Difficulty
Unrated
Viz (last reported 100327h ago)
Max Depth
Unknown
Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at Refugio State Beach
Refugio is a very popular destination for beach-goers. With over 100 campsites (mostly reserved from early on in the vacation season), the beach can be very crowded. But once underwater you won't have to worry about those crowds! Just a short distance off shore you'll find kelp beds and reef, and, for the more adventurous, a rocky point to explore to the West.
Found 19 miles West of Santa Barbara, take the Refugio exit of Highway 101, and follow the signs to the beach.
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shore
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Jason NYC
Jul 13, 2011, 12:00 AM
scuba
This is one of my favorite beaches to bring my family while my wife and I dive. Very safe, friendly, and always nice beach conditions for the little ones to swim or play in the sand. Great facilities, very short trip from the car to the water, and a short surface swim. Always decent viz for beach diving in California (10-15ft)and very rarely is surf, surge, current, or tides a consideration for the most part. Two areas to dive. One on the left and one on the right with sand in between the two kelp beds/low lying reef areas. Maybe 30ft max on the outer edge of the kelp beds. This is a state park so there is an entrance fee per car. It's very slow on weekdays and pretty busy on weekends but I never feel crowded even on weekends. Camping facilities are always packed but one of these days I hope to make reservations in advance and stay over. It's about a 90 minute leisurely drive from the Valley in LA and well worth the trip, especially if you can come on a week day for the solitude.
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