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Monastery Beach
Dive site · United States
Experienced divers only
Is it worth the trip?
28Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: too rough to dive, Sea 2.3 m, Visibility under 5 m
Mon 2 · 28 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.9 m
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 6kn
- Air
- 18°C
Tue 3 · 27 out of 100
- Sea
- 2.4 m
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 17°C
Wed 4 · 28 out of 100
- Sea
- 2.9 m
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 5kn
- Air
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 28 out of 100
- Sea
- 2.1 m
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 19°C
Fri 6 · 28 out of 100
- Sea
- 2.8 m
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 5kn
- Air
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 28 out of 100
- Sea
- 2.9 m
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 16kn
- Air
- 22°C
Sun 8 · 29 out of 100
- Sea
- 2.3 m
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 4kn
- Air
- 22°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 134, poor
- Mon 228, poor
- Tue 327, poor
- Wed 428, poor
- Thu 528, poor
- Fri 628, poor
- Sat 728, poor
- Sun 829, poor
- Mon 928, poor
- Tue 1029, poor
The site in six facts
- Down to 40 mits deepest
- From the shorehow you get in
- Experienced / deepexperienced divers only
- Water 15 °C7 mm semi-dry or a drysuit
- Faces NWswell from there reaches it
- Best in Aug6 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
Suits experienced divers only, as a dive guide states it. Scored for experienced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 34, poor | 2.0 m | 6 kn | 16kn | 16°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 28, poor | 1.9 m | 1 kn | 6kn | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 27, poor | 2.4 m | 4 kn | 8kn | 17°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 28, poor | 2.9 m | 3 kn | 5kn | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 28, poor | 2.1 m | 3 kn | 8kn | 19°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 28, poor | 2.8 m | 2 kn | 5kn | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 28, poor | 2.9 m | 2 kn | 16kn | 22°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 29, poor | 2.3 m | 1 kn | 4kn | 22°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 28, poor | 2.7 m | 2 kn | 7kn | 22°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 29, poor | 2.3 m | 1 kn | 4kn | 19°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
- Sun 1 NovHigh 04:35 +0.4 mLow 09:05 +0.1 mHigh 14:45 +0.7 mLow 22:16 −1.0 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 05:25 +0.5 mLow 10:41 −0.1 mHigh 16:13 +0.6 mLow 23:14 −0.9 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 06:07 +0.6 mLow 11:57 −0.3 mHigh 17:38 +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
best in Aug
Good diving days in a typical week, each month, for experienced divers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan1of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb1of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar2of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr2of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May2of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun3of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul5of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug6of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep5of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct3of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov2of 7: a trip from Mon 2 Nov
- Dec2of 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
Monastery Beach 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 Monastery Beach
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More diving near here
4 places
- Diving Area 1.1 km away
- Point Lobos - Whalers Cove 1.1 km away
- Bluefish Wall 1.3 km away
- Point Lobos - Bluefish Cove 1.3 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Monastery Beach
A wall dive. It goes down to 40 m. You get in from the shore. It suits experienced divers only, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces NW: swell from the NW reaches it, and wind from the SE blows out to sea. 1 dive centre or shop within 10 km, the nearest 9.9 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). For experienced divers the best month is usually August, with about 6 good days in 7; in January and February, about 1. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Carmel By The Sea. Within 5 km we also list 3 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot and 4 dive sites.
- What it is Wall.
- How deep Down to 40 m.
- Getting in From the shore.
- Who it suits Suits experienced divers only, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres 1 dive centre or shop within 10 km, the nearest 9.9 km away.
Water about 15°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, Mar, Jul and Dec (about 8 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$931–US$1,720 each
about US$931–US$1,720 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$27–US$40 |
| 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$931–US$1,720 |
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: Carmel By The Sea
6 min by car · 58 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Carmel By The Sea 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 7h
About 7h door to door from Chicago
Fly ORD → MRY, direct, then 30 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 Carmel By The Sea · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Carmel By The Sea · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
Monterey Bay Scuba 9.9 km
Enterprise Cannery 10 km
Cannery Row Aquatics 10 km
Aquarius Dive Shop 10 km
Bamboo Reef Scuba Diving Centers 10 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.
Purple sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus
Seen in 42958 records, mostly Nov.
Red sea urchin Mesocentrotus franciscanus
Seen in 40812 records, mostly Nov.
Bat star Patiria miniata
Seen in 17660 records, mostly Nov.
Pisaster giganteus
Seen in 15090 records, mostly Nov.
Cribrinopsis albopunctata
Seen in 14988 records, mostly Nov.
Sebastes mystinus
Seen in 10532 records, mostly Aug to Sep.
Urticina piscivora
Seen in 8555 records, mostly Nov.
Cucumaria miniata
Seen in 7798 records, mostly Nov.
Warty Sea Cucumber Apostichopus parvimensis
Seen in 4185 records, mostly Nov.
Blue seaperch Embiotoca lateralis
Seen in 3926 records, mostly Aug to Oct.
Oxylebius pictus
Seen in 3524 records, mostly Aug to Sep.
Sebastes atrovirens
Seen in 3394 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 swath transects; PISCO fish transects; cfceb150-bbe2-4efb-8682-14cfc7167e7c; 1e3ba2fc-7d13-4a24-8619-e94b243f9d2d. Credits
This week: visibility about 10 m, clearer than usual (satellite plankton reading, 24 Oct). Estimated from the month's typical visibility and this week's satellite chlorophyll against the site's normal; heavy rain before a dive can still muddy it.
The current no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.