Dive-site story
Del Monte Beach offers an expansive sandy shore dive located along the southern edge of Monterey Bay. Divers navigate past the surf line across broad flats of fine sand and rippled seafloor that slope gradually seaward. Deeper into the bay, isolated shale outcroppings, mooring debris, and old structural pipes provide anchored substrate for invertebrates, making the site an interesting alternative to Monterey's busier rocky kelp forests.
Extensive fields of sand dollars blanket large sections of the seafloor.
Encounters with foraging bat rays and camouflaged flatfish along the open bottom.
Artificial structures and scattered shale host nudibranchs and small anemones.
Location
Use the map to plan with your operator and confirm the exact entry point on the day.
Seasonality
Late summer and autumn generally provide calmer ocean conditions and clearer water.
Marine life
| Species | Likelihood | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pacific SanddollarDendraster excentricus | Common | ||||||||||||
| Bat RayMyliobatis californica | Common | ||||||||||||
| California HalibutParalichthys californicus | Seasonal | ||||||||||||
| Pacific Harbor SealPhoca vitulina | Common | ||||||||||||
| Dungeness CrabMetacarcinus magister | Common |
Marine forecast
