Otter Cove
Otter Cove has neither the facilities nor leisurely entry of nearby Lovers Cove but it attracts attention from spear fishing enthusiasts who catch greenling, ling cod and cabezon here.
| Depth | 40ft |
| Skill Level | Beginner/Intermediate |
| Access Method | Surface swim |
| Protection Status | Pacific Grove Marine Gardens State Marine Conservation Area
Taking of finfish permitted |
Contents
Attractions & Wildlife
The East and West ends of Otter Cove are very different. To the West, the bottom is mostly rocky and consolidated and large beds of bull and giant kelp have been thriving. To the East, the bottom is sandier with smaller stands of kelp clinging to islands of rocky bottom. Wherever one gets into the water here, sand and bits of kelp get stirred up close to shore and divers may be tempted to call off a dive due to low visibility but a little persistence and a surface swim out past 100 yards or so is usually enough for things to clear out a bit before descending. The bottom isn't particularly topographically dramatic but there are some impressive boulders and rises near shore at Lovers Point. Likewise, the fish are somewhat less abundant due to fishing pressure and swimming around the point into Lovers Cove usually shows off a dramatic increase in fish diversity and abundance. It's also a great place to see otters and sea lions. See what other species visitors have observed at Pacific Grove Marine Gardens State Marine Conservation Area via iNaturalist.
Entry & Access
Parking is along the street on Ocean View Blvd, a small parking lot on the north end of the Cove and adjacent to Lovers Cove park to the East. All are free two hour parking that can fill up very quickly in the summer. There are three sets of stairs that lead to the water and none are too long a walk from your car but having an idea of where those stairs are may influence your dive plan. If you're tempted to scramble down the slope and jump off one of the big rocks into the water, remember that the landscaping along the path took a lot of hard work- take the stairways and spare the flowers from erosion. An unnamed set of stairs on the west end, Perkins Park and Lovers 3 are all great places to get in with small beaches that don't present too many hazards to alert divers.
Skill Level & Hazards
Less discerning divers can make their way to the water over rocks almost anywhere along the shore but for everyone else, there are three beaches with stairs down to the water. The Western entries have long, shallow and rocky beaches that gradually give way to eel grass and can be dangerous to stumble over on the way out or back in. Divers can avoid most of the hassle by sticking to high tide.
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.
Diving
Eric's Pinnacle is accessible from this region.
WARNING! OpenDiveSites.org is a community-run site. While we do our best to keep information up-to-date, no content on this site should be construed as authoritative, complete, or correct. Scuba or free diving and other aquatic activities are inherently dangerous and can pose a risk of injury or death; the information on this site will not mitigate that. We hope you find our information helpful, but we must never be your sole source of navigational information, awareness of dive conditions, site hazards, or legal restrictions -- it is a repository of community-submitted content, not a divemaster.
