Point Loma

Point Loma is the offshore kelp forest west of the Point Loma peninsula in San Diego. The kelp runs roughly six miles north to south, parallel to the cliff coast, beginning about 600 yards offshore and covering a band of rocky reef substrate that stretches from Sunset Cliffs Natural Park in the north down toward the Cabrillo lighthouse at the southern tip. Access is by boat only. Charters depart from Quivira Marina in Mission Bay, where Waterhorse Charters bases the Lois Ann and the Humboldt, and from Shelter Island on the San Diego Bay side. Cabrillo State Marine Reserve covers only the southernmost waters near the lighthouse, so the central and northern kelp where most charters anchor sits outside any marine protected area.

The kelp chain breaks into named sub-sites along its length. New Hope Rock is the shallowest at 20 to 35 feet, a single boulder rising near the surface. Goal Posts works scattered rocky structure at 45 to 50 feet. Green Tank, named for a green water tank visible on the hillside above, sits at 15 to 55 feet. Sewage Pipe, south of Green Tank and closer to the lighthouse, runs 15 to 50 feet over complex ledges and boulder piles. Deeper still, the Sea Cliffs, Three-Fingers Reef, and 7 Fathoms work the 65 to 100 foot range below the kelp canopy.

The kelp anchors to the rocky bottom and grows up through the water column to the surface, making the heart of the site a kelp forest biome. Between the kelp patches and along the deeper edges of the chain, bare rock structure stands without a canopy on top of it, a rocky reef biome distinct from the kelp. Above and outside the canopy, the open water column where migratory species pass north and south along the coast is a pelagic biome.

Spearfishing, scuba, and freediving carry most of the use, and Point Loma is the headline boat-access dive site of San Diego County. Hook-and-line fishing from charter and private boats is common alongside the diving. Snorkeling from a boat in the canopy happens on calm days but is uncommon as a primary activity, and surfing is absent because the site sits well offshore. Visibility averages around 30 feet and tracks plankton blooms from coldwater upwelling; the right current direction can flush bay water out and clean the water within hours. Currents pick up around the southern tip near the lighthouse, especially at 7 Fathoms and through the Sewage Pipe area, while the northern sites stay calmer.

Working depths run from about 20 feet at New Hope Rock to 100 feet at the deeper Sea Cliffs structures. The shallow kelp sites are approachable for newer divers, while the deeper Sea Cliffs sites and the southern current zones lean toward intermediate experience. Swell sensitivity is moderate because the kelp dampens the surface, though offshore exposure renders the site undivable during major winter northwest swell events. Fishing and spearfishing are legal here under standard California regulations.