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NauticalNickVisibility Report

Fairbank Point

San Luis Obispo · San Luis Obispo County · California

Spearfishing here is conditional
The short answer is Legal · SMRMA. The exact rule, who enforces it, and what it covers are written out in the field notes below.
Diver reports today · zones from today’s forecast

Visibility Breakdown

Updated through the day · times PT

Visibility by position

Post Break
headline zone
2ft
today’s forecast
Open Water
2ft
today’s forecast

Solid = diver report · outlined = today's forecast

Cross-section from the sand out to open water, split into 2 visibility zones: Post Break (0-200 ft from shore), Open Water (200+ ft from shore).
Shore
Post Break
0-200 ft from shore
Open Water
200+ ft from shore

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
Good · lot
Spearfishing
Legal · SMRMA
Difficulty
Intermediate
Popular activities
Scuba · Wildlife
Today's forecast

Why it reads 0–4 ft

Updated 6:10 AM PT today · October 27, 2026
Moderate phytoplankton
Neutral
0.9 mg/m³
Moderate impact
Moderate swell
Hurts vis
3.9 ft
Moderate swell
Short-period chop
Hurts vis
5.0 s
Minor chop
Light wind
Neutral
8 kt
Moderate wind

Today's forecast runs

6 AM
2ft
Morning run
10 AM
—
Pending
1 PM
—
Pending

Dawn is the clearest window — onshore wind picks up by late morning and surface chop stirs the bottom through the afternoon.

Medium 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
0–4ft
Poor
Open Water 2 ft
Swell 4 ft at 5 s, wind 10 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
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Getting there

Map and parking

35.3516° N · 120.8460° W
Map of Fairbank Point
Address
Morro Bay State Park, State Park Road
Morro Bay, CA
Parking
Good · lot

Park at the Morro Bay Museum of Natural History on State Park Road and walk north along the bay shore to the point. The heron rookery at the point is closed to entry; the observation area beside it is not.

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

About Fairbank Point

Fairbank Point is a low point on the east side of Morro Bay, inside Morro Bay State Park and roughly a mile north of the Museum of Natural History at White Point. The state park's heron rookery stands at the point, and a privately maintained boat channel runs south from there to the state park marina basin. The bottom falls away close to shore here, which is what makes Fairbank Point the one place in Morro Bay where a shore diver reaches depth without a boat.

From the Ichthyopedia

Species found here

53 species
From the Nautilids who hunt it

Spot strategies

Ocean Oracle Pro
Unlock spot strategies
How other Nautilids actually hunt Fairbank Point: 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.

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Dive Log

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Front-Page Oracle

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