This is an easy-access site toward the Southern end of Carmel River State Beach.  Come here when the main beach, just to the South, is packed.  Because this shoreline is wide open to the Pacific swells, you should consider yourself an advanced diver before negotiating the entry. Head South on Highway 1 out of Carmel.  Just as you start to see the first roadside beach, you're there!

Monastery Beach North

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!

Skip's Dive Log

@skip

1 dives