California has three beautiful diving regions.

The North coast region is renowned for lush, moist forests of the world's tallest trees, coastal bluffs, secluded coves and wildlife areas. From the pristine beaches and coves of Carmel by the Sea and Monterey Bay, the coastline includes numerous dive locations North of San Francisco, all the way to Mendocino and Crescent City. Each site offers its unique underwater topography and associated marine life.

The California mid region includes diving locations from South of Pt. Lobos State Park (Carmel by the Sea) to Laguna Beach. This long stretch of beautiful beaches can be categorized as open-water diving, with some protected coves and inlets. Capitalizing on optimal weather as well as observing tides and current conditions are crucial to an enjoyable dive experience.

The California South listings include the greater San Diego area (Pt. Loma North to La Jolla) continuing up through Orange County to Laguna Beach. Each ShoreDiving location has unique conditions -- and beauty!

As always, check with your local resources for exact local conditions for the ultimate safe and rewarding dive experience.

California

Monterey County

Divers will travel far and wide to find the best diving. But those who live in the United States have plenty of great diving on their doorstep as well, with plentiful access to the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. From warm-water reefs to temperate seas, here are some of the top places to scuba dive in the United States.

United States

Very nice dive with a lot of marine life.

North of Monterey, in the bay.

Pacific Grove

Ballbuster

"Eric's Pinnacle" begins at -20m and goes up to -10m. Great for marine life - crabs, anemones, invertebrates etc. A nice  place to dive for beginners and advanced divers.

By boat from Monterey Marina

Eric's Pinnacle

This site is as close to Gorilla diving as you get in Monterey.  Rocky entry, ocean currents, kelp beds, surf and breakers are your obstacles.  Do not dive unless you have ideal conditions.  Double check your dive plan with a local dive shop or guide.  Once you've navigated the gauntlet, you'll be rewarded with nudibranches, starfish, anemones, and a variety of fish life.

In Monterey, heading West on Del Monte, bear right onto Lighthouse Ave, then bear right onto Foam St.  Make a right onto David Ave, then a left onto Ocean View Blvd.  Continue past Lover's Point Park, and about 1 mile beyond, past Asilomar Blvd, you'll see the water treatment plant on your left and the beach on your right.

Point Pinos (Sewer Plant Beach)

Coral Street can be a technical dive if the conditions aren't just right.  The kelp growth in August and September can be daunting, and the currents can catch you by surprise.  Plan this dive with a dive shop, and take a buddy with you who has been here before.  Do take your camera, as the macro life is spectacular! Entry can be tricky at low tide, with exposed shallow rocks and abundance of kelp and sea grasses. Once in deeper water you will find a large kelp forest fringing sand channels and walls and pinnacles. Look for remnants of John Denver's airplane.

In Monterey, heading West on Del Monte, bear right onto Lighthouse Ave, then bear right onto Foam St.  Make a right onto David Ave, then a left onto Ocean View Blvd.  Continue past Lover's Point Park, and about 1/2 mile beyond, you'll find the Ocean View and  Coral Street intersection.

Coral Street Beach





Lover's Point is also known as Lovers Point.

Lover's Point

McAbee Beach can be used by beginners and experts, alike.  The easy entry leads to a large kelp bed just a minute off shore.  Several old pipelines create an artificial reef, making this a complete site for marine viewers!

In Monterey, heading West on Del Monte, bear right onto Lighthouse Ave, then bear right onto Foam St.  Make a right onto Hoffman Ave.  At the intersection of Cannery Row, you'll see the trail head.

McAbee Beach

McAbee is a 1.0-star rated scuba dive and snorkel destination in USA, California, Monterrey which is accessible from shore based on 1 ratings.

McAbee

Cannery Park (also called San Carlos Beach) is just West of the Breakwater dive site.  This is a nice place for a second dive, and to get away from the crowd at Breakwater.  The dive area is mainly sandy, so expect to see the occasional Halibut.

In Monterey, heading West on Del Monte, bear right onto Lighthouse Ave, then bear right onto Foam St.  Make a right onto Cannery Row.

Cannery Park

A lot if kelp, cannery artifacts. Can be surgy at times. A lot of sea lion interaction; invertebrates.



Hidden Beach

In many areas the rock blocks are covered with a lush carpet of strawberry anemones, which make interesting subjects for macro photography. Numerous fish eating anemones with their bright red bases, as well as the large green anemones are common near the end of the breakwater, along with some mighty big sea stars. One of the most beautiful creatures found here are the nudibranchs. Members of the dorid family are very common and can be seen grazing on sponges. This group of nudibranchs includes the bright yellow lemon nudibranch, the white-and-black ringed dorid, and the orange-spots-on-white clown nudibranch. The generally more colorful and ostentatious group, the aeolids, are also quite common here including the thick-horned aeolid.

One of the biggest attractions that the Breakwater has to offer is its large colony of California sea lions. The last half of the breakwater is not accessible to people and is a favorite haul-out of these large and noisy mammals. Their barking can be heard for some distance both above and below the water. Divers can get a close up look of the herd as the sea lions sun themselves and an even closer look underwater. While normally shy when on land, the sea lions are at home in the water and lose much of their fear of people. The sea lions will normally dive down and investigate divers. They sometimes charge a diver at full speed, only to veer off at the moment before contact. They also seem to have great fun barking underwater, leaving a belch of bubbles in their wake.

At the base of the breakwater stretches a sand bottom. The sand is dotted with sea pens and white, orange and purple tube-dwelling anemones as well as aggregating anemones. Living among the tube-dwelling anemones can be found the largest California nudibranch—the rainbow nudibranch. These dendronotids are excellent swimmers and feed on, and lay eggs, on the tube-dwelling anemones. 

Keep a keen eye for octopuses among the anemones as well. These are most easily found at night, but may be found during daylight by looking under drifting kelp fronds. No matter if the seas are big or flat, you can almost always have a fun dive at the Breakwater.

Dive along the outside of the Coast Guard pier in Monterey.

Breakwater is also known as Coast Guard Pier.

Breakwater

Breakwater Cove is another popular dive site.  Parking can be limited, so get there early.  This is a wonderful place to get a glimpse of sea lions, octopus, and other marine creatures.  The best diving is on the outer side of breakwater.  Beware of kelp and boats!

In Monterey, heading West on Del Monte, bear right onto Lighthouse Ave, then bear right onto Foam St.  Make a right onto Cannery Row.

Ballbuster

Snorkeling and Scuba Diving at Ballbuster