Red Coral Reef
San Luis Obispo · San Luis Obispo County · California
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Updated 11:15 PM PT today · September 11, 2026The clarity holds through the day, with a light afternoon onshore the only disturbance to the entry shallows.
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35.247° N · 120.917° W
San Luis Obispo County, CA
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Open in Apple MapsAbout Red Coral Reef
Red Coral Reef is an offshore dive site inside the Point Buchon State Marine Reserve, about three-quarters of a mile northwest of Point Buchon Pinnacles. The site takes its name from the dense colonies of cold-water California hydrocoral, commonly called red coral, that cover the rock here. Two large rocks sit next to each other, each rising roughly 30 feet from the surrounding floor, with a deep crevasse between them. Access is boat-only, roughly 8 miles south of Morro Bay Harbor.
The two rocks and the crevasse between them give the site significant vertical relief, and the hard rock surfaces under the hydrocoral colonies are the rocky reef biome. The open water around and above the structure, where larger fish and seasonal pelagic species transit, is a pelagic biome.
Scuba is the only activity. Currents are strong, and the offshore exposure puts it out of reach on any moderate swell. The depth and conditions place it outside the range of novice divers.
The Point Buchon State Marine Reserve covers the entire site, and take has been prohibited inside the reserve since its establishment. Hook-and-line fishing and spearfishing are illegal at Red Coral Reef.
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 GlossarySnorkel Species Report
Nearby beaches
Kelp Forest
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