Crystal Cove State Park

I came here (reef point area) on a busy Sunday afternoon, and after seeing the stairs to the beach, I decided to just go ahead and have a nice day on the beach with my family and cancel the dive. It is not too terrible up and down the stairs, but certainly much more severe than Crescent Beach, or certainly Shaw's Cove if you have been to those spots just south of here. Only divers in very decent shape will not be hurting after the climb back up the stairs. All that said, take a look at the stairs and at the water to get a look at the very rocky entry spots so you can find a sandy channel out and avoid the surf that even on a calm day can be tough given the rocky entry. Just from our snorkel trip I would say viz was about 10ft, 64F, surf was about 2ft+. Lots of life. Full facilities on the top of the cliff, nice bike paths and a lovely historic district/area with food, shops, another beach area and cottages for 'glamping' in style. If you have kids, the tide pools here are some of the best I have ever seen in SoCal. This really is a lovely place. Do yourself a favor and come spend the day here! Enjoy!