Eric's Pinnacle
Dive site · United States
Advanced divers and up
Is it worth the trip?
58Fair out of 100 for your dates
2 days tie for best
Tue 3 · 59 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.0 m
- Wind
- 10 kn
- Gusts
- 21kn
- Air
- 17°C
Wed 4 · 53 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.2 m
- Wind
- 12 kn
- Gusts
- 26kn
- Air
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 61 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.9 m
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 53 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.2 m
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 48 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.4 m
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 17kn
- Air
- 21°C
Sun 8 · 61 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.9 m
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 11kn
- Air
- 23°C
Mon 9 · 56 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.1 m
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 6kn
- Air
- 22°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 9 days
Full forecast- Mon 261, good
- Tue 359, fair
- Wed 453, fair
- Thu 561, good
- Fri 653, fair
- Sat 748, fair
- Sun 861, good
- Mon 956, fair
- Tue 1053, fair
The site in five facts
- Down to 17 mits deepest
- From a boathow you get in
- Advancedand up
- Water 14 °C7 mm semi-dry or a drysuit
- Faces Nswell from there reaches it
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know currents, the visibility on the day or your certification.
Suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 61, good | 0.8 m | 4 kn | 6kn | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 59, fair | 1.0 m | 10 kn | 21kn | 17°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 53, fair | 1.2 m | 12 kn | 26kn | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 61, good | 0.9 m | 3 kn | 12kn | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 53, fair | 1.2 m | 4 kn | 8kn | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 48, fair | 1.4 m | 3 kn | 17kn | 21°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 61, good | 0.9 m | 2 kn | 11kn | 23°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 56, fair | 1.1 m | 1 kn | 6kn | 22°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 53, fair | 1.2 m | 8 kn | 16knboats in | 18°C |
Sea is the waves near the site, in metres; wind and gusts in knots. "Boats in": gusts that keep dive boats in. More
Tide
- Mon 2 NovHigh 05:24 +0.5 mLow 10:40 −0.1 mHigh 16:13 +0.6 mLow 23:14 −0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 06:06 +0.6 mLow 11:57 −0.3 mHigh 17:37 +0.5 m
- Wed 4 NovLow 00:07 −0.8 mHigh 06:44 +0.7 mLow 12:58 −0.5 mHigh 18:52 +0.5 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Slack water, the safest time to dive where there is current, is about half an hour either side of each high and low. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Best time to go
No month stands out
Good diving days in a typical week, each month, for Advanced divers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan6of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb6of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar7of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May7of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun7of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug7of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep7of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct7of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov7of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec6of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Dec
Tap a month to see this spot for a trip then.
Typical, not a forecast: the sea and the mean wind of each day, with no gusts or rain in the history.
Map
the site, its town, photos
Eric's Pinnacle on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of Eric's Pinnacle
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More diving near here
2 places
- Metridium Fields 0.2 km away
- Breakwater Cove 0.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Eric's Pinnacle
A pinnacle dive. It goes down to 17 m. You get in from a boat. It suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces N: swell from the N reaches it, and wind from the S blows out to sea. 6 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 0.2 km away. The sea is about 12°C in May, its coldest month (7 mm semi-dry or a drysuit), and 15°C in August, its warmest (7 mm semi-dry or a drysuit). The town to stay in is Monterey. Within 5 km we also list 6 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot and 8 dive sites.
- What it is Pinnacle.
- How deep Down to 17 m.
- Getting in From a boat.
- Who it suits Suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres 6 dive centres or shops within 10 km, the nearest 0.2 km away.
Water about 14°C: 7 mm semi-dry or a drysuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility under 5 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Jan, Feb and Dec (about 5 m).
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$925–US$1,710 each
about US$925–US$1,710 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to MRY, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$261–US$536 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$20–US$33 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$301–US$502 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$636 |
| Total | about US$925–US$1,710 |
Guided dives are not priced yet: we have no sourced price, so it is not in it. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Monterey
about 5 min by car · 80 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Monterey its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$114 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 6h 55m
About 6h 55m door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → MRY, direct, then 25 min by road
Flights ORD → MRY on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Monterey · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Monterey · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
Cannery Row Aquatics 0.2 km
Enterprise Cannery 0.2 km
Bamboo Reef Scuba Diving Centers 0.4 km
Monterey Bay Scuba 0.5 km
On The Beach Surf Shop 0.5 km
The nearest named dive centres and shops within 25 km, in a straight line; training agencies where the map states them. Listings, not a recommendation. Dive centres: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits
What you might see
Animals divers and surveys have recorded within 2 km of this site in the last 15 years. A record says someone saw it here, not that you will.
Swellshark Cephaloscyllium ventriosumShark
Seen in 2508 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Zalophus californianusSeal or sea lion
Seen in 20 records.
Purple sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus
Seen in 52082 records, mostly Nov.
Red sea urchin Mesocentrotus franciscanus
Seen in 43469 records, mostly Nov.
Pisaster giganteus
Seen in 22711 records, mostly Nov.
Bat star Patiria miniata
Seen in 20385 records, mostly Nov.
Sebastes mystinus
Seen in 10478 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Cucumaria miniata
Seen in 7764 records, mostly Nov.
Anthopleura sola
Seen in 7611 records, mostly Nov.
Urticina piscivora
Seen in 6390 records, mostly Nov.
Oxyjulis californica
Seen in 5625 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Sebastes atrovirens
Seen in 5325 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Records: OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System, IOC-UNESCO), from the datasets named here, CC0 and CC BY records only. Names: WoRMS, through OBIS; common names from Wikidata. Largest datasets here: PISCO fish transects; PISCO swath transects; cfceb150-bbe2-4efb-8682-14cfc7167e7c; MARINe LTM - sea star and katharina counts and sizes; 1e3ba2fc-7d13-4a24-8619-e94b243f9d2d. Credits
This week's visibility and the current no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.