Santa Barbara Aquatics

Although visibility here is never more than 15-20 feet, there’s still an exceptional amount of marine life to see, it is an easy beach entry, and beachside facilities are great. Navigation is easy as well making this a great site for beginners.

Ledbetter Beach is the most popular dive site in Santa Barbara. It’s an easy entry shore dive with low surf, low to no current, easy accessibility, and shallow sloping bottom. It has great picnic sites including barbeques.

Right in the heart of Santa Barbara, Stearns Wharf is an easy beach entry with a shallow, sloping sandy bottom; a great dive site for beginners.

Refugio State Beach is a very popular beach destination including 100 campgrounds so plan on the beach being very crowded. Once underwater, however, the crowds all but disappear. An easy beach entrance with protected waters from waves and swell, you’ll find beautiful kelp forests just offshore.

Santa Cruz Island is the largest and most topographically diverse of the eight Channel Islands. The island is split into East and West; the east end of Santa Cruz Island is owned by the National Park Service and the west by the Nature Conservancy. Both are available for diving, accessible only by boat.

An easily accessible dive site from Channel Island Beach. A great spot for beginners with an easy swim out to the site. Lots of critters hiding within the rocks of the break wall.