Red Coral Reef
San Luis Obispo · San Luis Obispo County · California
Visibility Breakdown
Visibility by position
Solid = diver report · outlined = today's forecast
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.
Did you dive today?Please share the visibility to make our algorithm more accurate.
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Coastal Bulletin
About Red Coral Reef
Why it reads 16–20 ft
Today's forecast runs
The clarity holds through the day, with a light afternoon onshore the only disturbance to the entry shallows.
Medium confidence
7-Day Forecast
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.
Map and parking
San Luis Obispo County, CA
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See the offshore water on Pelagiscape →Clarity, temperature breaks and kelp off this beach.
About 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.
Species found here
Researched habitat and range candidates. A listed species may be seasonal or depth-limited; this is not a confirmed sighting at this location.
Kelp Forest
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