Mainland coast, Huntington Beach to Dana Point. Shore entry.
Orange County
Seven protected areas from Bolsa Chica to Dana Point. Laguna Beach's reserve and no-take area cover much of the city's coast. Crystal Cove and Dana Point allow finfish by spear plus lobster and urchin, with nothing taken from the tidepools. The bays and wetlands allow no spearing at all.
The next three mornings
Is it worth getting out of bed?
Reading the forecast for every spot…
What divers actually saw
Loading reports…
Go means wind under 8 kt, under 3 ft of swell reaching the spot and under 1.5 ft of surge at 30 ft, every hour from 7 to 11 am. Rules of thumb, not a safety call: how each spot is judged. Visibility is not in the verdict, because no feed measures it at the spot: the Vis column shows a diver’s report from the last 48 hours when there is one, and otherwise an estimate from satellite water clarity, surge and rain.
7 protected areas, and what each one allows
Every boundary is CDFW’s and every rule is quoted in full on the card, with its section of CCR Title 14 §632(b) and the date it was read.
These three labels are this chart’s shorthand for seven separately written regulations. Each area is governed by its own section of CCR Title 14 §632(b), named when you hover it. The rules differ area by area and change — check CDFW before you take anything.
Somewhere else in mind? Tap the open water to drop your own mark.
Tap the spots you’d actually get on a boat for. No commitment — it tells us which water to plan the first season around.
The rule, in CDFW’s words · §632(b)(133)
Crystal Cove State Marine Conservation Area
It is unlawful to injure, damage, take, or possess any living, geological, or cultural marine resource, EXCEPT: Recreational take of finfish by hook-and-line or spearfishing and take of spiny lobster and sea urchin is allowed. Commercial take of sea urchin; spiny lobster by trap, and coastal pelagic species (northern anchovy, Pacific sardine, Pacific mackerel, jack mackerel, and market squid) by round-haul net, brail gear, and light boat is allowed. Not more than five percent by weight of any commercial coastal pelagic species catch landed or possessed shall be other incidentally taken species. Take of living marine resources from tidepools is prohibited.
The rule, in CDFW’s words · §632(b)(134)
Laguna Beach State Marine Reserve
It is unlawful to injure, damage, take, or possess any living, geological, or cultural marine resource.
The rule, in CDFW’s words · §632(b)(134)
Laguna Beach State Marine Reserve
It is unlawful to injure, damage, take, or possess any living, geological, or cultural marine resource.
The rule, in CDFW’s words · §632(b)(136)
Dana Point State Marine Conservation Area
It is unlawful to injure, damage, take, or possess any living, geological, or cultural marine resource, EXCEPT: Recreational take of finfish by hook-and-line or spearfishing, and lobster and urchin is allowed. Commercial take of lobster by trap, sea urchin, and coastal pelagic species (northern anchovy, Pacific sardine, Pacific mackerel, jack mackerel, and market squid) by round-haul net, brail gear, and light boat is allowed. Not more than five percent by weight of any commercial coastal pelagic species catch landed or possessed shall be other incidentally taken species. Take of living marine resources from tidepools is prohibited.
The rule, in CDFW’s words · §632(b)(136)
Dana Point State Marine Conservation Area
It is unlawful to injure, damage, take, or possess any living, geological, or cultural marine resource, EXCEPT: Recreational take of finfish by hook-and-line or spearfishing, and lobster and urchin is allowed. Commercial take of lobster by trap, sea urchin, and coastal pelagic species (northern anchovy, Pacific sardine, Pacific mackerel, jack mackerel, and market squid) by round-haul net, brail gear, and light boat is allowed. Not more than five percent by weight of any commercial coastal pelagic species catch landed or possessed shall be other incidentally taken species. Take of living marine resources from tidepools is prohibited.
MPA boundaries: California Department of Fish and Wildlife, ds582. Regulations: CDFW per-MPA pages, retrieved 2026-10-04. Spot positions: USGS Geographic Names Information System (Domestic Names, California), public domain.