Otter Cove

Otter Cove sits on the northwest-facing shore of Pacific Grove, southeast of Point Pinos and a short walk north of Lovers Point Park along Ocean View Boulevard. The cove has 3 sets of stairs down to the water, and the western entries drop over shallow rocky beaches best crossed at high tide when the barnacled cobble is submerged. Depths run from about 10 to 40 feet, with eelgrass near shore grading into sandier bottom on the east side and a rockier, kelp-covered bottom on the west. The cove takes its name from the resident southern sea otters in the kelp mat offshore.

The bare rock and consolidated bottom on the west side of the cove form a rocky reef biome. Giant kelp beds anchored on that reef and stretching across into the east side make this a kelp forest biome. The Pacific Grove Marine Gardens SMCA extends offshore to 151 feet along this shore, though the shore diver reaching from Otter Cove typically works the shallower reef and kelp. Scuba, snorkeling, and freediving are the main uses, and sea otter viewing draws use from the bluff at Perkins Park immediately above.

Parking is free 2-hour street parking on Ocean View Boulevard and a small lot on the north end of the cove. There are no restrooms at the entry, and the nearest facilities are at Lovers Point Park. Recreational finfish take by any legal method except poke-pole is permitted within the Pacific Grove Marine Gardens SMCA, so spearfishing is allowed; invertebrate take is prohibited.