As you make your way along California's Pacific Coast Highway (Highway One) you'll find yourself looking over brilliant blue coves, sandy beaches, and huge rock formations. Whether you've got a week to enjoy shore diving in Northern California, or if you're a local with plenty of time on your hands, you'll find countless opportunities to simply grab your buddy and pack up your gear for some great shore diving. Here are just seven of the many fantastic dives you'll find on the north and central California Coast.
Monastery Beach, Monterey - California Dive Sites
There are two distinct dive sites at Monastery Beach - one at the north end, and one at the south end. Both of these sites are challenging and are recommended for advanced divers only and it is recommended that you get a local guide or someone who has been here before to dive with you the first time you go. In addition, diving should only be attempted on days when the water is calm. Offering huge granite boulders that lead the way to the Monterey Bay Canyon, Monastery Beach also features a stunning kelp forest and loads of invertebrates and crustaceans, along with countless fish, spotted harbor seals, rays, and blue sharks. Depths here range from shallow (10 feet or so) to well over 100 feet.
Van Damme Park, North Coast - California Dive Sites
Van Damme is located in Albion, just a little south of Mendocino. Normally calm even when other sites are blown out, it is accessed via a small pebble beach that is well protected from surf, and is a great site for all divers. All along the rocky bottom, you'll find green anemones; if you head toward the ocean side of the keyhole rock, you'll see that they are even more abundant. Along the north wall, you'll find sea cucumbers and lots of crabs, not to mention plenty of fish, and out in the middle of the cove, there is a big old anchor that makes for great photos. Maximum depth at Van Damme Park is 45 feet.
Gerstle Cove, North Coast - California Dive Sites
Part of Salt Point State Park, Gerstle Cove is popular with abalone hunters and is located about 6 miles to the north of Fort Ross. If you're after abalone, they may be harvested in the south cove, which is often rougher than the north cove, where they are protected. Gerstle Cove offers plenty of marine life, but is susceptible to a nasty rip current. It is a good idea to talk to the ranger on duty before your dive, just to be sure you have an enjoyable experience - divers have had accidents here in the past. On a good day, you may be able to find the wreck of the 386 foot freighter Norlina, a steam ship lost here in 1926. Maximum depth is about 60 feet, but there's plenty to see in very shallow water.
Fort Ross, North Coast - California Dive Sites
There are three different access points at Fort Ross. Locals like the North side of the cove for its old wreck, which dates back to the early 1900's and which is mostly flattened, but which is full of marine life. At the south side of the cove, you'll see some interesting rock formations, and near the campground, there are more rocks and plenty of kelp. Keep an eye out for seals as you explore. Depths here range from 10 to 45 feet.
Cannery Park, Monterey - California Dive Sites
Also known as San Carlos Beach, Cannery Park is located just west of the more crowded Breakwater site. With a sandy bottom and easy entry, the site is easy to navigate, thanks to the old cannery pipes that lead out to a field of huge white metridium anemones, where there is plenty of other colorful life that contrasts beautifully with the anemones, which can grow to be up to about 2 feet tall. Watch for halibut in the sandy areas, and keep an eye out for the harbor seals as well as for the sharks that occasionally visit the area to hunt them. If you're lucky, you'll encounter sea otters on this dive, and you're almost certain to see lots of nudibranchs. Maximum depth is about 70 feet in the Metridium fields area.
Lovers Point, Monterey - California Dive Sites
A favorite site for snorkeling and kayaking as well as for diving, Lovers Point, features stunning kelp beds and beautiful rocky reefs. With easy beach access and very simple entry, this sheltered site is suitable for all divers, and it offers and abundance of life ranging from colorful invertebrates to harbor seals. Maximum depth is 45 feet.
Coral Street Beach, Monterey - California Dive Sites
Another outstanding site suitable for all divers, Coral Street Beach is well protected and is a popular site for dive training. While Coral Street Beach has a lovely kelp garden and better visibility than some other nearby sites, there is a little less biodiversity than you'll find elsewhere, but there is still plenty to see. Maximum depth is 40 feet.
With great diving for all levels and some truly outstanding marine life, California's coastal shore dive sites are easy to access. You'll find a number of dive shops where you can get air fills, dive site details, and advice from local divers up and down the coast.