Laguna Beach Municipal Code Ch. 18.21 Skin and Scuba Diving

(a) Hazard to Others or Self. No person shall participate in any skin diving or scuba diving activity at any time in the Pacific Ocean within the city in a manner that constitutes a hazard to any other person or to themselves.

(b) Authorized Order to Discontinue Skin Diving or Scuba Diving. The city manager, marine safety chief, police chief or their authorized designees, or any officer or employee designated by the city manager to enforce surfing regulations and control skin diving and scuba diving activities, may prohibit skin diving and scuba diving at any time diving conditions become hazardous as a result of storm, congestion of persons, lack of proper equipment (such equipment to include mask, fins, snorkel, buoyancy compensator, and diving partner) or other conditions which cause a present danger to the persons skin diving or scuba diving or to others.

(c) No person shall fail, refuse or neglect to stop skin diving or scuba diving activities or to leave the water when ordered to do so by any such employee of the city.

(Ord. 1729, 4/28/2026)

No person shall enter the public beach or the ocean for the purpose of participating in scuba diving at any time in the Pacific Ocean within the city if that person is carrying a spearhead of a fixed spear which is not covered in such a way as to render it incapable of harming any individual or a spearhead of a detachable spear which is not detached and not in a firing position.

(Ord. 1729, 4/28/2026)

No person shall conduct any class of instruction in scuba diving or skin diving on public beaches within the city during the following time periods: (a) from June 15th to September 15th of any year; (b) before 7:00 a.m. or after 10:00 a.m. on any day.

(Ord. 1729, 4/28/2026)

The violation of any of the provisions of this chapter is punishable as a misdemeanor.

(Ord. 1729, 4/28/2026)