Issues

This page provides you with information regarding issues that have, or could potentially have, an effect on divers within San Diego. These include Children\'s Pool, proposed renovations to Kellogg Park at La Jolla Shores, Marine Life Protection Act, and the Canyon Watch Program.

Divers love seals and wish them no harm. Nonetheless, the San Diego Council of Divers opposes attempts to transform Children\'s Pool into a harbor seal reserve and favors continued shared beach access. The protected entry, the outstanding diving, and the onshore facilities (lifeguards, parking, restrooms, telephones) makes Children\'s Pool one of the better dive sites in San Diego. This is particularly true for newer divers, smaller divers, divers who have limited mobility, and divers who would find a long surface swim burdensome. Of 11 public beaches listed on the lifeguards web page, only three are noted as safe for beginning divers and classes, one of which is Children\'s Pool. There is no compelling need to close this beach. In fact, seals and divers have coexisted peacefully for many years at Children\'s Pool. We are working closely with Park and Rec and the Park Ranger to effect a lasting shared use plan with seal protection and a docent program and new regulations for sidewalk activities Click here to read more.

If you find yourself being harassed by champions of a "seal only beach" crew the best possible thing to do is ignore them.

You might like to read the article, How a Dive Site Can Be Taken Away, by John Leek, featured on the California Diving News web site.

The La Jolla Shores Association is coordinating with private individuals and various local agencies to propose renovations to Kellogg Park at La Jolla Shores- a beach that is frequently accessed by local divers and dive trainers. The San Diego Council of Divers will monitor the progress of the various projects affecting diver access at La Jolla Shores and report status back to the local diving community. In addition, the Council will facilitate communication between the diving community and various local agencies to represent the interests of recreational divers that use the beach at La Jolla Shores.

The Marine Life Protection Act Initiative The California Legislature passed the Marine Life Protection Act (MLPA) in 1999. The MLPA called for the establishment of a network of protected areas along the California coast. The public plannning process for he south coast region, from Point Conception in Santa Barbara to the California border with Mexico, began in July 2008 and included more than 50 days of meetings with fomal publc comment held for a 74-member Regional Stakeholder Group, a Science Advisory Team and a Blue Ribbon Task Force appointed by the Secretary of the California Natural Resources Agency. In addition, greater than 12,000 written pulbic comments were submitted through the regulatory and environmental review process to help inform recommendations on south coast region MPA\'s.

The California Department of Fish and Game, the lead agency charged with managing the state\'s marine resources will be responsible for implementing the MLPA program which will include enfrocement, education , monitoring, and research activities. The south coast MPA regulations are anticipated to go into effect in mid 2011 after appropriate filings with the Office of Administrative Law and the Secretary of State.

For more information please click here.

One of the more frequent coastline pollutants in San Diego is sewage. When there is a failure in the more than 300 miles of city sewer lines located in our urban canyons, the spill can go undetected for many days leaving a grim impact on our rivers, bays and beaches. Through San Diego Ocean Foundation\'s Canyon Watch Program, areas that are not regularly patrolled by city employees will be covered by volunteers. The goal is to detect spills sooner and possibly prevent them at their source. For more information click here to go to San Diego Oceans .