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NauticalNickVisibility Report

Sycamore Cove Beach

Point Mugu · Ventura County · California

Diver reports today · zones from today’s forecast

Visibility Breakdown

Updated through the day · times PT

Visibility by position

Post Break
headline zone
10ft
today’s forecast
Open Water
12ft
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
State lot
Spearfishing
Legal
Stingray risk
Low
Water quality
A+ · graded Oct 23
Difficulty
Beginner
Popular activities
Swim · Snorkel · Fish
Today's forecast

Why it reads 8–12 ft

Updated 6:10 AM PT today · October 27, 2026
Clean water
Helps vis
0.38 mg/m³
Moderate impact
Calm seas
Helps vis
1.6 ft
Minor swell
Light wind
Helps vis
5 kt
Minor wind

Today's forecast runs

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

Dawn is the clearest window. A late-morning onshore builds surface chop and gives up a few feet by 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
8–12ft
Good
Open Water 12 ft
Swell 1 ft at 13 s, wind 5 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
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Getting there

Map and parking

34.0700° N · 119.0126° W
Map of Sycamore Cove Beach showing the day-use area, the canyon mouth, and the rocky points
Address
9000 W Pacific Coast Hwy
Malibu, CA 90265
Parking
State lot

California State Parks lot at Sycamore Cove Beach inside Point Mugu State Park, with day-use fee. The lot opens at 8 a.m. and closes at sunset. Restrooms, showers, picnic tables, and barbecues on site. Sycamore Cove is the headquarters area for the state park; the Sycamore Canyon Campground sits across Pacific Coast Highway inland.

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

About Sycamore Cove Beach

Sycamore Cove Beach is the headquarters beach for Point Mugu State Park, set at the mouth of Sycamore Canyon on Pacific Coast Highway about 32 miles north of Santa Monica. The cove runs roughly a third of a mile long, with a sand pocket bracketed by low rocky points at each end. The day-use area inland of the sand carries restrooms, showers, picnic tables, and barbecues, and lifeguards are on duty through the summer. Across Pacific Coast Highway, the Sycamore Canyon Campground sits inland, connected to the beach by a tunnel under the highway. The Backbone Trail and the broader Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area trail network start on the campground side.

From the Nautilids who hunt it

Spot strategies

Ocean Oracle Pro
Unlock spot strategies
How other Nautilids actually hunt Sycamore Cove Beach: 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

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Dive Log

Every entry freezes that day's report: visibility, tide, swell, wind. Log catches, stamp Personal Bests, level up your guns, and light up your species life list.

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