PACIFIC
Monterey · Breakwater
- United States
- All levels
- October - June
Plan your dive
- Experience level
- All levels
- Depth guide
- Shallow kelp 6-18 m
- When to go
- October - June
- Site type
- Kelp & Harbor
Featured wildlife
- Giant Pacific octopus
- Common bottlenose dolphin
- Green turtle
- Spotted eagle ray
About this dive site
Classic California kelp dives steps from the aquarium and wharf.
San Carlos Beach Breakwater protects Monterey’s easiest kelp-forest dives-sea otters overhead and rockfish, nudibranchs, and octopus in the holdfasts. Cold water and surge reward hooded divers; many teams pair Breakwater with Point Lobos or Carmel days.
Most trips target October - June, but wind, swell and current still decide the day's site. Calendar peak is October - June, but skippers still move sites when wind, swell or current change. Book with a crew that knows Monterey day to day, not just the map pin.