Boiler Bay

Boiler Bay lies immediately north of Depoe Bay, tucked behind basalt bluffs at Boiler Bay State Scenic Viewpoint on US-101 and framed on the south by Government Point at Boiler Bay State Wayside. Both sides look at the same water and share the same protected boundary, so Government Point works as the southern access to the bay. The dive is a shore entry down from the bluff at low tide onto exposed rocky reef, with offshore structure at Government Mound reserved for boats.

The bay takes its name from a schooner wreck. On May 18, 1910, the 175-foot J. Marhoffer was run aground here after an engine-room fire spread and her fuel tanks exploded. The 12-foot-diameter boiler that gave the bay its name still rests on the bay floor, and can be spotted from the bluff or the low-tide shoreline during exceptional negative tides. For decades the state has managed the scenic overlook above the wreck.

The bay is a rocky reef biome bordered on the shoreward side by a surf zone biome. That reef is what the scuba divers and spearfishermen who make the walk-down come for. Regional visibility runs about 5 to 10 feet in the Depoe Bay stretch, and water temperature ranges from 45 to 65 degrees Fahrenheit across the seasons.

Parking is a free paved lot at Boiler Bay State Scenic Viewpoint, with picnic tables and interpretive signage but no restrooms. The rocky, exposed shoreline and long walk-down make the entry advanced, and the state parks page cautions against attempting it at anything but a favorable low tide. Take of shellfish and other invertebrates within the intertidal is prohibited inside the Boiler Bay Marine Research Area and enforced by ODFW, except for clams, Dungeness crab, red rock crab, mussels, piddocks, scallops, and shrimp, and sport fishing is permitted. The Oregon Ocean Endorsement is required for ocean angling and spearfishing beginning January 1, 2026.