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NauticalNickVisibility Report

Imperial Beach

Imperial Beach · San Diego County · California

Spearfishing here is conditional
The short answer is Legal · not advised. The exact rule, who enforces it, and what it covers are written out in the field notes below.
Diver reports today · not a forecast

Visibility Breakdown

Updated through the day · times PT

Visibility by position

Break Zone
—
no reading yet today
Post Break
headline zone
—
no reading yet today
Open Water
—
no reading yet today
Cross-section from the sand out to open water, split into 3 visibility zones: Break Zone (0-50 ft from shore), Post Break (50-200 ft from shore), Open Water (200+ ft from shore).
Shore
Break Zone
0-50 ft from shore
Post Break
50-200 ft from shore
Open Water
200+ ft from shore

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.

This chart shows measured diver reports only.

No measured readings today

Did you dive today?Please share the visibility to make our algorithm more accurate.

Report visibility
Entry type
Shore
Parking
Free street + pay lots
Spearfishing
Legal · not advised
Stingray risk
Medium
Water quality
Red flag: water closed Closed · Oct 27
A+ graded Aug 21
F 0.9 mi away
Difficulty
Beginner
Popular activities
Surf · Pier fishing · Swim
Today's forecast

Why it reads 2 ft

Updated 8:00 AM PT today · October 27, 2026
Active plankton bloom
Hurts vis
1.76 mg/m³
Major impact
Moderate swell
Neutral
2.5 ft
Minor swell
Short-period chop
Hurts vis
4.0 s
Moderate chop
Light wind
Helps vis
5 kt
Minor wind

High confidence

Ocean Oracle

7-Day Forecast

Days 2 to 7 are Pro

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.

Today · Tue
Oct 27
2ft
Poor
Open Water 3 ft
Swell 2 ft at 4 s, wind 2 kt at 10 AM. No rain forecast.
Wed
Oct 28
14
Good
Open Water 21 ft
Thu
Oct 29
9
Fair
Open Water 14 ft
Fri
Oct 30
16
Excellent
Open Water 24 ft
Sat
Oct 31
19
Excellent
Open Water 27 ft
Sun
Nov 1
11
Good
Open Water 17 ft
Mon
Nov 2
13
Good
Open Water 20 ft
Unlock days 2 to 7
7-day forecasts come with Ocean Oracle Pro · $5/mo
Get Ocean Oracle →
Getting there

Map and parking

32.5798° N · 117.1345° W
Map of Imperial Beach showing Seacoast Drive, the pier, and the Tijuana River mouth
Address
Imperial Beach Pier
Evergreen Ave at Seacoast Dr
Imperial Beach, CA 91932
Parking
Free street + pay lots

Free street parking on Seacoast Drive and the residential blocks east of it, plus pay lots near the pier entrance.

See the offshore water on Pelagiscape →Clarity, temperature breaks and kelp off this beach.
Field notes

About Imperial Beach

Location
California's southernmost beach city
Hazard
Tijuana River contamination closures
Bottom
Sand, no reef or kelp
Spearguns
Not within 1,000 ft of shore (city code)
Parking
Free on Seacoast Dr
Protection
Tijuana River Mouth SMCA, about 0.9 miles south of the pier

Imperial Beach is California's southernmost beach city, its shoreline running down to the US-Mexico border. The beach is long, flat, and sand-bottomed, anchored at the center by the Imperial Beach Pier at the foot of Evergreen Avenue, with the Imperial Beach Promenade running along the upper berm on Seacoast Drive. Nearly 2 miles south of the pier, the Tijuana River spills into the ocean. The Tijuana River Mouth State Marine Conservation Area begins well north of that mouth, roughly 0.9 miles below the pier, and runs south to the border.

From the Nautilids who hunt it

Spot strategies

Ocean Oracle Pro
Unlock spot strategies
How other Nautilids actually hunt Imperial Beach: the biome they worked, the gear, the tide and time of day, and what they were after.
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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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