Salt Point — Gerstle Cove
Salt Point State Park, Sonoma Coast · near Jenner / Sea Ranch · North Coast
Scuba & Snorkel
At a glance
- Difficulty
- advanced
- Depth
- 40
- Water temperature
- 48–56°F · 7mm + hood/gloves or drysuit
- Best season
- Late summer/fall calm windows only
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- No dive permit. Salt Point State Park (Gerstle Cove is a no-take marine reserve) — day-use fee. COLD, exposed North Coast diving for experienced cold-water divers; entries are rocky and swell-dependent. Note: abalone diving is CLOSED statewide (the fishery collapsed) — this is look-only diving now. Weather windows are narrow.
What is here
- Marine life
- Cold-water rockfish & lingcod · Rich invertebrate reef · Kelp & sandstone reef · Historic abalone grounds (now closed)
- Features
- Wild, uncrowded North Coast diving · No-take marine reserve · Dramatic sandstone tafoni coast · Cold, clear, rich cold-water reef
Worth knowing
- Certification required
- Yes
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- No
Scuba & Snorkel detail
- Dive type
- scuba · snorkel
- Entry
- shore
- Viz
- 10–30 ft (weather-dependent)
- Intl tip
- Salt Point State Park charges day-use; Gerstle Cove is the sheltered no-take entry. Cold-water gear (drysuit or 7mm + hood/gloves) is mandatory. Abalone diving is closed statewide — look only. Weather windows are narrow; check swell and wind. For experienced cold-water divers. Combine with the Sonoma Coast and Fort Ross. Wild and uncrowded.
The guide
Salt Point on the rugged Sonoma Coast is North Coast diving at its wildest — cold, clear, and gloriously uncrowded, a place whe…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Salt Point — Gerstle Cove — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 38.568, -123.33