Nehalem Bay South Jetty

The Nehalem Bay South Jetty stands at the south side of the Nehalem River mouth in Tillamook County, reached from the Nedonna Beach neighborhood of Rockaway Beach. From US-101, Beach Street leads north through the Nedonna Beach neighborhood to a public parking area at the end of Section Line Street. The jetty itself lies roughly 1,000 feet across sand from the lot, a haul most divers make with a wheeled cart. The outer part of the jetty faces open ocean; the inner part sits inside the estuary channel. On a strong flood tide, divers who enter the estuary side can drift back well up into the Nehalem River system.

The north spit, across the channel, is Nehalem Bay State Park; the south jetty is the quieter of the two and accessed from the Rockaway Beach side. Cape Falcon Marine Reserve begins about 5 miles to the north, with its southern boundary drawn at latitude 45 degrees 44 minutes north; the jetty sits south of that line and outside the reserve.

The riprap of the jetty is a rocky reef biome, with crevice and boulder structure typical of an Oregon jetty. Where the outer face opens to swell at the mouth of the Nehalem, the same section counts as a surf zone biome, wave energy driving conditions on top of the tidal exchange. Divers use the site for scuba and spearfishing; crabbing and spearfishing are both reported as good along the outer part of the jetty.

Parking at the end of Beach Street and Section Line Street is free but limited, and the lot can fill on busy beach days. There are no restrooms at the parking area. Small-boat traffic runs the Nehalem River and passes the jetty, so a dive flag is required both on the primary dive and on any drift into the estuary. The dive works best on the high tide for the ocean side and on the slack-flood transition for the drift up into the bay. Ocean spearfishing is legal under standard Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife rules, and Oregon's 2026 Ocean Endorsement is required.