Difficulty
beginner
Viz (last reported 107429h 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
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Nearby Shops
Tide Report
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Roland Baker
Aug 12, 2004, 12:00 AM
scuba
The trail was in pretty good condition and I would consider it safe for healthy individuals. The climb up is very taxing and I would recommend 2 trips to get your gear back to the car. Entry from the rocks on the north side of the cove was pretty easy in the smallish surf. We then surface swam to the outer south reef before descending. Vis was in the 15'-20' range. My wife was not comfortable with the surge on the outer reef so we made our heading back towards the kelp bed in the center of the cove. There was a few Garibaldi, perch and good sized calicos around. Tons of starfish and purple urchins. Spotted a 2-3lb lobster. Enjoyable, but uneventful. I aborted our plan to exit from the original rock entry point due to the increased surf and my wife's inexperience. We exited on the small stone beach to the south side of the cove which was easy. However, this exit requires lugging your gear over some pretty large boulders and this will require two trips to do safely. This is a dive to do when you feel in top shape and are looking for some serious exercise.
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