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Revision 8/21/2009 2:54 PM
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Montage Resort - Laguna beach CA


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North of Aliso Beach. Many Maps list this site as Treasure Island Trailer Park or Goff Island. Type of Beach: Sandy with a few rocks in the water. Southwest facing cove or a Northwest beach depending upon entry selected.
Average Depth: 30-45 Feet
Facilities: Restroom (in parking garage), showers near stairs (top or bottom depending on beach), benches, restaurant on site (this is a $400-$2000+ per night resort) and Ruby’s Restaurant near by.
Directions: From Broadway (Laguna Canyon Hwy 133) and Pacific Coast Highway drive Southeast for 2.48 miles past Ruby’s Restaurant on the Left and past Montage Resort Drive to Wesley Drive. Turn right on Wesley Drive into the entrance for Treasure Island Park. There is a shopping center on the left. This site is 0.3 miles northwest of Aliso Beach.
From Crown Valley Parkway drive Northwest on Pacific Coast Highway for approximately 2.5 miles. Turn left onto Wesley Drive and into the entrance for Treasure Island Park. There is a shopping center on the hill to the right. If you come to Montage Resort Drive you have gone too far.
Parking: on street (metered) or in 40 car parking garage located at the corner of WESLEY DRIVE and PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY under the green grass of Treasure Island Park. This is at the far south end of the resort. Parking cost $1.50 per hour so bring crisp $1.00 bills to feed the machine (limit 3 hours). Use the WESLEY Drive entrance off PCH and NOT the Montage Road entrance. If desired you can drop your gear closer to the dive site by using the Montage Road entrance. If (when) the guard stops you just give him the magic password "coastal access" and he will let you pass.


Beach Access: Walking along the pathway from the parking garage to your choice of stairs or ramp to the beach of your choice. If diving Plan A above you would use either the ramp or stairs at the Golf Course. If diving Plan B above use the second stairs. If diving plan C use the first ramp. This ramp is ADA accessible compliant. ramp/stairs. The path is flat and paved but it is a long walk. Due to the resort nature of the private property you are crossing leaving your carts and other item laying around is NOT recommended. Most divers suit up in the parking garage and walk to the dive site
Entry: You may enter off a Sandy beach with occasional rock in the water. In perfect conditions a rock entry can be done but is not recommended (fatality off rocks in Nov 2003). There is a sharp drop off about 10 feet from the beach where the water goes from waist/mid thigh to over your head in one step. The surf zone here is very narrow but due to the drop off the waves may tend to wall up. Due to the nature of the cove, you can often find a protected niche sheltered from higher waves here. It is recommended you check out all the potential dive sites here before making your dive plan. There is good rock reef structure separated by sand bottom. Entry to the west of Goff Island is often more challenging that entry to the east, depending upon conditions.
Diving:
Lots of rock reef structure or sand depending upon where you are. There is a reef off shore about 100 yard just off the end of Goff Island as well. This site offers a fairly well protected cove and a very short surface swim to get to the diving. Underwater you will find a sand bottom covered in plants, and I have seen 6 bat rays in a cluster here, then there is the rock reef system which is quite good too.
Plan A (golf course) will take you out along the rock structure (on left in photo above) around the point to the west. There are lots of nooks and crannies here to explore. Use caution not to get into the shallow wash rock area. There is a swim through in the reef. In the shallow areas there can be a lot of surge.
Plan B (first stairs from garage). Swim out along this sort reef on right in photos above. Use caution not to get caught by the channel between the two reefs as illustrated in top photo above.

In the pictures attached the Montage Resort is still under construction. In the overview picture the parking garage in on the right and the two ramps with matching stairs are in the center and left of the picture.




http://www.geocities.com/sandeaters/sites/orange/montage.htm