Stillwater Cove (Pebble Beach)
Pebble Beach / Carmel Bay · near Pebble Beach / Carmel · Central Coast
Scuba & Snorkel
At a glance
- Difficulty
- beginner
- Depth
- 40
- Water temperature
- 52–60°F · 7mm wetsuit
- Best season
- Year-round · one of the calmest peninsula sites
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- No dive permit, but access is via the private 17-Mile Drive (Pebble Beach) — a gate fee applies to enter, and beach access at Stillwater is limited/managed by the Pebble Beach resort. One of the most sheltered, calm coves on the peninsula. Confirm current beach-access rules with Pebble Beach.
What is here
- Marine life
- Sheltered kelp & reef · Otters & harbor seals · Rockfish & sea stars · Calm, protected water
- Features
- One of the calmest peninsula coves · Sheltered kelp & reef · Great beginner shore dive · Iconic Pebble Beach setting
Worth knowing
- Certification required
- No
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Scuba & Snorkel detail
- Dive type
- scuba · snorkel
- Entry
- shore
- Viz
- 15–40 ft
- Intl tip
- Access is via the private 17-Mile Drive (gate fee); Stillwater beach access is managed by Pebble Beach resort — confirm current rules. It's among the calmest, most protected coves — good for beginners and rough-weather days. Cold water; 7mm wetsuit. Combine with the 17-Mile Drive scenery. Otters raft in the kelp here.
The guide
Stillwater Cove, tucked into Carmel Bay along Pebble Beach's famous 17-Mile Drive, lives up to its name — one of the most shelt…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Stillwater Cove (Pebble Beach) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 36.562, -121.947