Monastery Beach North

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You have about 150 yard to hike to the water's edge. Here's the point you'll want to explore. Swim out and around the kelp. Note the swells hitting the beach-- and this is a calm day! Monastery Beach South is in the background.

We dove 1/1/2016 and were very lucky to drive up and see only ankle high waves. very enjoyable dive, lots to see within a short swim from shore. Start on the North side of the beach swim on the south side of kelp. swim out on the side of the kelp. We did two dives one where we swam out a long ways, and the second we started about 75' from the beach. Both dives provided tons of fish and small stuff to explore. Will have to experience it when there is surf.

Absolutely my favorite Monterey beach dive. It has very dense marine life which changes quite markedly with depth. On a good day the visibility is like in the tropics. If you like diving deep, this is your beach, it's essentially bottomless since the Carmel Canyon comes to about 300 yards from the beach. I (try to!) dive here at least once a week. Dive masters: train your dive party on how to do entries and exits on steep beaches with rough surf; I see lots of people roll here when there was no reason for it to happen other than inexperience. The First Lesson of Monastery Beach: Know your limits and stick to them!

This place was insane. I was lucky enough to catch it on a sunny day with no surf. We had 70 ft vertical and 40 ft horizontal viz. We did two dives back to back. The shallow kelp was incredible and the deep dive along the canyon was insane. We saw 2 mola molas right next two each other mixed in with a GIANT, dense school of fish. Best dive of my life.

Monastery Beach (North and South) are two of the best dives on the West Coast! Note to all those who'd like to join the club of Monster-berry divers- get in the water with a pro and learn the world famous 'Monastery Crawl'. Best bet is to get rescue training here before doing independent diving. Having said this, here's a tip- know your gear- your life depends on it, and don't fight the surf! Personal entry technique: fins on, mask on, reg in mouth- back into the water and wait for white water to hit your butt. When that happens, sit, turn over and kick with the returning wave and submarine under the next incoming wave. Easy as pie, with practice. Upon exiting- remember to keep the reg in your face! Hold your reg and mask with one hand and body surf in as far as possible. Then plant knees and free hand and get low when being pounded by giant surf, but hold your ground and do the Monastery Crawl until safely out of the steep surf zone. As far as the diving- by far the best around! Color, vis, invertebrates, fish, cathedral-like kelp stands, HUGE granite on the North reefs, access to the actual deep canyon that Monterey Bay us famous for. A must for serious West Coast divers!

This dive has a steep beach entry and exit, even for experienced divers. As we were preparing to enter the water, we saw two grown men trying to do the same. They got knocked down, gear went flying, and they rolled around panicked in the surf until our petite female divemaster rescued them. If you enter from the north end of the beach, be prepared to climb over an entire kelp forest. The right side of the beach is also where the Monterey Bay Marine Canyon comes up close to shore, so watch your depth gauge, as you CAN fall into it without realizing. Be on the lookout for the landlord as well. Last time I was there, a little spotted harbor seal met its fate while I was diving nearby. Ya never seen me swim so fast back to the kelp bed.......

Good. I'm an old timer and an ex-professional abalone gypo diver.

My favorite ocean dive site in Northern California I have never seen vis less than 25', even in rough water. This site is full of color. White sand, blue water, green kelp, invertebrates, color is everywhere.

Monastery is the best shore diving in the Monterey area for experienced, physically fit divers. The Monterey Canyon can be reached with a short 50-75 yard swim off the beach and divers can easily go as deep as they dare. The wildlife is abundant, diverse and breathtaking and visibility ranges from 15' to 100' but averages around 30'-60'. However the waves, surge and depth can make this beach extremely dangerous unless you are one with your gear, know how to handle the conditions and know your limits. On calm days anyone can dive here, but those days are infrequent. Most of the time this dive is an intermediate dive with 2-3' waves. Occasionally it is an advanced dive with 4-5' waves and anything over that should be avoided. I personally dive here almost every weekend in the summer and have made some entries/exits that most would probably describe as nuts. On one occasion I lost my regulator, had a dump valve stuck open so my BC wouldn't inflate (sand) and was stuck in 4' surf at 8' depth. Holding your breath underwater in heavy surf wearing 50 lbs of gear without buoyancy is a very real situation you may have to face on this beach and you must be mentally and physically prepared for such a worst-case scenario. Luckily for me, I dive frequently enough to keep my cool underwater and can hold my breath for 2.5 minutes if necessary. I switched to my secondary air source and took a few breaths. I then removed my BC and held on to the shoulder strap leaving me in an inverted, hand-stand position. I found my primary regulator while clutching my BC, then simply dragged the whole mess back onto the beach. After that my buddy recovered the fin I dropped, I washed out the sand and went back out on a fantastic dive. Let my experience be a warning to all you divers that dive infrequently or aren't well experienced with beach diving. Avoid Monastery unless it is calm and you have an experienced beach diver to guide you. Remember that nobody can rescue you in heavy surf. Never dive Monastery solo.

Photographer - Sunday, 09-20-2009. I Stopped here with my family en route to Big Sur. Big Disappointment, the entire area seemed to be fogged in all the way to Big Sur, so didn't make for too good a day for pictures. Having friends who just lost their son (A Certified Master Diver) while Scuba Diving, I was watching people on the beach near the water while getting a few pics. Would not had even suggested anyone go in the water, though a few seem to be 'testing' it.

I have two memories of this beach from 1982: The first was when I saw a young woman attempting to exit the water and she kept getting knocked down by the waves and could not get out. If others had not pulled her out I am sure that eventually she would have drowned. Monastery Beach is where I almost died! I went diving with a daredevil diver who was ex Navy Seal. The first time he took another guy and myself down to about 100 feet and we ascended with no problem. The next time we went down to about 180 feet and I narced out and panicked! I shot to the surface and obviously kept breathing or I would be dead. When I hit the surface it was total relief.

Surf was just 3 ft around noon, got to 4-5 ft by 6 PM. Dense fog stayed for the whole day. Visibility was average, ~25 ft. Kelp forest still anchored, but starts to decompose. Despite all horror stories, entry and exit was easy. We've entered (didn't crawl, simply walked in) from the south side, just like advised here - behind the kelp, where surf is minimal. But I could see how people might have trouble getting in and out - especially in the middle, where at some point a girl was almost swept away. I'd say staying alert, knowing conditions and approaches is 99% of success in this place. Saw many sea stars, a dover, crabs, sea snails. Seal was keeping a distance. Grainy white quartz and dark granite sand at the bottom is really something. Next time I hope for more sun and better visibility - early spring should work better than mid-summer.

I've turned away from this site because of the surf. Today it was glass. 60' vis and no current. Perfect conditions. Thousands of juvenile schooling fish. Got a quick glimpse of a seal, but she didn't want to play today. Good kelp growth and star fish everywhere. Water got pretty cold around 50'. Gets colder as you approach the trench. We turned back at about75', as our hands were freezing. All in all, a prefect day for this dive.

I always hit this spot when I visit Monterey and I've logged some of my deepest dives here. Conditions are always great. Saw a couple of curious sunfish (big mf's) one time. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO GET INTO THE WATER IF THE SURF IS HIGH. Use your best judgment! I have walked away from this site a few times because of high surf.

This place is awesome. I got certified here in 1980. If you disrespect the site it will put you down hard. However, choose your day wisely and this site is incredible. 40+ foot viz this day. Flat seas. Shore break was less than a foot. The kelp barely moved while I was down there. Got to spend some time in the shallows and it was great. Max depth on this one was 60 feet. Had a local seal diving with me which is not unusual. Many people I talk to think this dive site is a diver killer. It can be, but there is no reason for it if you use your head and pick your day. There have been several times where I roll up to the beach and decide I'll pass. By far my favorite dive spot in Monterey.

Great dive, with heavy surf, difficult entry, deep dive, cold, surge, kelp, long surface swim. Great flora and fauna, dove with dive master and another advanced dive buddy. Can be treacherous, so for the experienced deep divers, used to adverse conditions, only. I had a near death experience from out of air due to complications on surfacing and exit. Keep an eye on the monastery on entrance and exit, you may need the faith. I recommend carrying pony tank for extra air as strenuous dive consumes air faster than expected. BE NOT AFRAID. I would dive there again for the challenge.

Many people have died at this beach!! Do not under estimate the warnings!! Two of my friends drowned there 5 weeks ago.

I came to this site looking for info on the diver who drowned here this afternoon. I dived this place at least 12 times in the last 2 months. I have blown off 2 dives here because it was very rough. The diver was a dive master, so his ego may have been bigger than his skills. THIS PLACE IS DANGEROUS. I have not dove here in about two weeks as it has been too big to get in or out, today notwithstanding. I have entered with small waves and came out with large waves breaking on the shore. Do not get me wrong; this place is great. The seal pups that have been living on the north side love to come and play tug-of-war or tag or pull-the-fins-and-gloves-off. Some tips for diving this place. Watch the conditions for a little while. The swell comes up fast here (ready to go, gear up, too big to go). Enter and exit with reg in your mouth. Exit with enough air (500 lbs), as the surge is strong enough to move you backwards while kicking hard. Watch the shore break and enter/exit between waves. It is very steep, so in two or three steps you will not be able to touch the bottom, and I'm 6 ft. So be careful, keep your wits about yourself, and it's best if you have second thoughts or doubts do not do it since there are other great places to dive in Monterey.

Monastery beach is often as difficult as people say, but just as often not. I did my rescue diver class off this beach when it was a very calm weekend, so not nearly as challenging as that might sound. I have gone diving here many times. I also have driven to the beach many times with dive gear, taken a good look and then driven to another beach. The real secret to diving this site is to dive a different one if conditions are going to turn an otherwise fine diving experience into an epic battle of man-against-nature. This beach is fully exposed to the full force of any waves coming in off the ocean, so when in doubt come back another day. Finding out that the surf is larger than you are prepared to deal with while getting pounded by water and wearing a hundred pounds of gear is too late. That said, I disagree that this is an advanced diver only site. I have seen the waves on the beach come in only ankle high. On such days, almost any diver could tackle the dive, as long as they can be honest with themselves about what kind of day they are looking at before donning gear. Other than the entry, the other challenging part of the dive is the wall, where the Continental shelf drops to the blue black depths of the canyon about 300 ft offshore. This is a spectacular sight, but does demand a certain level of buoyancy control. For brand new divers you will want to wait until you can consistently maintain your neutral buoyancy before taking a look here, but it is definitely worth a good look or three. Short of the wall, the kelp forest is fantastic. The exposure that makes this dive difficult half the time, also keeps the visibility better than average.

I am new to diving & my husband pushed me into doing this on my 36th birthday. I am absolutely hooked!! Loved it and I even got close to a 5' Angel Shark. There was so much to see and enjoy. We did 3 dives and went as deep as 89' (with an instructor). I had difficulty getting out the 2nd dive and pretty much learned to respect the power of the ocean. I really started to enjoy it better once I left the feeling of 'controlling it' go. On my last shore entry I put my regulator in my mouth, mask on, waited for the right series of little waves and swam like hell to get in and on my knees for the crawl in. I'm still finding the Monastery Marbles in my gear though. :)

Monastery Beach near Point Lobos is the best shore dive site in the Monterey area. It is about a 15-minute car ride south of Monterey. Note: the entry and exit is treacherous and has injured very experienced divers. This beach has spawned the infamous "Monastery Crawl" that we teach to new divers in the Open Water class. If you dive here, you should dive only with an experienced diver who knows the site and the entry/exit procedures. I have seen whales, dolphins, sharks, sea lions on this dive. There is a great kelp forest on the north side. About 300 yards offshore, the depths drop into the Monterey Channel.

I am new to diving and was taking my Advanced diving course. We swam out to the kelp line and dropped to about 25 feet. The visibility was about 20 to 30 feet and we went down to 93 feet, stayed on the wall for 5 minutes then started back to shore. There were lots to see. The entry and exit were very easy but do not be fooled as things can change very fast here. On our second dive we stayed on the south side of the cove because the wind and surf came up. This site has given me the excitement to explore others along the California coast.

I've been diving the Monterey Bay for about a year now and finally got around to Monastery. Wish I would have done it much sooner as this site is awesome. The entry was challenging but not as rough as I had thought it would be. I can definitely see how it can get really bad really quick. Marine life is the best I have seen in the Monterey Bay-- shot a nice lingcod and saw several others. The things I didn't care for on this site were: the sand (it is the perfect size to get into everything and jam it up good); a healthy surface swim; and the fact that I lost my favorite gun! Long story but my own stupid fault. There is a nice AB Biller 42" in about 50' of water for some lucky SOB to find. The rapidly dropping bottom contour is impressive, but make sure to have a dive plan everyone agrees to before exploring the drop. This site was awesome at 30' and at 110'. This is a great spot but make sure you know what the conditions are forecast, and do a good site survey before entering your first time.

After reading the last reviewer's comments I couldn't help but be a little cautious coming to this site. I had none of the problems he reported but I dove it on slack tide with no shore break. Nice site, but definitely not for beginner or intermediate divers or divers on their first open water dive after certification.

I am a brand new diver - this was my first dive after certification. We planned two dives, one in the morning, one in the early afternoon. We got in at low tide, around 10:30, and entry was a bit challenging, but manageable. The dive itself was glorious. Saw lots of fish, lots of marine life in general. We swam with dolphins!! It does get deep fast and we went down to 90-100 feet. It was awesome. The swim back was slow and we ran into occasional algae. The exit was a definite crawl, and quite tiring. The sand on that beach is just the right size to jam your regulator while being very hard to get out. For the second dive my regulator was jammed (we cleaned it up) and we were on our way for a second dive. The surf had gotten significantly worse. Entry was challenging, and I tested everything then went in. While they worked outside the water, in the water, both my regulators failed - I think it was a mix of coarse sand getting dislodged from hiding places and jamming my valves, and a mistake I made while putting my octopus back together. Needless to say, I decided to head back out, again crawling out. I almost died. I am a reasonably strong guy (mid-thirties, active, used to play rugby internationally). I got knocked by two huge waves, swallowed a ton of sea water, crawled some of the way and ended up in the surf utterly unable to move at all. A kind soul on the beach came my rescue, and help hold me against undertow that was sucking me back in. I did not read this page before diving there, but let my story be a reminder: THIS BEACH IS NOT FOR NOVICES or people not in great shape…

Monastery Beach is one of the most amazing dives and continues to be one of my all time favorites. My first experience summer of '76 we encountered a large number of Basking Sharks, dwarfed only by greater number of divers anxious to see and photograph these animals. However, my fondest memory was swimming through tall kelp forest and viewing some rather large pelagics swimming in the deep abyss below. An advanced dive for sure, but well worth it.

I dove Monastery Beach with my friend Dan Angel from Oakland. It was a flat day so we had no trouble getting out. Viz was not too good. We tried to find the ledge to look off into deep water, but no viz. Had a great dive but, since I dive alone much of the time with a pony tank, I do not dive Monastery. Dive this site on a flat day, as the swell can be very dangerous.

Great Dive! We dropped down about 50 yards off shore and followed a path to the rocks on the left. We went from 20 to 104 feet then looped around to where we started. There was tons to see. I have not dove much but this was the best dive I have been on! Where we stopped at 104 is called 'the wall', there is a nice ledge there to stand on and look down. Drops to 1000+ feet after that. Great dive!

This is a beautiful site, very popular for spearfishing and diving. Lots of harbor seals, lingcod, cabezon, blue rockfish, kelp rockfish, perch, colorful anemones, and sunflower stars. Fish are used to being hunted and the bigger blue rockfish are usually wary! Much bigger fish can be found next door at Point Lobos. Big leopard sharks have been sighted here! As you know, the beach entry /exit can be dangerous. There is actually a more protected, little-known entry just northeast of the main beach. It is a small sandy beach nestled among the rocky shore; you can easily see it from the water. You need to hike down the private driveway just north of the beach and take the dirt trail a few hundred yards. This entry is not suitable for scuba divers because you need to scale down a short but steep rocky slope to access the small beach; difficult to do with heavy weights and tanks. For freedivers and spearfishermen, however, this entry/exit is much easier and safer than attempting to enter from the main beach. Viz here can be good; on a calm day this site is phenomenal! This is my favorite spearfishing/freediving spot. If you want to practice deep freediving you can go as deep as you want! Have a good buddy with you!

When the surf is small, this site provides easy access to the Monterey Submarine Canyon. If you drop out by the wash rock, and continue seaward, you will be following the wall down as deep as you want to go! This is a great wall dive, with a huge kelp forest to keep you occupied during the later parts of the dive. Great biodiversity. Just watch the swell on days when it's not flat as there's a dangerous shore break. Typically good vis, but occasionally, there's a plankton bloom (green pea soup).

This was our first time at Monastery and it was an experience I won't soon forget for 2 reasons: The excellent diving and the major thrashing I took from old Neptune! We entered the water at 10am and it didn't look too bad but I got knocked off balance and then I thought I got hit by a bus but it was a wave!! After three sets of limp-bodied cartwheels, I finally swallowed so much water the waves couldn't pick me up any longer and I was able to crawl out of its grasp. I got back on the horse, as they say, and tried it again. That's when I realized I had rocks in my reg....so I switched to my snorkel since I was past the bad part and took a big breath and inhaled a few more rocks...lol After hacking up some of the rocks I was able to continue and try to find out why my mask was flooding instantly… obviously it was the rocks stuck in the purge valve… so after digging rocks out of many places, I caught up with my buddy and we proceeded to have an awesome dive with plenty of scenery. We got played with by a sea lion, saw a really neat spanish shawl nudibranch and hit 144' with plenty of abyss below us but that was enough for one day!!! A truly awesome dive and major respect for the surf here.

This is where I do most my deep dives. I totally love this dive site, and by far is the best site I been to in CA yet. Entry and Exit is by far the suckiest, but the benefits far out way it. Always have great vis here. Be prepared to do the Monastery crawl to get out, though I've been pretty lucky walking out!

This was by far the best California dive I've done to date! There was something to see everywhere you turned! The kelp forest was wonderful. Watch the waves coming back into shore. Make sure you hug the north end of the beach as there is a mean under tow just as the wave breaks on shore. Can't wait to do this dive again!

The California Congers skin diving club of Oakland, Calif., started diving the Monastery Beach area in 1954. We spent many a night sleeping on the beach and under Hwy 1 overpasses when it rained. Of course we all grew up. Now those days are gone. My deep dive of 275 feet was made with my friend Henry Reiswig (now Dr.) at Monastery Beach in era 1957. Red abalone were plentiful at the north end of the beach and, at that time, considered of less than premium value. Often we did not take the abalone. We spear fished for Ling Cod and Cabazone and had campfires at night on the beach. Our ages were young - 16 to 19 years for the most part. I was the oldest at 22, having just finished 4 years in the US Air Force. Now my diving years are over and my current hobby is radio controlled model gliders.

I dove this site for the first time after hearing how it is the best dive in the Monterey Area. I would have to agree although I have only been diving in Monterey about ten times. The entry wasn't as bad as many say it is, and I would recommend this to any beginning diver that has any sense for the strength of the ocean...make sure you are in good physical shape as well. The visibility was great--30-40 feet in most areas. I was amazed at how large some of the rocks were. The fish life was abundant--many species of rockfish, greenling, rubberlip perch, calico bass--although I didn't spot one lingcod. The highlight of the dive was looking into a large school of black rockfish, and being followed by a friendly harbor seal. This guy was hugging my dive buddy's tank for about ten seconds without him knowing...it was hilarious. The vis on this particular day was better than the south side. I will definitely be returning soon.

I experienced some of the best conditions ever at this site in October of 1993. The ocean was FLAT for about 8 days in the middle of the month and I was fortunate enough to make about 9 dives during that time. Diving Zen was achieved with visibility exceeding 100'. This made for incredible night diving conditions, too. BE CAREFUL, as these conditions are extremely rare for this site. I have over 50 dives at this location and most took place during average conditions, at best. Once in the water, it is a most rewarding site. The steep drop-off provides a great wall dive and there is plenty of kelp, mammals, fish and invertebrates. Safe egress is the key to success here. Be prepared to crawl (a lot), making sure your BC is EMPTY when you start. Otherwise a wave will pick you up an pound you on the steep beach. I've seen people get absolutely pummeled on average days. This is definitely an advanced site. I would not recommend ANY novice divers (even w/ advanced supervision) as this just puts both buddies at risk. Practice on the S. Monastery side before taking the plunge up the beach and enjoy!

On a calm day, this is the best of CA shore diving. Moderately short surface swim to drop down in 40'. Easy navigation. Spectacular decorated walls and canyons - watch your depth and gas, can easily get into deco here. Conditions change rapidly, save gas for exit. Beach slopes sharply, treacherous exits common.

Visibility depends on season (best in winter) and storm runoff. This is an ADVANCDED DIVER only beach. Divers have been killed here. Monterey marine canyon comes up very fast. Watch your depth along the wall. If you haven't practiced your beach crawl in a while do it somewhere else a few times. You will have to crawl out.

Do not dive this site without first getting some local expert advice. The surf entry and exit may not look that tough, but it is. The surf break zone is very short, and there is a lot of energy packed into a very small area. If there is even a 2 foot surf it can be tough. You want to enter as far north as possible, to get some protection from the kelp forests. You never want to enter anywhere near the center of the beach; and there is nothing to see there anyway. Once you have entered, swim out through or around the kelp to the area near the wash rock; where it gets very very deep. To exit, swim in near shore, wave goodbye to your buddy, when you hit the sand crawl crawl crawl until you get to dry sand, then look to see if your buddy needs help. If he needs help, dump your gear and do it as a snorkeler. If it is absolutely flat, this is a good place to take a beginner to get experience, but only with an experienced diver to lead, and perfect conditions.