Carmel River State Beach (Monastery South)
Carmel · near Carmel · Central Coast
Scuba & Snorkel
At a glance
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Depth
- 50
- Water temperature
- 50–58°F · 7mm + hood/gloves
- Best season
- Calm days · fall clearest
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- No permit. Carmel River State Beach — free lot. A gentler alternative to notorious Monastery just north, with kelp reef and a protected feel on calm days. Still a Pacific shore entry — check swell.
What is here
- Marine life
- Kelp forest & rocky reef · Harbor seals & otters · Rockfish, lingcod, nudibranchs · Sand-channel rays
- Features
- Gentler Carmel-area kelp diving · Otters & harbor seals · Protected feel on calm days · Beautiful Carmel setting
Worth knowing
- Certification required
- Yes
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- No
Scuba & Snorkel detail
- Dive type
- scuba · snorkel
- Entry
- shore
- Viz
- 15–40 ft
- Intl tip
- Carmel River State Beach has a free lot and is gentler than Monastery just north — but still check swell before entering. Cold-water gear needed. Combine with Point Lobos (reserve a slot) and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Otters and harbor seals are frequent companions. Calm fall mornings are clearest.
The guide
Carmel River State Beach offers a gentler taste of the Carmel-area kelp diving that Monastery Beach delivers with such danger —…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Carmel River State Beach (Monastery South) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 36.537, -121.928