Point Lobos
Point Lobos State Natural Reserve is a California State Park in Monterey, California. Like other places called "Lobos" (think Lobos Rocks off San Francisco), the howling wolves are actually barking sea lions. The land and waters [1] are strictly protected for conservation[2] and the no-take rules above and below the surface have allowed this park to remain rugged and pristine throughout or at least where the visitor traffic isn't at a honking stand still. Diving in Point Lobos' Whaler's Cove and the nearby Bluefish Cove offers some of the most remarkable sites and sights available in California and you can be guaranteed to have the place to yourself.
Thanks to the Point Lobos Marine Reserve, all harassment or taking of wildlife is strictly forbidden and only a handful of divers per day can get permits to visit.
A general dive map can be found at PointLobos.org or on this wiki (page 1, page 2)
Contents
Access
Point Lobos' entrance is at 62 California 1, Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93923 and opens at 8am daily (close at 7pm, last visitor entry at 5:30pm).
As of Aug 2018, fees are as follows[3]:
- Passenger Cars: $10.00
- Vehicle with a senior citizen: $9.00
- Vehicle with a disabled discount card: $5.00
- Small coach/van (10 - 25 passengers): $50.00
- Large Bus: $100.00
Visitors are asked to register their visit in advance on the park website. Unregistered visitors may be turned away.
Trailers or motor homes towing vehicles are not permitted. Bus entrance is limited. Parking for the entire reserve is limited to 150 vehicles, but parking for Whaler's Cove (which provides the boat ramp for scuba access) is much more limited (around 15-20 cars) and fills up very quickly -- there is usually a line at the park at or before opening; plan to arrive by 7:30 to secure a parking spot for diving (a recommended plan is to be at your Monterey dive shop of choice at or before opening (typically 7AM) for air and proceed to Point Lobos as quickly as possible upon leaving).
Hand launchable boats are permitted, limited at four per day. They may launch at Whaler's Cove boat ramp (the same place divers enter) but trailers must be parked at the Rat Hill parking area[4].
Signs will guide you to Whaler's Cove, but generally bear right upon entry.
You will be turned away if you are bringing fishing equipment or collecting tools; leave them at home.
When leaving, be sure to check in with the Ranger's Station so they can mark you as safe (and not still in the park and/or in the water).
Permits
Diving at Point Lobos requires a $30.00 permit for a buddy pair, of which only 15 are sold per day. You can (and should, and usually must) book ahead of time at https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=28353. It's not unusual, especially for summer weekends, to find Point Lobos completely booked weeks or even a month or more in advance. Remember your certification cards; they will be inspected upon entry. Snorkeling is permitted.
You may not dive solo, but odd-numbered groups are allowed as long as everyone has a permit (the third/fifth/etc. diver can fill the nonexistent fourth/sixth/etc. diver in as TBD on the second/third/etc. permit respectively). Once permits are purchased they are no longer transferable.
Amenities
Restrooms
Five restrooms are available throughout trails in the preserve. Of most note, Whaler's Cove offers drinking fountains and gendered flush toilets in the parking lot.
Showers
No showers are available. Whaler's Cove has no rinsing facilities; a hose is present but requires a security key (for good reason -- run-off can harm the ocean ecosystem; just because you have to tools to turn it on doesn't mean you should. Please respect park rules and security and don't use it.).
Diving
Diving entry is available at Whaler's Cove, which also provides access to Bluefish Cove. See what other people have observed in the Pt Lobos State Marine Reserve via iNaturalist.
More information can be found on those pages.
This site provides access to the following water regions and points of interest:
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.
Notes
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