Mission BeachConditions report
I did see a couple decent sized barred sandbass. Saw what looked like a white seabass 20 ft away there the other day. Returned back at night and visibility was a lot… Read more
Observed Oct 19 · Posted 11:00 PM1 reply
The Nautical Nick
Visibility Report
Ocean visibility forecasts for divers. We tell you how clear the water is going to be at any given beach today, with a 7-day outlook. The site is built for spearfishermen, freedivers, snorkelers, and scuba divers.
298 beaches tracked·Updated daily · 6 AM PT
Coastal Bulletin
13 current advisories for the SoCal coast
Current advisories
Serious coastal flooding in Orange County and San Diego through ThursdayHazard · Orange County · San Diego · Until Oct 29, 1:00 PM
Ventura closes the beach near Surfer's KnollHazard · Ventura County · Until Oct 31, 11:59 PM
State of emergency: California is bracing for a record El Niño winterHazard · San Diego · Orange County · Los Angeles County · Ventura County · Santa Barbara · San Luis Obispo · Catalina Island · Channel Islands · Until Mar 31, 1:00 AM
Ventura closes the beach near Surfer's KnollHazard · Ventura County · Until Oct 31, 11:59 PMState of emergency: California is bracing for a record El Niño winterHazard · San Diego · Orange County · Los Angeles County · Ventura County · Santa Barbara · San Luis Obispo · Catalina Island · Channel Islands · Until Mar 31, 1:00 AMFrom the community
La Jolla ShoresWildlife sighting
I went snorkeling off the marine room and saw multiple fish (including several yellowtails), lobsters, a moray eel, and a sea turtle. This is the best visibility I have… Read more
Observed Oct 18 · Posted 11:21 PMReply
Ocean Oracle Pro
See what Pro includesWest Coast · coastal regions
20 live regions across California, Oregon and Washington, from San Diego up to Cape Flattery and the San Juan Islands. Click any region to find a beach, or jump to a state.
CompletedHold Shift and scroll the mouse to zoom
How we forecast visibility
Three inputs, one number. We pull satellite, model, and on-the-ground data every morning — with midday wind refreshes — and blend them into a daily visibility-in-feet score for every beach we track.
01
Satellite Chlorophyll
NOAA CoastWatch VIIRS imagery gives us chlorophyll-a in mg/m³ every 24 hours. Low chlorophyll means clean oceanic water is pushing inshore. Readings around 1 mg/m³ and above usually mean a green-out.
02
Wave + Wind Models
The Open-Meteo marine and weather models give us swell with the early morning refresh, and wind twice more through the day. Big swell stirs the bottom, and sustained onshore wind drags surface particulate. Both crash visibility within hours.
03
Diver Reports
Diver reports come in from JustGetWet, ScubaBoard, Spearboard, and our own pinged-in reports. We weight recency heavily, since a 6 a.m. report from this morning beats a model any day.
Visibility scaleMeasured in feet of horizontal sight.
0–5 ft · PoorBlackwater. Not worth the drive.
5–10 ft · FairMurky. OK for shorelining.
10–15 ft · GoodThe average SoCal day. Drop in.
15–20 ft · ExcellentClear water. Well worth the drive.
20–30+ ft · PerfectThe kind of day you rearrange your week for.
Ocean Oracle
7-day forecast · La Jolla Cove
This is a sample of what every beach page looks like for Pro members. Free users see today; Pro unlocks days 2–7. Customize your watchlist and get email notifications when the seven-day forecast detects good visibility days coming up.
Sample week · Pro members get hour-by-hour.
Today · Fri
Jul 3
26 ft
Perfect
Glassy morning; sea lions active.
Sat
Jul 4
24 ft
Perfect
Holiday crowds; still clear.
Sun
Jul 5
18 ft
Excellent
Light south swell builds.
Mon
Jul 6
12 ft
Good
Plankton bloom drifts in.
Tue
Jul 7
8 ft
Fair
Bloom peaks; murky pockets.
Wed
Jul 8
16 ft
Excellent
Bloom clears out.
Thu
Jul 9
22 ft
Perfect
Clean oceanic water returns.
Latest from Nautical News
Nautical journalism consisting of spearfishing stories, new legislation, ocean-related climate updates, interesting marine species, and many more kinds of ocean stories.
whales · entanglement
One Whale Freed Off San Clemente, and the El Niño Math Pushing West Coast Entanglements Toward a Record
Rescuers cut a young humpback loose near the San Clemente Pier on October 18. It was 1 of 46 confirmed whale entanglements on the West Coast this year, 4 short of the record set during the last big El Niño, and NOAA expects this one to be stronger.
October 27, 2026 · 10 min read
shark closure · white shark
Circling at Tower 16: An Adult White Shark Closes 2 Miles of Huntington Beach's Water
A foilboarder's report of a 10 to 12 foot white shark off Lifeguard Tower 16 shut the water from Seapoint Street to the Huntington Beach Pier for a day, as the director of the Cal State Long Beach Shark Lab says the El Niño shark season could run well into December.
October 15, 2026 · 6 min read
El Niño · California
Warm Water Rising: California Declares an Emergency as a Potentially Record El Niño Takes Hold
Governor Gavin Newsom's September 21 proclamation mobilizes state resources as NOAA gives the developing event better than a 90 percent chance of turning very strong, and a pulse of warm ocean water due on the California coast by October is expected to lift sea level by roughly a foot.
September 22, 2026 · 14 min read
Ocean Oracle ProGain the Power
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Ocean Oracle sees the future. Get 7-day visibility forecasts for every beach, alerts when a prime day is coming, and a dive log that remembers every dive.
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Pelagiscape Offshore Map
One full-screen map of the water off all of California: satellite water clarity and temperature, temperature breaks, seafloor shading, depth lines, surface kelp, Marine Protected Areas, currents, wind, and swell. Save your spots as pins and get an email when a temperature break comes near them.
7-Day Forecasts
Visibility predictions for the entire week ahead at any beach. Plan dives, schedule charters, and book trips without guessing.
Prime-Day Alerts
When a beach on your watchlist is running good water, or the week ahead shows a good day coming, Ocean Oracle emails you. A prime window never slips past.
Dive Log
Every entry freezes that day's report: visibility, tide, swell, wind. Log catches, stamp Personal Bests, level up your guns, and light up your species life list.
Front-Page Oracle
The Coastal Bulletin greets members with the clearest water on the coast today and their own watchlist, before a single click.
Watchlists
Track your favorite beaches in one place. Forecasts and alerts for everywhere you dive.
Spot Strategies
A members-only board on every beach where taking fish is legal: how other members hunt the spot, with the gear, tide, season, and target species. Post your own and earn XP.
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Ocean Oracle Pro Featureincluded in your subscription
Watchlist Alerts
We watch your beaches.
You get an email when the water's worth it.
Watchlist the spots you actually dive and Ocean Oracle keeps checking them for you. When one is running Good visibility of 10 ft or better, or the 7-day forecast sees a good day coming, an email lands in your inbox. Pro members only.
The Ichthyopedia (coming soon)
A field guide built around the SoCal target list. It covers range maps, legal sizes, behavioral notes, and the holes they hold in.
[ illus. ]
Yellowtail
Seriola lalandi
In season
[ illus. ]
White Seabass
Atractoscion nobilis
In season
[ illus. ]
Calico Bass
Paralabrax clathratus
Year-round
[ illus. ]
Sheephead
Semicossyphus pulcher
Year-round
[ illus. ]
CA Halibut
Paralichthys californicus
Closes Jun
[ illus. ]
Spiny Lobster
Panulirus interruptus
Closed