MontereyCoral Street
Coral Street Otter Cove
Pacific Grove, Monterey Bay, California
Directions to the entryParking
Moderate WNW wind swell, reaching it nearly full strength: expect noticeable surge in the channel.
High confidence
High confidence: Based on a buoy reading 45 min ago; the forecast has been matching the buoy closely.
Buoy 46236 reading 11:00 AM (48 min ago)Forecast issued Tue, Oct 13, 11:27 AM PDT
Right now
Rough: 4 ft of wind swell at 9 s from the WNW (Monterey Canyon buoy), hitting this site nearly full strength; plus 3 ft at 15 s from the W; light wind.
- Waves here
- 3.3ft estimated
- Buoy swell
- 3.6ft buoy 46236
- Period
- 9s
- From
- WNW 293°
- Wind
- 6kt light
- Tide
- 5.5ft
- Water
- 63°F buoy 46236
- Air
- 58°F
"Waves here" is estimated from the buoy and this site's exposure; the buoys are offshore. Wind and air are the NWS forecast for this hour.
When should I dive?
Today
Rough→ steadyNow and the rest of today's daylight, roughest hour shown. Rated at 11:44 AM.
Rough: 4 ft of wind swell at 9 s from the WNW (Monterey Canyon buoy), hitting this site nearly full strength; plus 3 ft at 15 s from the W; light wind.
High confidence
High confidence: Based on a buoy reading 48 min ago; the forecast has been matching the buoy closely.
- Waves here
- 3.3ft
- Buoy swell
- 3.6ft
- Period
- 9s
- Wind
- 6ktlight
High 1:18 AM, 4 ftLow 5:55 AM, 2.7 ftHigh 12:02 PM, 5.5 ftLow 7:26 PM, 0.1 ft
Wed, Oct 14
Mediocre→ steady7 to 11 AM dive window, roughest hour shown. Rated at 7:00 AM.
Mediocre: 2 ft at 14 s from the W (Monterey Canyon buoy), hitting this site nearly full strength, long period so the surge runs deep; plus 2 ft at 6 s from the WNW; plus 2 ft at 16 s from the SSW; 8 kt cross-shore wind.
Medium confidence
Medium confidence: A forecast about 19 hours ahead; the forecast has been matching the buoy closely.
- Waves here
- 2.8ft
- Buoy swell
- 2.4ft
- Period
- 14s
- Wind
- 8ktcross-shore
High 2:20 AM, 3.8 ftLow 6:24 AM, 3 ftHigh 12:33 PM, 5.3 ftLow 8:15 PM, 0.3 ft
Thu, Oct 15
Good→ steadyBest day this week7 to 11 AM dive window, roughest hour shown. Rated at 7:00 AM.
Good: 2 ft at 13 s from the WNW (Monterey Canyon buoy), hitting this site nearly full strength; plus 2 ft at 15 s from the S; 10 kt onshore wind.
Medium confidence
Medium confidence: A forecast about 43 hours ahead; the forecast has been matching the buoy closely.
- Waves here
- 2.4ft
- Buoy swell
- 2.1ft
- Period
- 13s
- Wind
- 10ktonshore
High 3:37 AM, 3.6 ftLow 6:55 AM, 3.3 ftHigh 1:10 PM, 5.1 ftLow 9:11 PM, 0.4 ft
Fri, Oct 16
Good→ steady7 to 11 AM dive window, roughest hour shown. Rated at 7:00 AM.
Good: 2 ft at 12 s from the WNW (Monterey Canyon buoy), hitting this site nearly full strength; plus 2 ft at 15 s from the SSW; 9 kt cross-shore wind; Low confidence.
Low confidence
Low confidence: A forecast about 67 hours ahead; the forecast has been matching the buoy closely.
- Waves here
- 2.2ft
- Buoy swell
- 2.4ft
- Period
- 12s
- Wind
- 9ktcross-shore
High 5:10 AM, 3.6 ftLow 7:37 AM, 3.5 ftHigh 1:58 PM, 4.8 ftLow 10:14 PM, 0.6 ft
Sat, Oct 17
Good↑ swell building, peaking around 9 pm Sat7 to 11 AM dive window, roughest hour shown. Rated at 9:00 AM.
Good: 2 ft at 7 s from the WNW (Monterey Canyon buoy), hitting this site nearly full strength; plus 2 ft at 14 s from the SSW; plus 1 ft at 13 s from the WNW; plus 1 ft at 19 s from the SSW; plus 1 ft at 11 s from the WNW; 6 kt onshore wind; swell building, peaking around 9 pm Sat; Low confidence.
Low confidence
Low confidence: A forecast about 93 hours ahead; the forecast has been matching the buoy closely.
- Waves here
- 2.6ft
- Buoy swell
- 2.3ft
- Period
- 7s
- Wind
- 6ktonshore
High 6:33 AM, 3.7 ftLow 9:03 AM, 3.6 ftHigh 3:04 PM, 4.5 ftLow 11:18 PM, 0.6 ft
Next five days, hour by hour
Tap a stretch of the ribbon for its times and numbers.
Shaded = night. Waves from the NOAA GFS-Wave (WAVEWATCH III) model at buoy 46236, corrected against what that buoy has measured (systematic factor 1.12, seeded until 7 days of data are logged). The rating uses each hour's waves, wind and tide.
Live conditions
Recent buoy readings buoy 46236, Monterey Canyon Outer
| Time | Waves | Period | From | Water |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:00 AM 48 min ago | 4.6 ft | 15 s | W | 63°F |
| 10:30 AM 1 h ago | 4.3 ft | 14 s | W | 62°F |
| 10:00 AM 2 h ago | 4.3 ft | 14 s | W | 62°F |
| 9:30 AM 2 h ago | 4.6 ft | 14 s | W | 62°F |
| 9:00 AM 3 h ago | 4.9 ft | 15 s | W | 62°F |
| 8:30 AM 3 h ago | 4.6 ft | 15 s | W | 62°F |
| 8:00 AM 4 h ago | 4.6 ft | 15 s | W | 62°F |
| 7:30 AM 4 h ago | 4.9 ft | 15 s | WNW | 62°F |
Randall Spangler's conditions guide · Monterey County Dive Reports
Dive-site information
- Entry
- Coral Street: a short set of stairs to a gravel beach, then the channel down the middle of the cove. Otter Cove (Sea Palm Avenue): stone steps to a sand beach, one of the more protected entries on this stretch. Both are easier at high tide.
- Access
- No permit needed. Pacific Grove Marine Gardens conservation area rules apply.
- Parking
- Free parking next to the Coral Street entry; for Otter Cove, Siren Street or the turnout at Sea Palm Avenue. No facilities; the nearest restroom is by the Point Pinos golf course.
- Maps
- Directions to Coral Street beach (foot of Coral St) (map)
- Directions to Ocean View shoulder at the foot of Coral St (map)
- Directions to Otter Cove (Ocean View at Siren St) (map)
- Hazards
- Open to northwest wind and swell, common in spring and summer. Shallow rocks at low tide. Inside the Pacific Grove Marine Gardens conservation area: no taking invertebrates.
- Skill
- Intermediate on most days; novices only when it is calm. Advisory only, not a safety guarantee; always judge conditions yourself.
- Site
- About 10 to 60 ft; boulders and eelgrass inshore, kelp and reef beyond. Much more open than the Cannery Row sites: swell from about 276 to 345 degrees comes straight in, and only Point Pinos shelters it from the southwest.
Advanced forecast and methodology
Buoy
Forecast check: Over the last 36 hours the forecast has matched the Monterey Canyon Outer buoy well (13 readings compared).
Buoy split now: swell 2.6 ft at 15.4 s from the W, 72% reaches this site; wind waves 3.6 ft at 8.7 s from the WNW, 74% reaches this site.
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Red dots: the buoy. Blue: the latest NWPS forecast; black and light blue: earlier runs. Green: the global GFS-Wave model. Times are UTC (subtract 7 hours for Pacific daylight time). View the full forecast at NOAA
30-day forecast accuracy chart · Our forecast-vs-buoy log (JSON)
Forecast models
Waves from the NOAA GFS-Wave (WAVEWATCH III) model at buoy 46236, corrected against what that buoy has measured (systematic factor 1.12, seeded until 7 days of data are logged). Wind and air temperature come from the NWS forecast for the water off Coral Street, issued Tue, Oct 13, 11:27 AM PDT.
NWS marine forecast: Monterey Bay
Today: NE wind around 5 kt, backing to W early this afternoon, rising to 10 to 15 kt late. Seas 3 to 4 ft. Wave Detail: NW 3 ft at 9 seconds and SW 2 ft at 17 seconds.
Tonight: N wind 10 to 15 kt, becoming NE 5 to 10 kt after midnight. Seas 3 to 5 ft. Wave Detail: W 4 ft at 8 seconds and SW 2 ft at 16 seconds.
Wed: NE wind 5 to 10 kt, backing to W in the afternoon. Seas 3 to 4 ft. Wave Detail: NW 3 ft at 8 seconds and SW 2 ft at 16 seconds.
Wed Night: NW wind 5 to 10 kt, veering to NE after midnight. Seas 3 to 4 ft. Wave Detail: NW 3 ft at 8 seconds and SW 2 ft at 15 seconds.
Issued Tue, Oct 13, 8:30 AM PDT
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Each color is one swell system; arrow length shows its size. A band at 15 s and up means long-period swell and surge. Times are UTC. View the full forecast at NOAA
Rating logic
- Surge
- The rating turns each swell into a "surge index" in feet: the height that reaches this site, weighted up for longer periods because long swell moves the water harder near the bottom. Here the index moves from Great to Good at 1.8, Mediocre at 3, Rough at 4.2 and Stay home at 6 ft. Right now it is 3.4 ft.
- Direction
- Much more open than the Cannery Row sites: swell from about 276 to 345 degrees comes straight in, and only Point Pinos shelters it from the southwest.
- Wind
- Onshore wind here blows from the NNW. Onshore wind over about 10 kt chops up entries and surface swims; a strong offshore wind (over 15 kt) pushes surface swimmers out. Gusts count for half.
- Tide
- Heights at the Monterey tide station, in feet above mean lower low water. The entry is easiest between 0 and 6 ft; tide only nudges the rating.
- Trend and confidence
- The arrow compares the last 9 hours at the buoy with the next 12 hours of forecast; a building long-period swell can push a borderline day one step worse. Confidence is High for a fresh buoy reading or a forecast for the next 12 hours, and drops with lead time, a backup buoy, or a forecast that has been missing the buoy.
- Limits
- A model, not a guarantee: it does not know visibility, local sandbars or what the surf did five minutes ago. Back-tested against dive reports, it matched about 80% exactly and 91% within one level. Always look before you go in.
Sources
- NDBC buoy 46240 (Cabrillo Point) Off Lovers Point. Silent since 2026-04-30; it is used again automatically if it returns.
- NDBC buoy 46236 (Monterey Canyon Outer) At the mouth of the bay; it usually reads 2 to 3 ft higher than the beaches, which the rating accounts for.
- NDBC buoy 46239 (Point Sur)
- CDIP station 158 (buoy 46240)
- CDIP station 156 (buoy 46236)
- NWPS viewer, Monterey office
- NWS point forecast
- NOAA tide predictions, Monterey
- Photo and font credits