Breakwater Cove, Monterey

Verified2026-09-30 checkedReefNight

A giant kelp forest you can walk into, with a sea lion haul-out at the end of the wall.

Depth: 5–18 m16–59 ft
Difficulty: Beginner
Entry: Shore
Typical current: Light
Coordinates: 36°36.564′N 121°53.640′W
Activities: Scuba · Freediving

Breakwater is the training site the whole of northern California learns in, and it is also one of the best shore dives on the Pacific coast. You walk in off the sand at San Carlos Beach and swim out along the wall into giant kelp that reaches the surface from 18 m. Sea lions live on the far end of the breakwater and come down to look at divers, fast and close and entirely in control. Visibility swings from 3 to 20 m with the swell, and autumn is the clear season. Cold: 10–14 °C, drysuit or a 7 mm with a hood.

Walk-in at San Carlos Beach Park in Monterey, two hours south of San Francisco. Parking and air fills are on the road above.

Best season

ExcellentSep–Oct
GoodNov
FairDec–Aug

Before you get in

A night site. A backup light and a navigation plan matter more than usual.

Taken from this site’s recorded depth, type and current, and nothing else. An empty list is not a safe site — the sea on the day, the local geography and the boat traffic are not in it. The briefing on the spot comes first.

Conditions

Water temperature: 18.6°C65°F
Wave height: 1.2 m4 ft
Air temperature: 16.4°C62°F
Wind speed: 7.8 km/h4.8 mph

Updated 2026-10-07 15:45 UTC · Source: Open-Meteo

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0)

Conditions are reported for information only. Assess the site yourself and follow your guide and your training.

No live conditions for this site yet.

We only show numbers we can attribute to a source.

Sea state and tide

On a date

Tide · 10/7

Low02:07-0.53 m
High08:380.96 m
Low14:26-0.09 m
High20:221.04 m

Forecast heights against mean sea level. Real tides in a bay, a harbour or over a flat can differ — check an official tide table before you get in.

Pick a day to see its tide

Only wave height and wind are scored, because those are what close a boat ramp or a shore entry. Water temperature is reported and never scored: 12°C is an ordinary dive in a drysuit and punishing in a 3 mm, and a number that cannot see your suit has no business marking it down. Stars do not decide whether you get in — you and your guide do, on the day.

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0)

Marine life you may see

California sea lionZalophus californianusCommon
Harbour sealPhoca vitulinaCommon
Wolf eelAnarrhichthys ocellatusRare

From divers

What people who were in the water reported. Not a forecast, and not a judgement about whether the site is safe to dive.

No recent reports from divers. If you dived here in the last two weeks, you can say how it was.

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