Dive Site: Located on the western tip of Isla Vista, this site is primarily eel grass and sandy bottom with moderate kelp growth a few hundred yards out. It is a great place for night dives to find marine life such as lobster, crabs, horn sharks, and California Round Rays. The entire Devereux strip doesn’t get much below 20 feet until a few miles out. Hence, most of the dives will be in depths of around 10-25 feet. The visibility can usually clean up to 5-10 feet after you get to the kelp line. While doing your dive, stay around the kelp and the rock formations for optimal visibility. There’s also a rather large reef right on the point where visibility can be very good, but it’s quite a walk from the stairway. Because the point is also a popular local surf spot, daytime divers should take the surfers and kayakers into consideration while entering. Devereux is both a beautiful and convenient dive spot. It is a great spot for night dives. The local lobster population has always been healthy for those of you who are interested. The combination of rocks, sand, kelp, and eel grass creates a very special underwater scenery. The marine life is also surprisingly abundant for a mainland dive spot.
Difficulty: Devereaux Beach is an easy dive with its sloping sandy bottom entry. Average depth will be about 10-15 feet. Visibility is often in the 10 foot range.
Note: There is a stairway going down to the beach right next to the very last house on Del Playa. There are also a few benches next to the stairway entrance where you can set up your gear during daytime; however, during night time the only public source of lighting will be the few street lights on Del Playa and the adjacent road. The street lights may or may not be functional, so you’d better bring your own lights just in case.
Amenities: There are no amenities at this dive site.
Parking: Parking is on a dirt strip perpendicular to Del Playa. The dirt lot is usually empty during nighttime (good for night dives), but can get crowded during the day as this is also a popular beach destination
On Friday and Saturday nights, it is advisable to avoid Del Playa and take a road before it such as Trigo and drive to the end to avoid the large crowds of fun loving UCSB students roaming DP during those nights.
Directions: Take the 101 to the Los Carneros Road exit and turn towards the beach (right if you travel southbound on the 101, left if you travel northbound on the 101. Stay on Los Carneros until it ends. Turn right onto El Collegio Road. Take El Collegio Rd to Camino Corto and turn left. Take Camino Corto to the end turning right onto Del Playa Drive. Follow Del Playa Dr to the very end.
Link to Google maps