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NauticalNickVisibility Report

The Coastal Bulletin

What is happening on Southern California beaches right now. Official notices come from the National Weather Service, county health departments, ocean observing programs, and our own data. Community posts come from divers and swimmers who were standing there.

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Hazard · Coastal flooding · Orange County · San Diego

Serious coastal flooding in Orange County and San Diego through Thursday

Published for Oct 26 · Ended Oct 27

Coastal Flood Warning from the National Weather Service, in effect for Orange County and San Diego until Thursday 1:00 PM. Significant coastal flooding expected. Numerous roads may be closed. Low lying property including homes, businesses, and some critical infrastructure will be inundated.

General photo of Orange County
General photo of Orange County. It does not depict this event.
From Nautical Nick dataSource: NWS San Diego CA
Hazard: Serious coastal flooding in Orange County and San Diego through ThursdayHazard: Ventura closes the beach near Surfer's KnollHazard: State of emergency: California is bracing for a record El Niño winter

Community posts · All regions

38 posts in the last 60 days

Monday, October 19th

d-fitfsOcean Oracle Pro
Mission BeachConditions report
Observed Oct 19 · Posted 11:00 PM

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 worse. Only small lobster near the edge.

Sunday, October 18th

CoreyMyDudeOcean Oracle ProTrusted Reporter
Linked post
La Jolla ShoresWildlife sighting
Observed Oct 18 · Posted 11:21 PM

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 ever experienced at the Shores. Everybody should get out there right now!

SoCalDiverTrusted Reporter
La Jolla ShoresConditions report
Observed Oct 18 · Posted 8:28 PM

Absolutely amazing conditions at the shores today. Visibility was off the charts good! Never seen it this clear in my 14yrs of diving at the shores. Visibility did drop a little when we dropped into the secret garden at 125fsw. I would say vis at that depth was about 30. Went paddle boarding after the dive in the Marine room and said hello to the local sea turtles.

casey_coleOcean Oracle ProAmbassadorTrusted Reporter
La Jolla ShoresWildlife sighting
Observed Oct 18 · Posted 11:56 AM

Spotted three green sea turtles this morning near the edge of the la jolla shores canyon! 💚

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Saturday, October 17th

NauticalNickCaptainOcean Oracle ProTrusted Reporter
La Jolla ShoresBioluminescence
Observed Oct 17 · Posted 3:46 PM

Bioluminescence spotted in the waves at La Jolla shores last night

Photo 1 of 1 posted with this report

Friday, October 16th

casey_coleOcean Oracle ProAmbassadorTrusted Reporter
La Jolla ShoresWildlife sighting
Observed Oct 16 · Posted 7:03 PM

The octopus saga continues at LJ Shores! Between morning and afternoon, I spotted at least 10 today! 🐙

Photo 1 of 4 posted with this reportPhoto 2 of 4 posted with this reportPhoto 3 of 4 posted with this reportPhoto 4 of 4 posted with this report
NauticalNickCaptainOcean Oracle ProTrusted Reporter
Mission BayBioluminescence
Observed Oct 16 · Posted 9:19 AM

Bioluminescence is back, very strong last night October 15th.

Photo 1 of 1 posted with this report

Wednesday, October 14th

NauticalNickCaptainOcean Oracle ProTrusted Reporter
La Jolla ShoresBioluminescence
Observed Oct 14 · Posted Oct 15 at 11:52 AM

Bioluminescence last night at La Jolla beaches

Photo 1 of 1 posted with this report

Sunday, October 11th

NauticalNickCaptainOcean Oracle ProTrusted Reporter
Mission BayBioluminescence
Observed Oct 11 · Posted Oct 12 at 12:01 PM

Bioluminescence in mission bay, and fish are the ones playing in it. Credit: @erikjepsen on instagram

Photo 1 of 2 posted with this reportPhoto 2 of 2 posted with this report

Saturday, October 10th

NauticalNickCaptainOcean Oracle ProTrusted Reporter
Mission BayBioluminescence
Observed Oct 10 · Posted Oct 11 at 11:48 AM

Bioluminescent fireworms

Photo 1 of 1 posted with this report

Friday, October 9th

NauticalNickCaptainOcean Oracle ProTrusted Reporter
Laguna Main BeachKing tide
Observed Oct 9 · Posted 10:21 PM

Hurricane swell + kelvin wave tides = flooding in laguna Credit: @thewatsons_7 on insta

Photo 1 of 2 posted with this reportPhoto 2 of 2 posted with this report
NauticalNickCaptainOcean Oracle ProTrusted Reporter
Orange CountyWildlife sighting
Observed Oct 9 · Posted 3:37 PM

Elephant Seal seen 1 mile off dana point Credit: @drewmurphs on instagram

Photo 1 of 1 posted with this report

Thursday, October 8th

SoCalDiverTrusted Reporter
La Jolla ShoresConditions report
Observed Oct 8 · Posted Oct 9 at 2:52 PM

Beach dive a the shores and went out to the North Wall at about 5:30pm. Visibility was a solid 20ft with an abundance of lobster with several large lobsters in the mix as well as lots of local sheepshead and other species hanging around. Water temp at North Wall was 68 degrees at 78ft. Also hit the secret garden and the water temp dropped slightly to 64 degrees at 100ft.

Wednesday, October 7th

NauticalNickCaptainOcean Oracle ProTrusted Reporter
Mission BayBioluminescence
Observed Oct 7 · Posted 6:03 AM

Strong bioluminescence still in mission bay. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DeLwvrQyqLf/?stkn=Ymg0N2hjZ2I0d244 Fireworm photo: Mariana Rocha De Souza (San Diego Snorkel Report)

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Tuesday, October 6th

NauticalNickCaptainOcean Oracle ProTrusted Reporter
Mission BayBioluminescence
Observed Oct 6 · Posted 9:53 PM

Bioluminescent fireworms at mission bay now in addition to regular dinoflagellate bioluminescence. The both creates this beautiful sight. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DeLMyw8hUGS/?stkn=ZWp2ODdhMDZuMHB0

Photo 1 of 2 posted with this reportPhoto 2 of 2 posted with this report

Friday, October 2nd

NauticalNickCaptainOcean Oracle ProTrusted Reporter
Mission BayBioluminescence
Observed Oct 2 · Posted 3:30 AM

Still very strong bioluminescence in the bay. The best spot is being reported as Ski Beach.

Photo 1 of 1 posted with this report

Wednesday, September 30th

NauticalNickCaptainOcean Oracle ProTrusted Reporter
Laguna Main BeachWildlife sighting
Observed Sep 30 · Posted Oct 2 at 4:40 PM

Orca spotted in Laguna beach! Source: https://m.facebook.com/groups/DanaPointUnplugged/permalink/3736888089844133/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Photo 1 of 1 posted with this report
NauticalNickCaptainOcean Oracle ProTrusted Reporter
Mission BayBioluminescence
Observed Sep 30 · Posted 8:20 PM

Another night of very strong bioluminescence at mission bay. People are reporting it’s concentrated in deeper water, about 100 feet from shore. If you go to fiesta island you can get to deeper water without having to swim out as far.

Photo 1 of 1 posted with this report

Tuesday, September 29th

NauticalNickCaptainOcean Oracle ProTrusted Reporter
Mission Point ParkWildlife sighting
Observed Sep 29 · Posted 3:49 PM

An Orca whale was spotted in the shallow water of Mission Point Park, Mission bay, San Diego. This happened in the morning. The observer stated that the orca swam around the bay for a bit then left through the channel. This is likely a tropical orca, which have been moving up to SoCal due to El Niño overheating their home range. Credit: Casey Cole on Facebook.

Photo 1 of 1 posted with this report
NauticalNickCaptainOcean Oracle ProTrusted Reporter
Mission BayBioluminescence
Observed Sep 29 · Posted 12:47 AM

Bioluminescence at 8pm, 9.28 Specifically Fiesta Island of Mission Bay

Photo 1 of 1 posted with this report

Monday, September 28th

NauticalNickCaptainOcean Oracle ProTrusted Reporter
Mission BayBioluminescence
Observed Sep 28 · Posted 11:08 PM

Bioluminescence in mission bay still! Looks really strong. Glad to see it hasn’t faded. Link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dd3B9sIJvgM/?stkn=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Photo 1 of 1 posted with this report

Sunday, September 27th

naielle
Mission BeachBioluminescence
Observed Sep 27 · Posted 4:52 AM

bio luminescence at Crownpoint Shores this morning at 4 AM

Photo 1 of 1 posted with this report

Saturday, September 26th

NauticalNickCaptainOcean Oracle ProTrusted Reporter
Mission BayBioluminescence
Observed Sep 26 · Posted Sep 27 at 4:58 PM

Bioluminescence again in mission bay. Really strong too. Link to video: https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=936464702420026&id=100065040300112&mibextid=wwXIfr

Photo 1 of 2 posted with this reportPhoto 2 of 2 posted with this report
CoreyMyDudeOcean Oracle ProTrusted Reporter
Catalina IslandWildlife sighting
Observed Sep 26 · Posted Sep 27 at 11:28 AM

At Lover’s Cove I saw a sea turtle, a couple of kelp fish, and a ton of lobsters. There are still plenty of fish in lovers Cove even though there aren’t too many at casino point due to the kelp being dead from the El Niño. There usually isn’t kelp at lovers cove, so the fish weren’t very affected.

Thursday, September 24th

NauticalNickCaptainOcean Oracle ProTrusted Reporter
Mission BayBioluminescence
Observed Sep 24 · Posted Sep 25 at 9:51 AM

Bioluminescence in Mission bay again last night. Thursday 9/24

Photo 1 of 1 posted with this report

Wednesday, September 23rd

NauticalNickCaptainOcean Oracle ProTrusted Reporter
Mission BayBioluminescence
Observed Sep 23 · Posted Sep 24 at 7:46 PM

Bioluminescence reported on Wednesday the 23rd. Fainter than on the 22nd.

Photo 1 of 1 posted with this report

Tuesday, September 22nd

NauticalNickCaptainOcean Oracle ProTrusted Reporter
Mission BayBioluminescence
Observed Sep 22 · Posted Sep 24 at 7:40 PM

Bioluminescence in mission bay! This was on Tuesday 9/22. https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTyLPdS4G/

Photo 1 of 1 posted with this report

Saturday, September 19th

NauticalNickCaptainOcean Oracle ProTrusted Reporter
Mission BayBioluminescence
Observed Sep 19 · Posted Sep 20 at 10:57 AM

Bioluminescent fireworms are being reported in mission bay on the local Facebook groups! For anyone wondering what those are, they're a type of seaworm, roughly 1.2 inches, that typically live on the seafloor of bays. On rare occasions at night they perform a mating ritual where the females release a glowing trail behind them and swim around in tight circles. The display only lasts 30 min.

Photo 1 of 1 posted with this report

Friday, September 18th

NauticalNickCaptainOcean Oracle ProTrusted Reporter
Mission BayBioluminescence
Observed Sep 18 · Posted Sep 20 at 7:09 PM

Bioluminescence in mission bay! Credit: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DdX5xc2BIC9/?stkn=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Photo 1 of 1 posted with this report
erymanthian_boarTrusted Reporter
Point LomaWildlife gathering in the water
Observed Sep 18 · Posted 11:13 PM

🌅 El Nino Sighting: Dozens of mobular rays off Point Loma Peninsula! My buddy and I took his boat out to a few spots today to find mobular rays after seeing it on the news. Only saw them near Point Loma, about a half mile offshore from Cabrillo Monument. We saw SO MANY. And they were breaching like crazy! And we also saw a TON of flying fish!

Photo 1 of 1 posted with this report
NauticalNickCaptainOcean Oracle ProTrusted Reporter
La Jolla CoveSomething else
Observed Sep 18 · Posted 1:10 PM

Kelp forest died off due to el nino. Kelp can't withstand the warmer temperatures. People are reporting the whole kelpforest off of la jolla cove died off.

Wednesday, September 16th

NauticalNickCaptainOcean Oracle ProTrusted Reporter
Casino Point Dive ParkSomething else
Observed Sep 16 · Posted Sep 18 at 1:12 PM

Kelp Forest Die Off: The sustained high ocean temperatures in august and september have been too high for kelp. A whole lot of the kelp on catalina island has died off.

Saturday, September 12th

NauticalNickCaptainOcean Oracle ProTrusted Reporter
San Diego CountyRed tide or discolored water
Observed Sep 12 · Posted 10:47 AM

Phytoplankton bloom. Green water. It’s decent visibility though regardless

Friday, September 11th

NauticalNickCaptainOcean Oracle ProTrusted Reporter
Torrey Pines State BeachHazard
Observed Sep 11 · Posted 4:57 PM

🚨 Rip tides and strong currents at Torrey pines. Lifeguards posted warning signs not to swim. I swam anyway and got stuck in one and had a tough time getting out. The waves were big too - and I kept getting sucked back into crashing waves when I was trying to get out. Watch out!

Thursday, September 10th

Kylesmarie
La Jolla ShoresShark sighting
Observed Sep 10 · Posted Sep 17 at 9:10 PM

Massive amount of leopard sharks and one hammerhead spotted close to shore!

Photo 1 of 2 posted with this reportPhoto 2 of 2 posted with this report

Wednesday, September 9th

NauticalNickCaptainOcean Oracle ProTrusted Reporter
MalibuShark sighting
Observed Sep 9 · Posted Sep 16 at 2:23 PM

A whale shark was spotted off of Malibu by @ryderdevoe on Instagram. It was far offshore, between Malibu and Santa Barbara Island. This El Niño is bringing all kinds of strange tropical sea creatures to SoCal!

Photo 1 of 1 posted with this report

Sunday, September 6th

NauticalNickCaptainOcean Oracle ProTrusted Reporter
San Diego CountyRed tide or discolored water
Observed Sep 6 · Posted 11:02 AM

Phytoplankton bloom. Water has been dark green for a couple days. Z

Saturday, August 29th

NauticalNickCaptainOcean Oracle ProTrusted Reporter
La Jolla ShoresShark sighting
Observed Aug 29 · Posted Aug 31 at 2:59 PM

Thresher shark sighting reported off of la jolla shores, swimming over the edge of the canyon. The reporter, local diver Stephen Wright, posted pictures and videos of the sighting to the San Diego Dive Report Facebook group. Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/897456667743935/permalink/2268186337337621/

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