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

03/19/2008 Brian Xavier (Avg: 4.25 Review) - This is the second best dive site in Laguna. Very nice with rock formation going out to sea. Dove to 40 feet and great viz to about 30 feet. Went to north side of beach/rocks. Reminded me of Pahoehoe on Big Island. Nice Garibaldi and a few Sheephead. Great dive a lot like Catalina. Find parking and you've got it made. Red curbs mean no parking. Currently they're working on the walkway down to the beach. One of my best dives ever. I used my dolly to carry my gear, then locked it to the steps. Saves energy.

02/27/2008 Benjamin (Avg: 3.04 Review) - At 25-30 feet, this place was awesome for all class of divers. My first time coming here, and it was the best place along California coast. I'm going night diving here soon with my brother

08/06/2007 Monique (Avg: 2.85 Review) - This one of the best beach dives I've ever been on. I saw 3 octopus, 6 lobsters, 1 crab, lots of garibaldi and other fish and the swim through crevice was really fun and different. It felt like a slot canyon. You have to be careful not to get lost. Only saw 4 other divers in the water on the way out.

07/23/2007 Brian in Torrance (Avg: 3.39 Review) - Nice dive site. Vis was 10-15 feet. Light surge and no waves. We must have passed 20 people under water and they were not students. Look forward to diving this spot in the winter during Santa Ana's...

06/26/2007 Daniel Burke (Avg: 3.75 Review) - This dive spot came as a complete surprise to me. The visibility was amazing compared to Strands Beach where I had been snorkeling. The fish weren't that big; my brother caught a 1ft perch and saw a halibut swim away. Tons of large stingrays. I'd want to go back just because it was such a nice spot.

12/09/2006 Troy Simmons (Avg: 3.70 Review) - It was a really nice location for a quick beach dive, although getting to the beach is somewhat arduous in scuba gear. But this is worth it as it is an interesting dive location where at anytime you could see possibly anything!

11/09/2005 Toby Grant (Avg: 3.87 Review) - Shaws Cove was freakin awesome. I really enjoyed the cliff area on the right. I went to go freediving with my buddy and it was really cool to drop down about 30 ft and just follow the rock wall and see some of the really cool wild life. Tons of Garibaldis. Heard there were octopus but didn't get to see any. Highly recommend it and enjoyed it way more than Crystal Cove.

04/08/2005 K Robinson (Avg: 2.45 Review) - Was told that this was a great site. Must of hit it on a bad day. Viz was about 3 feet. Nice rock ledge and wall to the north of entry. Did not see many fish -- heck, we were lucky to find each other. Lots of classes being taught. Will have to try again on a better day. Be prepared to carry equip down the road and down stairs.

09/19/2004 AJ (Avg: 3.67 Review) - The grunion are out! There are tons of grunion off to the right (August 2004). You can swim through their school and watch them swirl around you as they get chased by mackerel!

05/28/2004 Thomas Short (Avg: 2.66 Review) - I always have a good dive a Shaw's Cove, but the trick is to get there early in the morning before classes start to show up. This is when you well see the majority of marine life that hasn't been scared off by dive classes. Also the entry is a lot better earlier in the morning before the swells come in.

01/12/2004 Wheezy (Avg: 4.07 Review) - Shaws is a great place to dive when vis is above 15'. It's one of those dives where you need to SLOW DOWN and really look around. The abundance of life is amazing. I just took some photos of an entire family of Spanish Shawls, a mom, dad, and the smallest nudibranch I've ever seen. GREAT DIVE

01/03/2004 Matias (Avg: 2.33 Review) - Great place to learn beach entry and exits, I've seen vis from 1 to 25 feet, better when Santa Ana winds blow. Good learning site.

01/01/2004 Anonymous (Avg: 3.48 Review) - This site is almost always easy to enter and plenty of sea life to experience. Probably the biggest downside is the congestion both above and below the water. Last time I was there I counted at least three classes.

12/28/2003 Tim (Avg: 3.23 Review) - Shaws was my first beach dive. It had a very easy entrance, and a lot of marine life. The reef had some small tunnles to go through and we even had a seal swimming with us

12/23/2003 Enrique Kaneshiro (Avg: 3.20 Review) - Excellent Site. Semi Secluded with good views over all enjoyable!

12/08/2003 Edward J. Palumbo (Avg: 3.66 Review) - Surf conditions and visibility were inconsistent from February to May with viz deteriorating with offshore storms and higher water temps, but the site is normally sheltered from high surf and it has a number of features to recommend it. Parking, though limited, was less a problem for me on repeated visits than other nearby coves and beaches, but I invariably arrived early, about 0730 hrs and occasionally during the workweek. This site is popular with swimmers, dive classes and snorkelers, so it is predictably crowded on weekends. Access to the south-facing beach is accomplished by stairs, and shore entry & exit is typically uncomplicated. To the right (west) of entry are rocky walls and, exploring these, we find a crevice that provides a haven for garibaldi and other fish in approximately 18-22 feet of water, according to my notes. Though frequently visited by divers, there are cracks where octopus can hide and the empty shells that litter the bottom support the reports of divers I'd spoken to who said they saw small octopus here. Water depth at the outer reef, beyond the crevice, was 43+ feet and my average visibility was 20-25 feet. Moving east (i.e., to the left of my shore entry as you look from the beach), I found submerged reefs with senorita wrasse and grunion. I had the pleasant surprise of a harbor seal encounter as I returned to the beach, and the creature circled to examine me as I hovered several feet off the sandy bottom. In shallower water, I found a mask with attached snorkel and a weight belt on the bottom, uncovered by shifting sands. I did not note any public restroom facilities or showers in my log, which may have been an oversight. The area is primarily residential. I recommend this site more highly than Diver's Cove, Boat Canyon or Diver's Cove for marine life. I look forward to an opportunity to revisit this and other sites in Orange County.

10/15/2003 Mark Wilson (Avg: 4.23 Review) - Beautiful conditions. Visibility was at 20+ ft. The reefs are teaming with life. Octopus, Sea Bass, Garibaldi and Rays. Beach entry was very easy with waves only at 1-2 ft. Count them in fours and wait for the lull. Swim straight out about 100 ft and then at a 45 to the right to catch the reef. Great open "caves". Good dive for Novice as well as seasoned divers. Diving season appears to be back.

09/02/2003 Mark Wilson (Avg: 2.40 Review) - Diving Shaws on Aug 31st at 6:30 am Visibility was only 2-5 ft. Temp was 57 degrees. Swells were 2-5 ft with a lot of surge. My wife and I made it out to the reef but the visibility lately has been real bad.

08/19/2003 Len Wittrock (Avg: 3.24 Review) - Shaw's Cove is ideal for beginning scuba divers and is home to several scuba schools in So. Cal. During the summer classes must enter the water no earlier than 7am and must be out of the water by 10am leaving the beach open to non-student divers for most of the day and night. Conditions are at their very best in the winter, like almost all California diving! Summer diving in Calif. usually exhibits lower visibility and higher waves than in the winter. Vis, on average in the summer ranges from 2-10ft. In the winter it ranges from 20 to 30ft. at Shaw's Cove. There are moray eels, octopus, bat rays, shovel nose guitar fish, halibut, and much much more to see on the reef. Enjoy the dive!

05/04/2003 Erik Wade (Avg: 3.24 Review) - This place is a shot in the dark. I live close to it and some days it has a great visibility, others you can only see above water. There are always classes Sat & Sun, but they have to be gone by 11am. It is best to hit this place early to avoid people and find parking, plus it's usually the best time for visibility.

04/16/2003 Brett (Avg: 3.28 Review) - Not bad. Currents are almost nothing and sea life isn't bad. It is a very Leisurely dive site.

02/06/2003 Rob Barton (Avg: 2.92 Review) - A fun little dive site. If you can catch it on the right day, passing through the crevice is incredible. However, don't go through if the surge kicks up. The surge can be strong and the vis drops quick so it's just a better idea to turn around and go back the way you came. Don't worry, there is more stuff to see. Plenty of garibaldi, urchin, and mussel shells. Entry and exit is easy if you time the waves.

09/15/2002 Mitch in CA (Avg: 2.86 Review) - Shaws cove is great for beginners to advanced divers. Beginners- easy entry from shore. Intermediate- reef systems. Advanced- tunnels and swim throughs. It is fun to spend a whole day there and relax do scuba and skin diving. The only drawback is the CROWDS of people!

09/15/2002 Anonymous (Avg: 2.99 Review) - Best Laguna beach dive.

07/24/2002 Anonymous (Avg: 3.74 Review) - (No review given)

03/24/2002 Anonymous (Avg: 2.92 Review) - Popular site for classes.

01/07/2002 Dave Crawford (Avg: 3.16 Review) - This cove is popular with dive instructors for class dives. The beach entry is very easy, as long as the swell isn't from the south. During the winter the visibility ranges form poor (when the swell is high) to outstanding. During the summer it ranges from poor to fair. I have seen lobster here, and a couple of rock scallops, there is an abundance of fish life. It makes for a fun dive.

ShoreDiving Resources:


Additional Resources:

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

Diver Averages for  Shaws Cove  (1=worst, 5=best)

Home  |  Search  |  About You  |  About Us  |  Contact ShoreDiving.com

Help support this site by donating today
 

© Copyright 2000-2008 ShoreDiving.com, LLC. ^tm All rights reserved.
Please read and understand the Disclaimer concerning information contained in this site.