10 regions, north to south
Point Conception to the Mexican border, the islands included. Every state marine protected area on this coast has a page, with CDFW’s rule quoted in full.
5 protected areas
Five protected areas from Point Conception to Goleta. Three take nothing at all. Naples allows white seabass and the named pelagics by spear only. Kashtayit, at Gaviota, allows general finfish and most invertebrates.
Mainland coast, Point Conception to Goleta. Shore entry or boat from Santa Barbara.
14 protected areas
Fourteen state areas across four islands, plus eight federal sanctuary areas that overlay them with different boundaries. Ten are reserves where nothing may be taken. Two are closures that restrict boats rather than fishing — San Miguel holds you 300 yards off its west end.
20 to 40 miles off Ventura and Santa Barbara. Boat only.
4 protected areas
Two pairs of protected areas on the Los Angeles coast. At Point Dume and Abalone Cove the conservation areas allow white seabass and the named pelagics by spear; the reserve at Point Dume and the no-take area off Point Vicente allow nothing.
Point Dume in Malibu and the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Shore entry or a short boat ride.
9 protected areas
Nine protected areas ring the island, and they are not the same as each other. One is a plain conservation area where the only legal take is hook-and-line from a single pier — read as permission, it is the kind of mistake that ends in a citation.
22 miles off the Los Angeles coast. Boat or ferry from Long Beach, San Pedro or Dana Point.
2 protected areas
Two reserves, and nothing may be taken in either. Santa Barbara Island's covers its southeast side; a federal marine reserve continues it past the state line with the same rule. Begg Rock's reserve surrounds the lone rock northwest of San Nicolas Island, which is a Navy installation.
Open ocean, 40 to 70 miles offshore. Boat only, and a long run.
Navy waters
No state marine protected areas, but the Navy owns the island and controls the water. A Coast Guard safety zone runs 3 nautical miles out all the way around it, and you need permission to enter unless enforcement of that section has been suspended. The south end is a shore bombardment range with unexploded ordnance.
About 60 miles off San Diego, south of Catalina. Boat only.
7 protected areas
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.
Mainland coast, Huntington Beach to Dana Point. Shore entry.
4 protected areas
Swami's is the one to know: white seabass and the named pelagic finfish by spear, nothing else. The three lagoons are wetlands where no diver takes anything, and San Dieguito Lagoon prohibits diving outright.
Carlsbad to Del Mar. Shore entry.
4 protected areas
Four protected areas cover the one stretch of coast everybody dives. Two are reserves. The other two permit some fish by hook-and-line only, which for a breath-hold diver is the same answer: you cannot spear anything in any of the four.
Shore entry from La Jolla Shores and the Cove. No boat needed.
3 protected areas
Cabrillo is a small reserve at the tip of Point Loma; nothing may be taken. The kelp off Point Loma's ocean side sits outside any protected area. Famosa Slough and the Tijuana River Mouth allow no spearing.
Point Loma to the Mexican border. Shore entry or boat from San Diego Bay.