Difficulty
beginner
Viz (last reported 99446h ago)
Max Depth
20 ft
Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at Christmas Tree Cove
Steep hike over slippery sand, then entry over shallow, slippery rocks. There is nice snorkeling available along the shoreline and a small kelp forest in the middle of the cove. The best diving is on the reef beyond the cove. The high spot breaks the surface at low tide. Follow this reef south and you will find overhangs, walls, lobsters, sponges, fish and nudibranchs. The east side of the reef has vertical walls as high as fifteen feet. The reef continues to eighty feet where it ends at the sand.
Located in the posh Palos Verdes area, grab your street map and follow along: From the Pacific Coast Highway, head South on Palos Verdes Blvd for 1.4 miles. Turn right on Palos Verdes Drive West. In 3.8 miles, turn right on Paseo Lunado which becomes Paseo Del Mar. You'll see the park on your right.
Access
shore
boat
View
Nearby Shops
Tide Report
5
4
3
2
1
(15)
Currently viewing a specific review. View all reviews
J. Bowdin
May 21, 2012, 12:00 AM
scuba
I'm pretty new to this, this being Free Diving, but out of the places I've gone around PV, Christmas Tress Cove has been the best. The hike in is definitely a little tricky, kinda fun if you like tricky hiking/small scale rock climbing. Once down, entry over the rocks on the right side is relatively easy during high tide, or there looked to be a beach with smaller rocks to the left (after climbing over some larger boulders). The vis in the cove was pretty good on the day I went, probably 10-15 ft. Saw plenty of smaller fish and lots of kelp. I also went to another small cove right next to this, between Christmas Tree and Lunada Bay, not sure what it's called. The trail to this cove is much steeper, one section has a rope that you have to use to get up and down. Well worth it though, just as good as Christmas Tree or better, even saw some rays on this side! I was worried about public access when I first started looking into places to dive, but Christmas Tree Cove is definitely still accessible to the public.
Other Locations Nearby
