SHAW'S COVE

Laguna Beach, CA

By Linda Lee Walden

Drive south from Los Angeles along the Pacific Coast Highway (or take the less scenic freeways), and within an hour, depending on the time and day, you'll arrive at Orange County's famous beach communities. Passing the shiny wealth of Newport Beach and the wide, flat sands of Huntington Beach, the Coast Highway narrows as it snakes into the Laguna Hills.

Art galleries, boutiques, and the drive-thru espresso bar catch your attention first as you enter Laguna Beach. But leaving the Coast Highway, you'll discover residential streets lined with tightly-packed, oceanview beach homes. These lead steeply seaward to the truly oceanfront properties, their wooden-railed patios perched precariously on top of crumbling bluffs, which overhang the endless blue-grey Pacific. Tucked in among these million-dollar villas and slightly seedy, clapboard cottages you'll find 58 concrete steps , public access to Shaw's Cove.

Cruise the aptly named Cliff Drive on any weekend morning and you'll spot an intriguing anomaly. Sandwiched among vehicles from all over the Los Angeles area are cars from towns two or more hours distant in central and eastern California, plus a fair number from Arizona, Nevada, and even New Mexico. You can't help but wonder why their owners drove all that way to visit this ever-shifting bit of ocean, sand, and rock.

The answer is that Shaw's Cove, along with Diver's Cove, both in Laguna Beach, are among the top choices for open-water scuba training (and diving) along the Southern California coast.

To the north, the wide, sandy beach and public parking lot at Big Corona offer easy entries, but the bottom there is mostly unbroken sand with virtually no reef for tours after students have demonstrated skills. South of Laguna Beach the cliffs rise, which makes access to the beach with scuba gear more cumbersome, especially for students.

On the other hand, the topography at Laguna Beach provides an advantageous mix of easy access and interesting diving.

Scuba training is primarily a weekend event at Shaw's Cove. Students arrive before sunrise to find a parking spot in the surrounding residential area. In the summer months this can be particularly difficult as the number of students may top 100 a day. Local instructors jokingly refer to the cove as a saltwater jacuzzi because of all the bubbles created by divers.

The exact dimensions and contours of the compact, southern-facing beach at Shaw's Cove change with tides and storms, but entries and exits are generally easy , smooth sand gradually sloping through light surf. Students perform skills on the sand bottom at a depth of about 20 feet (6 m), from 25 to 50 yards (23 to 46 m) offshore. An audience of California's state marine fish, the brilliantly orange Garibaldi, usually attends the proceedings.

The reef on the western end of Shaw's Cove is the main attraction. Here, if divers move seaward along the craggy rocks to a depth of 30 to 35 feet (9 to 11 m), they observe abundant marine life , green moray eels, red sea urchins, octopus, sand bass, perch, and of course, the ubiquitous Garibaldis. The reef system ends 200 yards (183 m) from shore at an average depth of 50 feet (15 m).

Instructors from inland dive centers journey to Shaw's Cove for open-water training to acquaint their students with ocean diving conditions in a manageable, non-threatening atmosphere. Current is negligible, the surf usually a safe height (less than 3 feet [1 m]), and tides are of little concern. Visibility varies by season, from 8 to 15 feet (2.4 to 5 m) between June and October, to a high of 25 feet (8 m) from October into January. Rainy season is January through March, when high surf and muddy water sometimes force postponement of open-water completion dives. Alternate sites include Catalina Island or Lake Perris. The cove is also a popular site for advanced open water, rescue training, and various specialties.

In deference to local residents and beach-goers, a city ordinance prohibits teaching scuba on Laguna's beaches between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. between June 15 and September 15. Recreational diving is allowed, however. Classes generally meet by 7 a.m., and it has become customary to follow the same early schedule year-round. Air temperatures are commonly in the low to upper 60s (16-20A1 C) at this hour, but rise rapidly as the morning fog dissipates. The water temperature remains in the low to mid 50s (11-13A1 C) in winter months, warming to the mid to upper 60s (18-20A1 C) in late summer. Fall is the most pleasant season, when blue skies enhance the warmer waters and good visibility.

Other than a public telephone at the top of the access steps, Shaw's Cove has no facilities. The nearest restrooms and showers are a few minutes south at Heisler Park. Divers should carry down to the cove only the gear that they're taking into the water. Laguna Sea Sports, the closest dive center to Shaw's Cove, is a one-block walk across Cliff Drive and through an alley to the Pacific Coast Highway.

Laguna Beach lifeguards and 911 offer 24-hour emergency assistance. Typical response time for EMTs with oxygen and advanced life support equipment is reportedly under five minutes. The recompression chamber of choice for the region is on Catalina Island, accessible by helicopter from South Coast Hospital in Laguna Beach.

For out-of-towners wishing to stay overnight, numerous hotels and motels are found in Laguna and neighboring resort towns. Laguna also has a variety of restaurants for all budgets.

With diving classes completed by 10 a.m., you have plenty of time to shop, visit the local art museum, surf, and catch some rays. People-watching is a favorite pastime in this beach resort/artist colony. During the summer months, unique events take place , such as the Pageant of the Masters, in which live models simulate great works of art, and the Sawdust Festival, where local artists and craftsmen display their creations.