Cardiff Outflow Diving Location

Location: Below restraunt Las Olas, through a sand pass that leads to the beach. There is surf and surge so if you can handle it, Do It, definitely worth it! Inside a marine reserve. Near the marine conservation area, Swami's State Marine Conservation Area and next to the San Elijo Lagoon State Marine Conservation Area (SMCA) No-Take. The pipe is straight east and west. This dive we did not get to the gorgonian coral garden... Many scorpionfish, some finescale triggerfish (Ballistes polylepsis), sargos, lobsters, gorgonians, round rays, etc... There's also great structure from the outflow.
  • South of Location is Swami's State Marine Conservation Area
  • Around Swami’s Reef contain 12 distinct habitats—including a thriving kelp forest, extensive surf grass beds, and rocky reefs—where lobsters, halibut, grunion, and many other fish and invertebrates feed and breed.
  • At low tide, the nearshore reef is exposed, and visitors can see brittle stars, sea hares, and octopi in the tidepools, as well as fossils imprinted in the flat rocks.
  • Swami’s Reef is also a major surfing destination, attracting all levels of surfers during good swells.
  • Permitted/Prohibited Uses: Take of all living marine resources is prohibited EXCEPT the recreational take of Finfish by hook-and-line from shore only and pelagic finfish including Pacific bonito and white seabass by spearfishing.
  • Source: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=27909
Round stingray or Haller's Round Ray and Little Round Stingray - Urolophus halleri
Sargo - Anisotremus davidsonii
California Spiny Lobster - Panulirus interruptus
California Scorpionfish - Scorpaena guttata
Halfmoon - Medialuna californiensis
Opaleye - Girella nigricans
Gorgonian Corals
Halfmoon - Medialuna californiensis
Fish Unknown
California Scorpionfish - Scorpaena guttata
California Spiny lobster - Panulirus interruptus
Greenling - Hexagrammos sp. (unsure of the species)
California Scorpionfish - Scorpaena guttata
Juvenile California Scorpionfish 🐠 - Scorpaena guttata
Sargo 🐟 - Anisotremus davidsonii
California Scorpionfish - Scorpaena guttata
Gorgonian Corals
Red Urchin and Gorgonian
Red Urchins, Gorgonian Corals and Juvenile Fishes
Barred Sand Bass 🐟 - Paralabrix nebulifer
Spotted Sand Bass 🐟 - Paralabrix maculatofasciatus
Sargo 🐟 - Anisotremus davidsonii
California Scorpionfish - Scorpaena guttata
Structure Photos
Round stingray or Haller's Round Ray and Little Round Stingray - Urolophus halleri
Unknown Fish 🐟
Sargo 🐟 - Anisotremus davidsonii
California Scorpionfish 🐠