Diver Reviews:    (Please share your own experiences by clicking here!)

04/15/2009 Scuba Diver Girl Stephanie (Avg: 4.15 Review) - April 26, 2009 we dove in the morning. During the week it was very easy to get parking right in front of the kelp beds. The facilities at the campsite have warm showers (bring your quarters!) The visibility was about 15+ with little to no surge. We had one beginner diver with us and she had a great time. Even those of us that were seasoned divers enjoyed the kelp. We only dove the kelp and reef just south of the play ground, but it was good and easy to get to. Virtually no surface swim! Next time we will head north to the reef up a bit and check it out.

07/03/2008 Brian Xavier (Avg: 4.33 Review) - Refugio Beach is a really nice dive site. It is far out of the way, but little beach break and nice rock and kelp formations. Kicked far out to the kelp. Dove to the left (east) side of the beach and viz was about five feet due to recent swell. Saw lots of fish and a guitarfish on the bottom. Excellent facilities and great place to take the family and stay a few days. $8.00 for daily pass and $25.00 a night for camping fee- trailers, tents, etc. Make reservations early due to people. Day parking no problem. Excellent place!

03/24/2008 Chad from Chico (Avg: 3.62 Review) - There's barely any current here, and you can see pretty well. There's plenty of plant and animal life.

09/05/2007 Jonathan Weinman (Avg: 3.27 Review) - I dove this site with 3 other friends. Easy parking and very easy shore entry. Great kelp beds on the Southern side. Very little current or surge when we were there. Busy campsite but worth the trip. Vis on this day was between 5-7 and depths about 20ft with lots of starfish and kelp fish around.

12/24/2006 K from Goleta (Avg: 2.67 Review) - This site has great visibility and the entry is the easiest one around. The site only gets about 30 feet deep which is good for beginners. It is somewhat boring for the experienced diver but it is well worth a try and definitely worth the $8/day use charge to park 100 feet from the water and gear up.

03/04/2006 Rickster (Avg: 3.77 Review) - This site is a great spot to dive. We went to the left, almost straight out and to the east of the campground. There are shelves and ledges that make up a most fantastic reef system. We saw numerous fish (bass, senoritas, skates, lingcod) crabs, an octopus, seahares, and nudis. This dive is well worth doing!

05/25/2005 Kendall Roberg (Avg: 4.01 Review) - This is a great dive for all levels. On the north side of the beach are a few nice kelp beds. Unfortunately, some of these kelps beds have been destroyed or reduced by sea urchins (they eat the bottom of the kelp and clear the forest; all the kelp forest animals leave, too). There is still plenty to see though! A surfer also told me the south side has a nice crevasse to dive in, but I have not yet confirmed this. A fun dive. Even saw a Thornback Ray. Also, saw a few dozen dolphins, right off shore, as I was gearing up!

09/09/2002 TJ (Avg: 3.40 Review) - Refugio Beach is an excellent place to dive overall. The top-side facilities far out weigh just about any place I've been too! No the diving is not always the best for photographers or advance divers seeking a thrill, but Refugio always provides a safe environment with good diving and marine life. Just be sure to get there when they open "8:00 a.m." during the summer to avoid the crowds and get good parking. This is a very easy entry, surface swim straight out from the beach "approx" 75 yards and drop down. A few lobster have been known to frequent here as well as bat rays and even 2 sea lions on one occasion. This is also an excellent place to take family, friends along and BBQ.

07/24/2002 Ben (Avg: 4.45 Review) - It's a beautiful place to dive!

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Diver Averages for  Refugio State Beach  (1=worst, 5=best)