One of my favorite beaches in all of OC. Great diving, always clear, good for swimming, a mix of…read moreshade and sun, tucked in where the waves are good, but not crazy. The only thing hard here is parking, but otherwise it's the best! :)

Snorkeling at Shaw's Cove was such a blast. You enter the water on the right side along the shore,…read moreand while there's an underwater arch you can swim through, that's more for the confident or better equipped snorkelers & divers. Visibility was pretty solid, and we spotted several fish cruising around. The waves were calm and totally manageable, which made it relaxing instead of stressful. There's also a vigilant lifeguard on duty, which adds a nice layer of peace of mind. Even if you're not snorkeling, it's a great spot to hang out and sunbathe. Seaweed was around but not overwhelming, definitely not like swimming through a kelp jungle.

Had a fantastic time cruising around the marina with friends on Saturday! Captain King and Captain…read moreReed were great hosts, cannot thank them enough. The itinerary is up to you, and since it was a little chilly and windy, we opted to stay mainly in the marina, which was perfectly fun. Said hi to some seals. We were greeted with a complimentary bottle of champagne and brought our own drinks and snacks on board- they helped us put the drinks out on ice which was a nice touch. The boat is clean, spacious for 6, and has comfortable seating at the bow and stern to lay out and catch some sun. The booking process is straightforward. Captain Reed is very responsive and accommodating to changes as well. Recommend them for a fun boat day--We will be coming back for sure when it's warmer!

Hi everyone, My husband booked with this place for my…read morebirthday last month. I had a good time with my friends, captain was cool. The only downfall is my husband said he was expecting to go in open ocean and that we didn't need to pay extra for a captain if we're just going to stay in the island. Then at the end we also had to tip the captain. Which was fine because he was cool but keep in mind you don't have to pay for it if you're going to be around the cove. To top this all off after my husband left a review they called my husband asking him to change his review and exchange they will give him two hour free yacht ride, so we can go in the open ocean. We tried so many times contacting them, they told us let us know when is a good day. After us letting them know, he told us he will let us know when is a good day for him THIS month. I had told my parents we would take them on a yacht ride, so now I look dumb because it is the end of the month and the guy never got back to me on Instagram, over text we tried contacting them. So, now I have to go back and leave a review because it just wasn't right for them to do that. I'm leaving some pictures of the conversation me and the company had over Instagram. These are not the messages that my husband had separately with them as well. RESPONSE TO THE NOW DELETED COMMENT: never said I didn't have fun, my friends were there, we brought our drinks and captain was nice. A man is only as good as his word and obviously now you're lying and saying myself and everyone else on the boat was drunk. Of course we would want to take advantage of another yacht ride to go in the open ocean like he originally planned we were going to take our toddler and my parents so it's really baffling how you're trying to make it seem like it's our fault. It was my birthday and I didn't pay for it so I didn't know what was included in the package I still had fun but I am speaking on behalf of my husband. We just didn't get what we paid for. And by the messages in the picture I will let the dates and convo speak for themselves. We don't want the complimentary ride because you obviously had an attitude about giving it, and never got back to us. No hard feelings, good day!

Parking is not easy in the summer or weekends. It's a very small beach and gets crowded quickly…read more The tide pools are fun for the kids, you definitely need water shoes for them. There is a short walk down the hill to access the beach. Showers and bathrooms are at the top. Lifeguard on duty.

First time here, and I am coming back tomorrow!!…read more Parking could definitely be a challenge if you come on a weekend or in the summer. I went in the morning of a Sunday in January and was able to park for free on Ocean Boulevard. Then it is a beautiful short, walk down a slope and some stairs and then you've reached paradise. It's a small beach, so hopefully as long as it's not too busy you'll be able to get a spot on the sand. I saw a lot of snorkel, which were cool and the tide pools are just crazy Impressive. Just make sure you don't actually touch or take anything in the tide pool or I will be coming after you...

Sebastian was amazing to source me a hard to find fourth element wetsuit and overnight it to me one…read moreday before my Galapagos trip! Amazing service!

This place just gets "better" (WORSE). After waiting almost 3 weeks to finally get our tank back…read morefrom viz/hydro - since they were always conveniently "closed due to unforeseen circumstances", - they forgot to attach a sticker proving visualization had been done. So now we can't fill the tank. I called yesterday and Jeff neither apologized or offered to rectify the situation. He just told me I'd need to come in when the "viz specialist" was there. Why? If they're so good at their job, how did they miss that step?! Or, I could go to the Cypress location and any manager there could affix the sticker. Ok, so...only a "viz specialist" at the HB store, and a manager at Cypress?! Make it make sense! Horrible staff and customer service. You guys should stay closed due to "unforeseen circumstances".

Haven't been back here in so long and so glad we finally came back for father's day. We spent the…read moreafternoon here soaking up the sun, eating lunch, and even walked to crystals cove shake shack. Super clean beach with great vibes. Fyi, parking is $20.

Parking is $20 now. The beach is beautiful. Lots of hiking trails to explore, tide pools or a short…read morewalk down to the beach. The trail down to the beach is very short and steep in a couple lots. Some areas in the northern parking lots have a long boardwalk you can walk down and tide pools. There are several parking lots so you need to figure out what you want to do and which lot to park in for your needs. The parking lot closest to beachcomber they don't allow any parking unless you are handicapped for the restaurant. Don't really know why, it's a state run park.

Ron was the BEST!!! As someone who can't swim, and is afraid of the ocean, he made my experience…read morewonderful. He provided us with wet suits, fins, and masks. Took us to Lover's Cove, and helped us go in to the water. I felt very safe with him there. He had me use a pool noodle and a guard floaty thingy so I was afloat the whole time. He was very patient, kind, and super knowledgeable about everything we saw under water. The whole experience was amazing, and it felt surreal to be able to explore the ocean like this.

Ron was great , very informative about the ecosystem, gave us some pro tips on snorkeling and kept…read morewatch of everyone while snorkeling, you can bring your own gear or simply walk up.. the area we snorkled had a abundance of fish (lovers cove) and will definitely recommend this experience.. we had a great time @-@/'

There's a section of the beach directly next to Goff Island that has amazing soft sand that is…read moredifferent from the sand from the stairs down to the beach and definitely not like Aliso Beach. The soft sand feels so good and the kids enjoyed playing with it as well. Being California Coast, don't expect ocean water to be warm as it'll never be warm and should not be since it'll be a destruction to the coastal ecosystem if it did. So, be prepared that it'll be cold to chilly depending on the weather of the day impacting change in temperature perception. Parking fills up quick so definitely come early during weekends and during sunset hours.

It's been 50 years since I've been on this beach. I used to live next door at Blue Lagoon. The…read morebeach is pretty much the way I remembered minus the wooden pier. The trailer park is gone too. I like Laguna, there's so many hidden beaches.

After spending time at the cove, we had a very nice lunch and the service was excellent. We could…read morenot have wanted better attention and more delicious food. We got our table right by a TV so we could watch the England vs Norway game, which is just what we wanted! Wonderful afternoon.

A friend said it, "Beautiful cove in Rancho Palos Verde" and it couldn't be more true. Spending a…read moreday exploring Terranea was a great way to beat the heat with bae. The beach cove and sea cave are open to the public and super fun to explore though the closer you get to the cave the rockier the incline so be careful, watch your step and have on some sensible foot attire. The cliff side mountain structure is beautiful as well, the formation of various shades of earth, gorgeous brown, orange, beige, gray and truly cool hues. There are some wooden Adirondack chairs apart of the resort, free to use lots of patches of sand and rocks to spread out a small blanket or sit on and views upon views of the ocean. Picnic friendly, but very quaint. You can see a lot of look out points and paths close by and just before you decline there is one final pool area (for guest)with tables on the outside for public use. It's very serene, peaceful and even with packs of adorable families and energetic kids very relaxing. The waves and breeze kind of make everything calm (holding the hand of someone special for a beat doesn't hurt either). Unfortunately pets aren't allowed in this area and there is a bridge with a pup corner with rails to leave your dog as well as bowls for water. Felt bad for the one we saw wanting to play with their family, but I'm optimistic they got spoiled after. Definitely will get lost in this cove meets cave meets beach again in the near future.