Kelp at Refugio Beach

Macrocystis kelp at Refugio Beach

I learned to dive at Refugio Beach. We'd drop a weight, swim a square by compass, and attempt to find the weight. We always did. Today Refugio Beach State Park is popular with locals and with folks who drive up from LA with their kids, as well. All the campsites are nearly always full. The underwater areas are clearly heavily visited. But, there's interesting stuff to see. This is kelp on the East side of Refugio Cove, about 30 yards offshore. It was fun to visit it last week, in August 2026, a little more than 28 years after my first dive there.