Beach dive/picnic at Leo Carrillo
Saturday August 2. Meet at the far end of North Beach parking lot at Leo Carrillo at 9 am.
The entry is from a sandy beach. The surf here breaks short sometimes, so depending on the size of the surf I’d put your fins on before entering the water (anything above 2ft for me). There is a nice kelp bed straight out about 50 yards. Most of the good diving will be done in and on the outer side of the kelp bed. The depth is pretty shallow here, around 30-40, so you’ll need to get farther out to see better vis (outer side of the kelp bed). Last time Lars and I dived here, we found an abalone. Now that was a surprise.
Bring a picnic to eat for after the dive. Lars will bring the club pop up shade, but if you have a beach umbrella, bring’em. Near the Secos Rock area you’ll find rocky cliffs with some tide pools to explore if you’d like. You can always just take a nap under your umbrella too.
Here is a jpeg map of Leo Carrillo. The yellow line on the map below indicates the road leading to the North Beach parking lot. The road goes under the Pacific Coast Highway, and then curves right towards the North Beach area. Try parking as far to the end as you can since we’ll be setting up there.
Leo Carrillo’s North Beach area is mostly all wide sandy beach with no shade.
There is a $10 fee to enter the park.
Oh yea, and get this:
Wi-Fi Servicewifi
Leo Carrillo State Park now offers AT&T Wi-Fi Service!
This service enables park visitors with wireless enabled laptop computers or personal digital assistants (PDAs) to access the Internet. Park visitors will be able to gain Wi-Fi access when they use a wireless device within about 150 to 200 feet of the Camp Store located in the park.
The park was named after Leo Carrillo (1880-1961), actor, preservationist and conservationist, served on the California Beach and Parks commission for eighteen years, and was instrumental in the state’s acquisition of the Hearst property at San Simeon. He was related by blood and marriage to a long line of distinguished original Californians. Leo’s greatest fame came from his portrayal of Pancho, the sidekick to Duncan Renaldo’s Cisco Kid, an early 1950’s TV series.
http://www.parks.ca.gov/lat_long_map/default.asp?lvl_id=255
Official Leo Carrillo State Beach information site: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=616