Abalone Cove
Rancho Palos Verdes · Los Angeles County · California
Visibility Breakdown
Visibility by position
Solid = diver report · outlined = our reading
Break Zone: The range of water where the waves break and sediment is stirred up.
Post Break: The range past where any waves are forming, where the water starts to have a significant increase in visibility. There might be some sediment here, but swell energy is diffused and the water is calmer.
Open Water: This zone is far out enough from the shore that the water is at its clearest. It’s deep enough that sediment is not disturbed by the wave energy at the surface. Haze can sit near the surface, so the water is usually clearer the deeper you go.
Through the day
Today's visibility readings at this spot, shown at the hour each one was taken.
Every bar is a reading for the Post Break zone.
✓ = reading reviewed by hand
auto = reading not yet reviewed by hand
Did you dive today?Please share the visibility to make our algorithm more accurate.
Report visibility
Why it reads 7–11 ft
Medium confidence
7-Day Forecast
Today is the live headline above. Tomorrow onward is the algorithm's forecast from predicted swell, wind, and rain, updated each morning and at 6 PM Pacific.
Map and parking
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA 90275
Paid lot at 5970 Palos Verdes Drive South, open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., credit or debit only, with the first 30 minutes free, $6 up to two hours, and $12 beyond; seniors 62 and older and disabled visitors park free. The bluff-top park and lot remain open even while the beach access is closed.
Google Maps ↗
Apple Maps ↗
See the offshore water on Pelagiscape →Clarity, temperature breaks and kelp off this beach.
About Abalone Cove
Abalone Cove sits on the Palos Verdes Peninsula at the toe of the Portuguese Bend Landslide, one of the most closely monitored active landslides in North America. The cove faces south and is bracketed by Portuguese Point on the east and Inspiration Point on the west, which shelter it from most of the prevailing swell and make it one of the calmer entries on this stretch of coast. Sacred Cove, the smaller pocket beach tucked behind Portuguese Point, sits within the same 109-acre Abalone Cove Shoreline Park and Ecological Reserve. Its name recalls the abalone once harvested here in commercial quantity, before the statewide fishery collapse. The rocky intertidal shelf at the base of the bluff is one of the best-documented tidepool areas in Los Angeles County, and much of the reserve was designated for its protection.
Biomes here
Species found here
Researched habitat and range candidates. A listed species may be seasonal or depth-limited; this is not a confirmed sighting at this location.
Spot strategies
Surf Zone
Ocean Oracle ProGain the Power
of the Oracle.
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.
Free shows you what the ocean looks like today. Ocean Oracle shows you the week ahead, watches your beaches for you, and remembers every dive.
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.
Visibility predictions for the entire week ahead at any beach. Plan dives, schedule charters, and book trips without guessing.
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.
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.
The Coastal Bulletin greets members with the clearest water on the coast today and their own watchlist, before a single click.
Track your favorite beaches in one place. Forecasts and alerts for everywhere you dive.
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.
See the future. Dive on the right days.