Where to Abalone dive when no where else is diveable?

In the past, we've always hit Ft Ross or Fisk Mill Cove North when the swell was nasty, and 90% of the time it was calm enough to go in, grab your abs, and get the hell outta Dodge.  Well, in the last few years, the MLPA took away Fisk Mill, and the red tide did in Ft Ross.  I know Stillwater North is still an option, but I'm looking for alternatives.

 Are there any other areas that are usually calm enough to dive when everywhere else on the coast looks like a scene out of Hawaii Five-o?

Timber Cove

Sea ranch. Take those abs from those bastards!

Timber Cove

Ah yes, almost forgot about TC.  It is usually decent there

Sea ranch. Take those abs from those bastards!

Easier said than done.  On a scouting mission, we had one of their patrol peeps follow us all the way down the trail head and all the way back up to make sure we didn't step over their "boundary"

I dove at a beach old-timers call "50-cent Beach".  It is pretty protected, and the hike is not as nasty as Fort Ross.  However the trail is infested with poison oak; I got some on my face even though I tried to be very careful.

Is there an easier access trail other than the one from the south side cliff?

Never heard of it, whereabouts is it located?

This is the little cove just south of Timber Cove.  I never heard of it myself either; just saw some parked cars that day and stopped to check it out and found it diveable.

Interesting, I'll have to scout it on a rough day, gotta love that poison oak.

I was just told Van Damme is almost always diveable as well. I may head up there this weekend to do recon.

Fiver,

Yes, Van Damme is doable during nasty conditions. Easy in and out access. No poison oak either.

Lots of abs too.

Antonio

The one and only time I dove at Van Damme, I head straight out from the center spot of the beach but found only sandy bottom within 75 yards.  Where are the more rocky areas of Van Damme?

Bluestar,

Yes there are a lot of sandy areas in front of the parking lot.

Walk to the left a couple hundred yards then swim straight out. You will start seeing rocks and abs with in 50 ft from shore in swallow water. Swim out a few hundred yards and they are all over the place. There are abs out that far in depths
from 10-25 feet. There are some big abs in there but there are also tons of 7 inchers. If you are selective and patient you will find the ones you are looking for.

When I come back I swim to the parking lot to avoid the additional walk on the beach. Its a long swim but a peaceful one and I enjoy the underwater view.

Hope this helps

Antonio

I have to take back my recommendation of the 50-cent beach (it's called the Windermere Point on the CA Coastal Project site), as my hands are now covered with blisters from poison oak.  I had tried to be careful to avoid them, but I guess the surf boards and the ab bags invariably toughed some and got on to my hands.  So I consider this place very dangerous and I would avoid it in the future.

 a pair of long gargen shear and a little patience do wonders on poison oak and black berries

How about the "Stump Beach"?  http://sonic.net/~rocky/scsaltpointstatepark.htm#stumpbeach

I have checked out the aerial pics and the coastal pics, this place looks to be the single most protected spot I have ever seen...  Anyone has any insight on whether this is the case?  Plus;

Whether there are abs down there?
What is the parking and access situation?

Thanks a lot.  I will go scout this out next time.

Stump Beach itself and the cove are both very protected, but around the corners it can be very rough on the exposed shoreline. Be careful if you dive there in anything but exceptional conditions. It also drops off pretty quick.