Southern California
Having grown up in Southern California and dived in over a dozen countries around the world, I can say with confidence that Southern California is still my favorite place to dive. The dive community is tight knit, encouraging, and kind. The diving is second to none. No where else in the world can you find beautiful blue water, good visibility, sun, and towering kelp forests quite like you can in SoCal. Diving at Anacapa on a good day can be like diving through natural cathedrals where golden light pierces through the kelp canopy. The diversity of marine life in Southern California is special due to the cold California current coming from the north and a warm California countercurrent coming from the south. Bright orange garibaldi, huge sunflower sea stars, seals, sea lions, and countless species of fish all live under the same kelpy roof. There are a lot of great dive boat operations that do day trips out to the Channel Islands. For the price, it's a great deal. There are also some beach diving spots, but you have to be careful about surf and the occasional current. Conditions can be excellent in California or rough. You have to be aware of storms, wind, swell, current, and visibility. But some dives, particularly the oil rig dives and catalina, you can see viz past 100 ft! A lot of local knowledge goes into diving in southern california, so I recommend contacting a shop, boat, or bluewater before you get in the water for your first time here.
