3.8 Socioeconomics
accessible other than by boat, including offshore kelp beds, the vessels intentionally sunk as artificial reefs
in "Wreck Alley" off of Mission Beach, and even offshore islands and banks. Shoreline diving is also
popular. Borrow site MB-1 is located inside the Wreck Alley area (refer to Section 3.6).
The most common local beach diving locations include the submarine canyon off La Jolla Shores (where
dive instruction classes are typically taught), La Jolla Cove (due to the abundant undersea life there
attributable in part to the area's protected underwater reserve status), and numerous other sites along the
coast from La Jolla to Oceanside where public access to nearshore reefs is convenient. Photography,
spearfishing for kelp bass and halibut, and diving for spiny lobsters are three of the more popular diving
activities. Spearfishing can involve either skin diving (also known as snorkeling or free diving) or the
SCUBA gear. Sport diving for lobster usually involves SCUBA diving as the lobster must be captured by
hand without the use of snares or any other tools, and individual lobster are often found under reef ledges,
in crevices between rocks, or in other difficult to access areas. Some lobster diving takes place at night,
as lobsters are more likely to leave shelter to forage and are thus easier to capture by hand. Diving for fish
and/or lobster occurred at a rate of about 1,000 trips per month, season permitting. The average number
of divers varies according to season, weather, and sea conditions (NMFS 1991). In recent years, the
popularity of non-consumptive sport dive activities have increased relative to dives oriented toward taking
game.
Page 3.8-24
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