Monterey Bay / Pacific Grove
Pacific Grove / Monterey · near Pacific Grove / Monterey · Central Coast
Kayaking & SUP
At a glance
- Best season
- Year-round · Best April–November · Humpback whale peak: May–November · Calm morning window before afternoon wind
Permits and booking
- Permit
- No permit. Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary — strict wildlife distance regulations (100 feet from marine mammals, 300 feet from whales). Launch from Lovers Cove (Pacific Grove) or Monterey Municipal Wharf area.
What is here
- Wildlife
- Sea otters (dense population) · Harbor seals · California sea lions · Humpback whales (May–Nov) · Blue whales (occasional) · Killer whales (occasional) · Sea birds · Sunfish (Mola mola) · Leopard sharks
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- No
Kayaking & SUP detail
- Water types
- kelp-forest · open-ocean · protected-bay
- Exposure
- moderate
- Sup friendly
- No
- Wetsuit
- 5mm fullsuit with hood recommended · Water 52–58°F year-round · Cold water immersion danger is real
- Tidal note
- Monterey Bay is open ocean at the edges but calmer near the shore of Pacific Grove and Lovers Cove. The Monterey Bay Canyon (one of the deepest in North America) begins just offshore — upwelling from the canyon brings the whales and other wildlife, and also makes the bay more dynamic than it appears. Stick to the near-shore zone in a kayak.
- Intl tip
- The Monterey Bay Aquarium (one of the finest in the world) provides the academic framework for everything you'll see on the water — visit the aquarium after paddling and the exhibitions will resonate completely differently. The aquarium's Seafood Watch program has influenced sustainable seafood standards globally. The 17-Mile Drive from Pacific Grove through Pebble Beach is the post-paddle scenic drive.
The guide
The Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is the ocean equivalent of Yosemite — a federally protected marine wilderness where …
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Monterey Bay / Pacific Grove — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 36.6316, -121.9149