California Scuba Diving: San Clemente Island

“If you see something down there that looks like an unspent military round, don’t touch it, because it probably is.” This was part of the predive briefing Captain Heller gave us before we hopped off the back of her six-pack to explore a new anchorage at San Clemente Island. Located 75 miles northwest of San Diego, California, San Clemente Island is the southernmost island of the Channel Islands, and it is owned and operated by the United States Navy.

As I float leisurely on the surface waiting for my dive buddies to join me, I looked down toward the ocean floor 30 feet below, and my eyes immediately fell upon a soupfin shark cruising slowly just a few feet below me. Of course no one on the boat believed me. This was only the second soupfin shark I had seen in more than 500 dives in southern California. The soupfin shark, some 80 years ago, was the largest fishery in California. Luckily, we spotted one more during our dive at the east end of the island.

Descending into the depths at San Clemente Island is like diving in an aquarium. Huge, pristine sea fans, sharks, pelagic jellies, and amazingly lit shallows make this island well worth the trek from the mainland.

For more great scuba diving in the USA, visit the United States and Canada section of our website.

Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Michael Zeigler has lived in Southern California since 1996, and has been scuba diving since 2004. Although he has been diving in many places around the world, he prefers capturing the beauty of the diverse marine life that inhabits the rich kelp forests of Southern California. A proud member of the Ocean Artists Society, Michael also teaches underwater photography, leads underwater photo workshops, and is an AAUS Scientific Diver. He shoots with a Nikon D7000, Sea and Sea housing, and Ikelite DS-160 strobes. To see more of his work, visit www.SeaInFocus.com.