Constantine Buoy
San Luis Obispo · San Luis Obispo County · California
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Updated 6:00 AM PT todayThe clarity holds through the day, with a light afternoon onshore the only disturbance to the entry shallows.
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35.444° N · 120.932° W
San Luis Obispo County, CA
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Open in Apple MapsAbout Constantine Buoy
Constantine Buoy is a green can navigational buoy roughly half a mile offshore north of Cayucos, marking an extensive reef structure with a wide footprint of rocky relief, large boulders, and bull kelp anchored on the rock. Depths run from about 20 feet on the kelp-covered shoals to 60 feet on the deeper rocks. Access is by boat or kayak from Morro Bay Harbor, or by kayak surf-launched from Cayucos State Beach.
Bull and giant kelp anchored on the rocky reef and growing up through the water column to the surface make this a kelp forest biome. The large boulders and the bare-rock structure between the kelp patches form a rocky reef biome. The open water around the reef, used by transiting larger fish and seasonal pelagic species, is a pelagic biome.
Spearfishing drives most traffic here. Forgiving depth, dense kelp, and a long record of large fish have made the buoy a regular destination for Morro Bay and Cayucos spearfishers, and scuba diving and wildlife photography in the kelp are common as well. Currents are moderate, the kelp tames most swell, and the site turns uncomfortable only on a building day.
No MPA covers this site. Hook-and-line fishing and spearfishing are legal under standard California regulations.
Kelp Forest
The kelp forest biome is giant kelp anchored to rocky bottom and growing up through the water column. The canopy and stipes form a three-dimensional habitat that shelters fish, invertebrates, and the predators that hunt them. Learn more about this biome and the species found in it by clicking the link below.
Learn more in the Biome Glossary
Rocky Reef
The rocky reef biome is bare rock, boulder, and cobble structure without a kelp canopy above it. The hard relief and its crevices shelter invertebrates and reef fish, and the structure concentrates life that the surrounding sand cannot hold. Learn more about this biome and the species found in it by clicking the link below.
Learn more in the Biome Glossary
Pelagic
The pelagic biome is open water away from the bottom and from structure. It is the realm of fast, schooling fish and the large predators that follow them in from deeper water. Learn more about this biome and the species found in it by clicking the link below.
Learn more in the Biome GlossaryTarget Fish Species
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