Lovers 3

The beach at Lovers Point 3

Lovers 3 is one of three sets of staircases that provide diving access to Otter Cove from Ocean View Blvd. This site can be difficult to park at on busy weekends but is otherwise very accessible.

There are two major routes here:

1. Surface swim out and then pick your way through the kelp in a north-westerly direction to find deeper water towards the middle of the cove. The kelp patches are not very large or dense on this end of the Cove and you may end up traversing sand and rock rather than anything too interesting.

2. Follow the rocky shoreline North East around Lovers Point and return or exit the water at Lovers Cove. The water is shallower, a bit surgier around the point and fairly urchin-barrened out north of the point.

Lovers 3 can be found at 36.626703, -121.917084.

Lovers 3 has a variety of habitats in the shallows- from sea grasses and kelp to mussel shoals. Photo credit Marisa Ishimatsu 2019.

Lovers 3

Coordinates	36.626703, -121.917084
Depth	40ft
Skill Level	Beginner to Intermediate
Access Method	Surface swim
Protection Status	No fishing south of Lovers Point

Attractions & Wildlife

There is no fishing south of Lovers Point and the fish seem to know it. There is a fair amount of giant kelp and bull kelp in the Otter Cove side but as one rounds the point from North to South, the water visibility often improves and the fish increase in abundance.

Entry & Access

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Parking your vehicle on Ocean View Blvd is free for two hours and residential side streets are often even less restricted. Parking can be very limited on nice weekends. The water is accessed by a steep set of concrete steps that descend about twenty feet and can be stressful for some divers. Staging gear near the top of the stairs is convenient and there are many picnic tables but curious tourists and idle hands means that you should keep a close eye on your equipment lest it get inappropriately handled or disappear. It is a law in Pacific Grove that May through September diving is prohibited on the southeast beach on Friday through Monday from 11:30 AM to sunset. Divers may not use the northeast beach from May through September, and may always use the west beach.

Skill Level & Hazards

There are a few wash rocks near the entry and exit but are generally easy to avoid. This is a beginner to intermediate site.

Nearest Emergency Medical Facilities

Community Hospital of Monterey Peninsula 23625 pacific Grove-Carmel Hwy, Monterey

EMS activation by boat: Notify Coast Guard boat crew on channel 16 or call 911. Patient transfer at Fuel Dock or at sea.