name, from tiny nudibranch, to a variety of fishes to seal lions and larger animals like baby whales and dolphins. There are many reefs all within easy distance from a shore entry. Last week on a night dive in a sandy beach environment, I saw a purple striped jelly fish floating by which must have been 2 ft. in diamer. It was huge!

On these shore dives, you can keep dives as shallow as 20-30 ft. and see much marinelife, and you can get in excess of 130 ft. if you'd like as well. I, myself, have kept things to a recreational depth, not going beyond 130 ft. I do hope to begin my technical dive training this year though. I've bad days on shore diving with vis of only 2-3 ft, and I've had good days with vis of 30-50 ft. For the most part, the shore dive areas I dive are mostly around 10-15 ft of vis. Then, we have boat diving in areas where vis can be 60+ ft. If you are ever visiting from NJ, feel free to drop me a holler, and I would love to dive with you and show you around. I live currenlty in west Los Angeles. Water temp lately has been in the low to mid 50's at depth. I've been diving wet, but just ordered a dry suit which is being built now.

Ken