Ocean Cove (Sonoma Coast)
Ocean Cove, Sonoma Coast · near Jenner / Sea Ranch · North Coast
Scuba & Snorkel
At a glance
- Difficulty
- advanced
- Depth
- 35
- Water temperature
- 48–56°F · 7mm + hood/gloves or drysuit
- Best season
- Late summer/fall calm windows
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- No dive permit. Ocean Cove is a privately-run campground/cove on the Sonoma Coast (small day-use/launch fee) long popular with free-divers and shore divers. Cold, exposed North Coast conditions; abalone closed statewide. Boat-launch access. Experienced cold-water divers, calm windows only.
What is here
- Marine life
- Cold-water reef & kelp · Rockfish, cabezon, lingcod · Rich invertebrate life · Historic free-diving cove
- Features
- Classic Sonoma free-diving cove · Boat-launchable protected notch · Cold, rich reef & kelp · Camp-and-dive tradition
Worth knowing
- Certification required
- Yes
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- No
Scuba & Snorkel detail
- Dive type
- scuba · snorkel
- Entry
- shore
- Viz
- 10–25 ft
- Intl tip
- Ocean Cove is a private campground/cove (small day-use/launch fee) with a boat launch — a classic Sonoma camp-and-dive spot. Cold-water gear mandatory; abalone closed statewide. Calm windows only (late summer/fall). Camp on the bluff for a dawn dive. Combine with Salt Point and Fort Ross nearby. Experienced cold-water divers.
The guide
Ocean Cove on the Sonoma Coast is a classic North Coast camp-and-dive spot — a privately-run cove and campground long beloved b…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Ocean Cove (Sonoma Coast) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 38.556, -123.312