Point Pinos

Point Pinos marks the northern tip of the Monterey Peninsula, a jagged rocky point with extensive tide pools along its low shelf. Just inland stands the Point Pinos Lighthouse, lit on February 1, 1855, and the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the West Coast. The dive entry sits on the north-facing rocky shoreline just west of the lighthouse, over rock rather than sand, with nearshore depths of about 40 feet.

The exposed rock shelf and cobble bottom around the point form a rocky reef biome. Giant kelp beds anchored on that reef in the marine protected areas on either side of the point are a kelp forest biome. A green utility box on the shore marks the practical dividing line between those two MPAs. East of the box, the water falls within the Pacific Grove Marine Gardens SMCA, where recreational finfish take by any legal method except poke-pole is permitted. West of the box, the water falls within the Asilomar SMR, a no-take reserve where take of any marine resource is prohibited. Divers, spearfishers, and anglers using Point Pinos need to know which side of the utility box they are on before entering.

The entries are difficult on any day and best worked under light swell and low tide. Full open-ocean exposure sends swell in from the north, northwest, and west; currents run strong around the point; and the jagged rock at the water line offers no easy footing. The site draws intermediate and advanced scuba divers, freedivers, tidepoolers, and wildlife watchers. Parking is free street parking along Ocean View Boulevard around the point, small pullouts near the lighthouse, and a lighthouse lot with restrooms open afternoons every day except Tuesday and Wednesday. Rinsing and gear-swapping happen at Lovers Point Park or Asilomar State Beach, since Point Pinos has no dive facilities.