McAbee Beach (Cannery Row)
Monterey · near Monterey · Central Coast
Scuba & Snorkel
At a glance
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Depth
- 30
- Water temperature
- 52–60°F · 7mm wetsuit
- Best season
- Calm summer/fall mornings
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- No permit. McAbee Beach, on Cannery Row between the dive shops — a small pocket beach with easy entry, a quieter beginner alternative to the Breakwater a few blocks away. Metered/paid parking on Cannery Row.
What is here
- Marine life
- Shallow kelp & reef · Nudibranchs & anemones · Harbor seals · Cannery Row underwater
- Features
- Quiet Cannery Row pocket beach · Easy beginner entry · Shallow kelp & reef · Steps from dive shops
Worth knowing
- Certification required
- No
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Scuba & Snorkel detail
- Dive type
- scuba · snorkel
- Entry
- shore
- Viz
- 10–25 ft
- Intl tip
- McAbee Beach is on Cannery Row (metered/paid parking) between dive shops — convenient for air and rentals. A quieter, easier alternative to the Breakwater nearby. Shallow and beginner-friendly. Combine with the Monterey Bay Aquarium and Breakwater. Calm mornings are clearest. Cold water — wear a 7mm even in summer.
The guide
McAbee Beach is a small, often-overlooked pocket beach right on Monterey's Cannery Row — a quieter beginner shore dive and snor…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to McAbee Beach (Cannery Row) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 36.616, -121.901