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Leo Carrillo State Beach

Leo Carrillo State Beach, located on the Pacific Coast Highway in Los Angeles County, California, United States, offers an ideal diving experience for beginners and seasoned divers alike. With its expansive half-mile beach, this dive site boasts easy parking and excellent amenities, ensuring a hassle-free diving excursion.

One of the standout features of Leo Carrillo State Beach is its impressive kelp bed, which is not only enormous but also easily accessible from the shore. Unlike many other beach dives, this site offers a shallow depth with a maximum of 8m, making it perfect for both diving and snorkeling.

Divers can expect to encounter a vibrant underwater world filled with colorful marine life. Nudibranchs and golden gorgonian coral add bursts of vivid hues to the reef, creating a captivating sight. Keep an eye out for the fascinating sheephead, the striking bright orange garibaldi, as well as the black perch, painted greenlings, octopus, and crabs that call this dive site home.

With a visibility of 4m, divers will have the opportunity to fully appreciate the beauty and diversity of Leo Carrillo State Beach's underwater ecosystem. Whether you are a beginner looking to explore the world beneath the waves or an experienced diver seeking a new adventure, this dive site offers an unforgettable experience in the stunning waters of Southern California.

Diving Conditions Score for Leo Carrillo State Beach

5.2
Average

Average conditions, be alert.
The score is based on a calculation of the current weather and sea conditions.

Dive Site Overview for Leo Carrillo State Beach

Depth

8m

Visibility

4m

Experience Level

beginner

Weather Conditions for Leo Carrillo State Beach

Wave Height

0.92m

Wind Speed

5.8 m/s

Water Temp

17.4°C

Visibility

14.7km

Cloud Cover

31%

Wave Period

12.3s

Air Temperature

16.5°C

Precipitation

0 mm

Detailed 7-Day Diving Forecast for Leo Carrillo State Beach
Alpha

Dive Score Chart for Leo Carrillo State Beach

Best time to dive: 13:00 with score 7.712222222222222/10. Water conditions: Waves 0.92m, Wind 4 m/s.Best night dive time: 19:00 with score 6.492745098039216/10.

Chart showing hourly dive conditions including wave height, wind speed, water temperature, and visibility throughout the day.

Sunrise at Leo Carrillo State Beach: 06:00
Sunset at Leo Carrillo State Beach: 18:00

Optimal diving conditions at Leo Carrillo State Beach are affected by daylight hours. Sunrise occurs at 06:00 and sunset at 18:00, which impacts visibility and water temperature for scuba diving and snorkeling.

🌞
Best Overall
13:00

Score: 7.7/10
Waves: 0.92m (12s), Wind: 4 m/s

🌙
Best Night
19:00

Score: 6.5/10
Waves: 0.9m, Wind: 9 m/s

Seasonal Analysis for Leo Carrillo State Beach
Alpha

Historical patterns and best seasons for diving at Leo Carrillo State Beach

The dive score combines all factors to rate overall diving conditions throughout the year. Higher scores indicate better diving conditions.

Monthly Dive Score Analysis - Seasonal Diving Conditions

Higher values indicate better diving conditions

Seasonal DiveScore Chart

This chart displays monthly diveScore data throughout the year, showing seasonal patterns. The data is presented as a bar chart with an overlaid line graph.Dive scores range from 1 to 10, with 10 being optimal conditions.

Higher values indicate better diving conditions

Best Season for Leo Carrillo State Beach

Winter

Avg. Score: 9.0/10

Winter offers the best overall diving conditions with calmer seas and better visibility, despite cooler temperatures.

Best Months for Leo Carrillo State Beach

December
Score: 9.4
January
Score: 9.1
February
Score: 8.6

Ideal Conditions for Leo Carrillo State Beach

Water Temp

Thermometer Emoji

22.6°C / 72.7°F

September

Visibility

Telescope Emoji

17.6m / 57.7ft

December

Wave Height

Wave Emoji

0.6m / 2.0ft

December

Wave Period

Wave Emoji

8.0s

January

Seasonal Insights for Leo Carrillo State Beach

Leo Carrillo State Beach shows typical northern hemisphere patterns with September being the warmest month (22.6°C) and December the coldest (9.8°C). The calmest conditions typically occur in December with average wave heights of 0.6m and wave periods of 8.0s. The most comfortable wave conditions are in December with a low wave steepness ratio, creating gentler swells. January offers the longest wave periods (8.0s), creating more comfortable and predictable conditions for boat entries and exits. Ocean currents are slowest in January (0.5m/s) and strongest in January (0.5m/s). January is usually the driest month with 0.0mm of precipitation. For beginners, the best time to visit would be during December to February, when ocean conditions are calmer with long-period waves and currents are typically weaker. Experienced divers might enjoy the challenges and potentially better visibility during the shoulder seasons, with moderate currents that can improve marine life encounters.

Scoring Legend:
9-10 (Excellent)
7-8 (Good)
5-6 (Average)
3-4 (Poor)
1-2 (Dangerous)

Last updated: 1 min. ago - Jun 18, 2026

Note: This dive site is not a verified dive site. Please dive with caution. This dive site might have incorrect information by the community.

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