Newport South Jetty

Newport South Jetty runs along the south side of the mouth of Yaquina Bay in Newport, projecting out into the channel that connects the bay to the open Pacific. Five rock-pile breakwater structures, called the Fingers, stick out perpendicular from the main jetty into the channel. The First through Third Fingers, closest to shore, are the recommended dives; the Fourth and Fifth face stronger current and see fewer divers, though the Fifth reaches the deepest water at 30 to 40 feet. Past them, the Jetty Tip at the mouth of the channel is the most technically demanding of the merged sites and requires a long surface swim.

Newport is Lincoln County's fishing-industry anchor town on Yaquina Bay, and the south jetty is the best-known shore dive on the Oregon coast. The rock piles were built as part of the Army Corps improved-port framework that governs Yaquina Bay, a contrast with Alsea Bay to the south, which operates without that Corps management. Divers have worked the fingers long enough that the numbering is well established, running from the First closest to shore out to the Fifth nearest the tip.

A rocky reef biome forms along the jetty rocks over the sand channel, with a full surf zone biome across the outer face during any swell. The rocks support dense invertebrate communities and a productive fish population on the boulders. Scuba divers and spearfishermen work the site, with the Third Finger the popular starting dive for spearfishing. Visibility on a good high slack runs 15 to 20 feet on the Third Finger and reaches 30 feet on the inner side of the Jetty Tip; on a bad exchange it drops to 3 to 5 feet.

The jetty must be dived at slack tide, with a preference for high slack for better visibility, unless a diver is willing to face fierce current at the outer ends of the fingers. That safety window is not optional; the channel is a working tidal exchange between the bay and the open ocean. Paved lots along SW Jetty Way and inside South Beach State Park serve the fingers, with a state-park day-use fee around $5 and free pull-outs closer to the water. The rock scramble from lot to entry is physically demanding. No marine reserve overlaps the jetty; standard ODFW marine-zone rules govern take, and the Oregon Ocean Endorsement is required for ocean angling and spearfishing beginning January 1, 2026.