Cardiff State Beach

California South
USA West
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For an easy dive, with an interesting reef to explore, try Cardiff State Beach. You'll find the basic facilities here, plus a relatively uncrowded environment.

Directions: Located 12 miles South of Oceanside, and 24 miles North of San Diego in Cardiff-By-The-Sea.

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

11/23/2004 Nadia (Avg: 4.42 Review) - This is a fun snorkel site, just watch out for long boarders. The bottom is rich with plant life and there are plenty of fish, as stated in the description.

08/15/2004 Anonymous (Avg: 4.70 Review) - When the surf is flat this shallow reef dive is one of the best in CA. The Surf grass, hollows and channels, and kelp provide fantastic habitat for sheep-crab, lobster, sheephead, banded and shovel-nose guitarfish, as well as myriad smaller creatures

ShoreDiving Resources:

Additional Resources:

Dive Site Links: (If you have a relevant link for Cardiff State Beach, please write us here.)
No external links have been submitted.

Site Photos

Maps
(what is GPS?) Photo
(click photo for a larger version) Comments

Entrance
Map Sat
GPS: CS0901
N33°00.8364'
W117°16.8075'

The entrance is easy to find.

Parking
Map Sat
GPS: CS0902
N33°00.8735'
W117°16.8356'

Plenty of parking 100 yards from the entry.

Overview

Park next to the showers, if possible!

Entry
Map Sat
GPS: CS0904
N33°00.9191'
W117°16.8962'

The wide, sandy beach makes for an easy entry. Head straight out for about 400 yards to find this seldom-explored reef.

aerial

(click photo for details)

Here, the reef channels and edges are apparent.

Last Verification: July, 2001

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

Average Site Condition
Ease of Shore Entry:	5.00
Bottom Conditions:	4.50
Reef Conditions:	4.50
Animal Life:	4.50
Plant Life:	5.00
Facilities:	5.00
Solitude:	3.00
Roads:	4.50
*Site Average:	4.56

Average Enjoyment Level
Snorkel:	2.50
Beginner Scuba:	2.50
Intermediate Scuba:	3.50
Advanced Scuba:	3.50
Night diving Scuba:	4.00

Number of reviews for this site: 2

324-4-5-9

Cardiff State Beach

California South USA West Home

Dive Site Links: (If you have a relevant link for Cardiff State Beach, please write us here.) No external links have been submitted.

Site Photos

California South
USA West
Home

Dive Site Links: (If you have a relevant link for Cardiff State Beach, please write us here.)
No external links have been submitted.