.jpg){kind=link}
Otter Cove
Dive site · United States
Advanced divers and up
Is it worth the trip?
35Poor out of 100 for your dates
Best on Thu 5: Sea 0.9 m, Visibility under 5 m, Water 14 °C
Tue 3 · 34 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.1 m
- Wind
- 10 kn
- Gusts
- 21kn
- Air
- 17°C
Wed 4 · 27 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.3 m
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 7kn
- Air
- 18°C
Thu 5 · 43 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.9 m
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 20°C
Fri 6 · 27 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.3 m
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 10kn
- Air
- 19°C
Sat 7 · 27 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.4 m
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 17kn
- Air
- 21°C
Sun 8 · 42 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.9 m
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 12kn
- Air
- 23°C
Mon 9 · 29 out of 100
- Sea
- 1.2 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 244, poor
- Tue 334, poor
- Wed 427, poor
- Thu 543, poor
- Fri 627, poor
- Sat 727, poor
- Sun 842, poor
- Mon 929, poor
- Tue 1026, poor
The site in six facts
- Down to 15 mits deepest
- From the shorehow you get in
- Advancedand up
- Water 14 °C7 mm semi-dry or a drysuit
- Faces Nswell from there reaches it
- Best Jul–Aug7 good days in 7
Full forecast
every day, every number
Suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 2Nov | 44, poor | 0.9 m | 4 kn | 6kn | 18°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 34, poor | 1.1 m | 10 kn | 21kn | 17°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 27, poor | 1.3 m | 3 kn | 7kn | 18°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 43, poor | 0.9 m | 3 kn | 12kn | 20°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 27, poor | 1.3 m | 3 kn | 10kn | 19°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 27, poor | 1.4 m | 3 kn | 17kn | 21°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 42, poor | 0.9 m | 5 kn | 12kn | 23°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 29, poor | 1.2 m | 1 kn | 6kn | 22°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 26, poor | 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
best Jul–Aug
Good diving days in a typical week, each month, for Advanced divers, from 2016 on (ERA5 history scored the same way).
- Jan2of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Jan
- Feb3of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Feb
- Mar4of 7: a trip from Sat 6 Mar
- Apr4of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Apr
- May5of 7: a trip from Sat 1 May
- Jun6of 7: a trip from Sat 5 Jun
- Jul7of 7: a trip from Sat 3 Jul
- Aug7of 7: a trip from Sat 7 Aug
- Sep6of 7: a trip from Sat 4 Sept
- Oct5of 7: a trip from Sat 2 Oct
- Nov4of 7: a trip from Tue 3 Nov
- Dec3of 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
Otter Cove 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 Otter Cove
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
More diving near here
5 places
- Coral Street Beach 0.6 km away
- Lovers Point 1.3 km away
- Chase Reef 2.5 km away
- Aumentos Pinnacle 2.8 km away
- McAbee Beach 2.8 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About Otter Cove
A kelp forest dive. It goes down to 15 m. You get in from the shore. 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 2.9 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 Advanced divers the best months are usually July and August, with about 7 good days in 7; in January, about 2. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Pacific Grove. Within 5 km we also list 4 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot and 8 dive sites.
- What it is Kelp forest.
- How deep Down to 15 m.
- Getting in From the shore.
- 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 2.9 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 and Dec (about 7 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: Pacific Grove
about 5 min by car · 69 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Pacific Grove 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 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 Pacific Grove · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Pacific Grove · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
On The Beach Surf Shop 2.9 km
Bamboo Reef Scuba Diving Centers 3.0 km
Cannery Row Aquatics 3.5 km
Enterprise Cannery 3.5 km
Monterey Bay Scuba 3.8 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 1958 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Arctocephalus philippiiSeal or sea lion
Seen in 3 records.
Red sea urchin Mesocentrotus franciscanus
Seen in 33701 records, mostly Nov.
Purple sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus
Seen in 32755 records, mostly Nov.
Pisaster giganteus
Seen in 11172 records, mostly Nov.
Sebastes mystinus
Seen in 10442 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Bat star Patiria miniata
Seen in 9357 records, mostly Nov.
Anthopleura sola
Seen in 6910 records, mostly Nov.
Cucumaria miniata
Seen in 4212 records, mostly Nov.
Oxylebius pictus
Seen in 3926 records, mostly Jul to Sep.
Urticina piscivora
Seen in 3703 records, mostly Nov.
Oxyjulis californica
Seen in 3600 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 CBS - Quadrat Surveys Summarized; 1e3ba2fc-7d13-4a24-8619-e94b243f9d2d. Credits
This week's visibility and the current no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.