Monterey Bay, California
sandy shoreline in Monterey Bay, California

Monterey Bay, California

Considered to be one of the best dive sites in the United States, California’s Monterey Bay offers visitors a world-class diving experience. The area boasts kelp forests with a wide range of marine species and waters where divers can examine marine mammals up close. Read on to learn more about this dive destination’s above and below-ground attractions.

Geography of Monterey Bay, California

California State’s Monterey Bay lies nearly 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of San Francisco. It’s situated in the Monterey Peninsula’s northern border, extending about 45 kilometers from north to south. With an area spanning 160 square miles, this bay is one of the Pacific Coast’s largest bays. It hosts numerous sea mammals, lies on the migratory path of gray and humpback whales, and serves as an elephant seal breeding site.

San Carlos Beach

As the most popular dive site in Monterey Bay, San Carlos Beach usually gets crowded with weekend dive classes. But despite its huge visitor count, the area’s got a lot of dive sites that you can explore.

Metridium Fields

A nearly 30-foot swim due north of a submerged pipe on San Carlos Beach is all it takes to reach this dive destination. Metridium Fields isn’t just a good location for spotting cauliflower-like Metridiums, as it’s also an ideal place to search for sea nettles. Plus, the submerged pipe and the sandy areas around it are perfect for nudibranch, octopus, and other little creature sightings.

McAbee Beach

Considered to be an ideal dive site for beginners, McAbee Beach features diverse and interesting marine life. The area boasts several types of kelp, as well as invertebrate and fish species on its southern bight. Sea otters often roam within the beach, too. Don’t forget to keep an eye out for rockfish in pipes located within the area and halibut in the nearby sand.

Hopkins Reef

McAbee Beach’s outer left side gives you easy access to Hopkins Reef, which are a series of granite reefs that run parallel to shore. This destination has a somewhat eerie atmosphere, mainly due to the Metridiums covering the area. Nevertheless, divers consider Hopkins Reef to be the best place for Metridium sightings within Monterey Bay. It’s also a great destination for spotting sea pens and market squid eggs, which show up in the summer.

Pacific Grove

Marine habitats, along with other natural territories, make up this coastal city’s environmental geography. Pacific Grove houses several marine protected areas within its waters, including the Lover’s Point Marine Reserve. All marine protected areas here assist in sea animal and marine ecosystem conservation.

Coral Street

There’s a lot to see within Coral Street’s waters. Boulders with palm kelp covering and coralline algae make up the area’s bottom, while many algae species surround its inshore rocks. Nearby rocks and algae are also rich in juvenile game fish and other tiny fish, making Coral Street a good place to do fish watching.

But if you’re looking for more fascinating species, deeper waters will expose you to plenty of marine species. Vibrant nudibranchs, sea cucumbers, and sponges are among the creatures you can see in Coral Street’s lower depths. The site’s great for monkey-faced eel sightings, too.

Lover’s Point

A dive destination within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, Lover’s Point remains largely unappreciated. Healthy algae covers this reef and a few brown algae species live in waters that are shallower than 20 feet. Underwater photographers can also get a vibrant backdrop for their images when some of the brown algae turn golden yellow.

Coralline algae are prevalent in the area’s deeper waters. Extremely varied invertebrates hide among the algae, while many tunicate species abound. Lover’s Point also has a canopy of algae where small and big crabs take cover. The site even boasts large pinnacles that house large, fish-eating anemones and many rockfish.

Carmel Bay

Carmel Bay lies along California’s central coast. The area has an ecological reserve that mostly protects wildlife within its beaches. It also boasts around 17 square miles (44 kilometers) of marine protected areas.

Monastery Beach

Two different dive sites make up Carmel Bay: North Monastery and South Monastery.

North Monastery has one of Monterey’s most pristine kelp forests. This forest houses a big school of blue rockfish and features a boulder field to its south where divers spot jellyfish and mola mola (ocean sunfish) hanging above the formation. Meanwhile, South Monastery offers a much gentler slope with huge boulders and narrow channels.

But before you can take the plunge here, do keep in mind that Monastery Beach is dangerous for inexperienced divers. It’s best to dive with seasoned divers, and only when the weather and waters are calm.

Carmel River State Beach

Also known as Stewart’s Point, Carmel River State Beach is home to a healthy population of bull kelp. You’ll also find deep vertical channels that cut into huge boulders at the bottom. These formations have big cobbles sitting between them.

Point Lobos

The Point Lobos State Reserve is another popular Monterey Bay scuba diving destination that’s packed with visitors nearly every weekend. Point Lobos offers the same reef formations and marine life as Monastery Beach, along with a naturally protected boat ramp for much easier entry and exit. You can also expect great visibility and amazing views of rockfish, jellies, and pristine reefs from the area’s preserve.

Whaler’s Cove

Whaler’s Cove is breathtaking. This Point Lobos diving location houses many invertebrate and fish species, as well as a dense kelp canopy. The site features a mostly rocky bottom with a sand channel running down the center. It even has a cave that you can swim through when the water’s calm.

Marine Life

As we’ve previously mentioned, Monterey Bay’s kelp forests and dive sites house a variety of aquatic species. Here are a few creatures you might encounter deep within the bay.
  • California Sea Lions - Endemic to the US West Coast, this “eared seal” is a common sight in zoos and aquariums. The California sea lion has a slender body with a brown to tan color, broad front flippers, and long, narrow snouts. It consumes various types of prey present in upwelling areas, including squid, anchovies, and sardines.
  • Rockfish - The rockfish belongs to the Scorpanidae family, with tropical stonefish and lionfish being its closest relatives. It has a big mouth, a compressed body, and a protruding lower jaw—traits which give it a bass-like appearance. Rockfish can also reach up to three feet in length and come in various colors. This species preys on fish, shrimp, crabs, squid, jellyfish, plankton, and algae.
  • Mola mola - The mola mola, or ocean sunfish, is the world’s largest bony fish. Large mola grow up to 14 feet vertically and up to 10 feet horizontally. They weigh around 5,000 pounds. Ocean sunfishes have silvery hues and rough skin with teeth that look like beaks. The species often eats jellyfish, but they’ll also consume small fish, as well as plenty of zooplankton and algae.

Other Attractions

  • Monterey Bay Aquarium - This popular attraction in Monterey County offers many great activities: daily shows, feeding opportunities, tours, and a dozen exhibits. The Monterey Bay Aquarium gets visits from about two million people each year.
  • Old Fisherman’s Wharf - Located near Cannery Row, Old Fisherman’s Wharf is a well-known tourist attraction. This seaside area has seafood and chowder vendors, unique shops, and restaurants all around. It’s also a departure point for whale watching excursions, deep-sea fishing charters, and glass bottom boat tours.
  • 17-Mile Drive - 17-Mile Drive is one must-see attraction in Monterey County if you’re after breathtaking views. The route runs from Pacific Grove Gate and goes through the Del Monte Forest, where you’ll see a few popular attractions. Once you’re done traversing 17-Mile Drive, consider spending some time in the seaside town of Carmel.

How to Get There

By Air
If you’re flying out to Monterey Bay, you can book a direct flight to Monterey Regional Airport with any of the following air carriers:
  • Alaska Airlines
  • Allegiant
  • American Airlines
  • United Express
  • US Airways
You can also take a charter or private flight to the area.

Once you’ve landed in Monterey, you can travel to your hotel via taxi, the Monterey Salinas Transit, or rental car. tizens, they must present their birth certificates (original or duplicate) or other proof of citizenship upon arrival.

By Sea
The following cruise ship carriers offer trips to Monterey Bay:
  • Celebrity Cruises
  • Princess Cruises
  • Norwegian Cruise Line

Getting Around
Visitors can travel to Monterey Bay via train, bus, or car. Amtrak’s Coast Starlight train is a leisurely, scenic way to get to the area, as it passes by Salinas every day. You can also ride a free bus from Salinas to downtown Monterey (the trip only takes 30 minutes). Salinas has a Greyhound bus station that offers a connecting service to Monterey.

But if you prefer driving to the bay, you can take any of two routes. Highway One runs from San Francisco to Los Angeles, while Highway 101 runs down the valley corridor.

Best Time to Visit

Fall and early winter are the best times for Monterey scuba diving trips. Winter is often a good time to dive in the bay, but only during calm days. There is also less kelp in the kelp forests during winter, which results in better visibility.

Visibility in Monterey diving destinations usually range from 10 to 30 feet, though there are days when the water gets really clear. Surface water temperatures fall between the mid to upper 50s, while actual water temperatures play between the upper 40s to low 50s. With these temperatures, scuba diving in Monterey Bay requires cold water diving experience. You’ll also need a dry suit or at least a 7mm thick wetsuit for your trip.

Required Trainings & Certifications

Monterey Bay boasts dive sites that cater to different skill levels. If you don’t have any diving experience, diving centers here will let you take Open Water and other training courses for beginners. Monterey Bay dive companies allow seasoned divers to take specialty and technical courses, too.

Miscellaneous Information

Currency
The United States dollar is California’s official currency. Major airports, a few banks, and all currency exchange offices will let you exchange your money to US dollars. Monterey has plenty of ATMs and banks as well, so you can easily get extra cash whenever you need it.

You’ll need a credit card to pay for car rental services and hotel reservations. The most widely accepted credit card providers in Monterey are Visa, Mastercard, and American Express.

Languages
Monterey County holds the title of “Language Capital of the World”—and for good reason. Residents speak a variety of languages, with Spanish being the most widely spoken language in the county.

Time Zone
Monterey County observes Pacific Standard Time (PST) with an offset of UTC/GMT -8 hours.

Driving Side
Car owners in Monterey County (and other parts of California) do right-side driving. You can overtake on the left side of the road.

Calling Code
831 is Monterey County’s calling code. If you’re calling anyone in the area from abroad, dial your international access number, followed by 1 and the area code for Monterey.

ISO 3166 code
US-CA is the corresponding ISO 3166 code for California.

Internet TLD
.us is the top-level Internet domain for the United States.