Scripps Canyon
Conditions & tides
Scored by DiveConnect's site-physics model
Marine forecast via Copernicus Marine. Score is a rule-based guide from swell/wind vs. the site's exposure — always dive your own assessment.
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About this site
Scripps Canyon is a submarine canyon off La Jolla, San Diego, California, and one of the most unusual and top-rated dives in Southern California. Steep walls drop from 70 ft (21 m) to past 120 ft (37 m).
The canyon has three branches, the North Branch, the Sumner Branch and the South Branch. In certain sections you can swim across blue water to go from one wall to another.
The walls have many cracks and crevices filled with reef fish, eels and nudibranchs. California morays, many species of rockfish, swell sharks and wolf eels are found here, along with schooling fish, a large range of invertebrates and pelagic visitors such as salps and jellyfish.
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You can reach the canyon by boat, by a long walk from the pier, or through a private parking area, which is the recommended route. Most divers swim out to the buoy and descend down it. Entry and exit is at a sandy beach.
Difficulty is rated 9 out of 10 and access is hard, though worth the effort. Bring a powerful dive light.
Marine life here
Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.
NudibranchNudibranchConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
California Sea LionZalophus californianusReported here · unconfirmed
Opalescent NudibranchHermissenda opalescensReported here · unconfirmed
Kelp BassParalabrax clathratusReported here · unconfirmed
Sunburst AnemoneAnthopleura solaReported here · unconfirmed
Striped Shore CrabPachygrapsus crassipesReported here · unconfirmed
Durable tips from divers — access, hazards, marine life, facilities. For day-of conditions, use the report tool in the conditions card above.
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