Carmel River State Beach

Classic California shore dive with lush kelp and wildlife.

Shore Access
12m Avg Depth
20m Max Depth

About this dive site

This dive site offers a classic California shore diving experience through majestic kelp forests. Divers navigate a sandy entry to explore rocky reefs teeming with vibrant invertebrates and rockfish. It is renowned for its macro photography opportunities and beautiful underwater topography.

Diving Freediving Snorkeling

Site Ratings

Big Marine Life Good
Macro Marine Life Very Good
Landscape Quality Excellent
Water Visibility Good Viz
Famousness Well Known

Plan Your Visit

shore divekelp forestmacro photographycold waterrockfishintermediate

Marine Life

Kelp rockfishlingcodcabezonharbor sealsea ottergiant green anemonenudibranchs

Things to Note

Difficulty:

intermediate

Challenging beach entry with potential for strong surf and surge.

Hazards:
Strong surf/surgecold waterkelp entanglement
Current Strength:

Variable

Diving Conditions

Water Temperature Now: 18.3°C

Wind

Tide

Swell

Swell Height (m)
Swell Period (s)

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