Pacific Grove spearfishing forecast — wind, swell, visibility, tides & live cameras

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◈Pacific Grove · United States
2.5
🌫 Murky all week after the storm — the water isn't settling
visibility~1m

Dayisover

Today — sit it out. 🌫 Murky all week after the storm — the water isn't settling

Sources: NWS · NDBC · Open-Meteo · Copernicus — high confidence · data 14:29

Sources & confidence

Sources
NWS · NDBC · Open-Meteo · Copernicus
Method
spearo sea-state engine: consensus of up to 6 models + satellite clarity (ZSD) + buoy-bias checks
Freshness
Re-read every hour, per coast

Compiled by the spearo sea-state engine · How it works →

The verdict comes from seven water factors and hard safety gates — not ten tabs. Go or stay.

How we score the water

Our own model

Our own forecast engine — not a third-party widget. It weighs these water factors into one go-or-stay verdict for this coast; the 0–10 dial is that verdict, read out as a number.

01
Swell & wave memory
Height, period and direction of the swell, plus the wake of recent storms — an old storm still stirs the water, and the engine remembers.
02
Wind & gusts
Speed and gusts, hour by hour — wind speed and an onshore push chop the surface and cut visibility.
03
Tide phase
Timing and range of the tide, calibrated per coast — big spring tides pull the verdict toward caution.
04
Water temperature
Sea-surface temperature — sharply cold water vetoes a green verdict.
05
Currents & outflow
Direction and drift of the current — it pushes you, and it drags turbid coastal water across where you dive.
06
Rain runoff & air clarity
Rain muddies the water inshore through land runoff, while fog and haze cut visibility at the surface.
07
Coast shape & exposure
How the coast faces the swell — a sheltered cove keeps the water clean; an exposed, head-on point takes a penalty.

Safety gates

  • Thunderstorm forecast — an instant red, no exceptions.
  • An official warning (MeteoAlarm / IPMA) — yellow, or red for the higher ranks.
  • Missing input data — a would-be green is capped to yellow rather than overstated.
  • Strong disagreement between forecast models — a green day is pulled back to yellow.
  • Night hours — where night spearfishing is banned by law the window is forced red; where it is legal (Australia outside NSW, New Zealand, South Africa) it is capped at yellow, never green.

It all folds into a single 0–10 score and one verdict: go or stay.

A forecast, not a guarantee — the sea has the last word.

Entry pointsNo-take zonesLive cams

Where to get in, where to hunt

Entry points with coordinates
Seabed relief — promising ground

This verdict — in your pocket. Open the app for the week's window.

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0 m

Surface

Wind, wave and the swell windows — when to go and the best hours.

spearo.app
NWS no dataupdated 14:29
Pacific Grove — solo, off the rocks
Day is over
That is it for today — the day's windows have closed.
Tomorrow, best window 06:00–09:00
Best window · next 3 days
borderlineMonday · 12:00–15:00
you can see ~1 m ahead fish

🌫 Murky all week after the storm — the water isn't settling

↓ low tide 15:41 · slack water ~14:56–16:26 bite times: 10:30–12:30 · 16:49–17:49

Tell me when it's on

Just your email — nothing else needed.

Before entering, check the camera and the surge
Whole week — tap a day. is driving swell right now.
›
Solo risk: carry a float · tell someone your plan and exit time · doubt = don't go. A model-based planner; the call is made on site.
Selected day

Windows, hours
and the day's trends.

The day is picked above, in the hero. Here are that day's windows, the hour-by-hour map and the trends. Tap a window to break down the conditions.

Saturday · today2026-10-24
07:23–18:19 · full moon
▼ 03:00▲ 09:00▼ 16:00▲ 22:00 · 1.6 m
Hours (06→20)
06
09
12
15
18
Day's trends
Tide0.71 m
Wave1.34 m
Wind6 km/h
Water19 °C
fish activity: moonset 05:46 · moderate · moon underfoot 11:30 · high · moonrise 17:19 · moderate · moon overhead 00:00 · high
Open the seafloor map with entry points →

Your best window — with you. Forecast in your pocket.

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point your camera
−10 m

The water column

Visibility and what drives it — post-storm clearing, river plume, temperature and the thermocline.

What it is

A marine instrument,
go / no-go for solo hunting.

spearo.app folds wind, wave, swell period, visibility, tides, water temperature and risk into a single verdict — go to the spot or not. It computes 7 days ahead from open marine models (Open-Meteo, IPMA), with no sign-up and no accounts. Built for solo spearfishing off the rocks, where any mistake costs dearly.

Now live: 3016 spots across 406 stretches of coast — mainland Portugal, Madeira and the Azores.

See all spots →
−20 m

The seabed

Relief and bottom type, tides, and the depths of each spot.

On the rock

The forecast is the plan.
The call is on the rock.

The models set the window. Whether you go in is read only at the water: count the sets, watch the surge on the entry. If in doubt, you don't get in.

Entry points

Where to get in
off the rocks.

Scouted entries, coloured by today. The colour is the sea state at the spot, not a guarantee: the wash and a slippery entry you judge on site.

Open the seafloor map →
Coral Street reef (Lucas Point)Pacific Grove
dangerous
⚠️ This point is inside the restricted zone “Pacific Grove Marine Gardens SMCA”: fishing there is regulated (season, gear, permit), not banned outright. Read the zone's rules before you go.
exposed head-on to the swell today
window
—
Seabed depth of the selected area
≈1.4–6.5 m (bathymetry NOAA CUDEM/CoNED, 3 m)

A kelp cove with practical kayak access, 3–10 m, inside Pacific Grove Marine Gardens SMCA: finfish spearing permitted. WARNING: our approximate polygons also clip the no-take Asilomar SMR here — confirm the exact line before loading up.

Google Maps
Lovers PointPacific Grove
dangerous
⛔ Banned here
exposed head-on to the swell today

One morning glance — and you know.

Download on theApp StoreGET IT ONGoogle Play
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point your camera
≈

Surfacing

Cameras, map and reference — to hand as you come up.

Live cameras, map & reference
Cameras · live

Look at the water
right now.

Check the cam BEFORE you leave. Foam, brown/green murk, or waves washing the entry rocks = No-go. At night/in fog the cam is useless — treat it as «unknown», NOT «green».

connecting to the stream…
● LIVE↗
Monterey Bay Cam (MB Aquarium)YouTube live — Monterey Bay Cam (MB Aquarium). Embedded live stream; if the ID rotates it opens the source page. Read the water before you go.camera: youtube ↗
more: Cannery Row / Monterey Bay (HDOnTap) ↗
Open the seafloor map →
Reference

What's in season,
what the law says.

In season now
  • white seabass
    Atractoscion nobilis · 3–30 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    Year-round, min 28″ TL (71 cm), 3/day — BUT only 1/day south of Pt. Conception between Mar 15 and Jun 15 (spawning aggregations). The single most-broken rule among SoCal divers. T14 CCR §28.35.
  • California halibut
    Paralichthys californicus · 3–30 m · legal
    Year-round, min 22″ TL (56 cm). The bag splits at Pt. Sur (Monterey Co.): 2/day to the north, 5/day to the south. T14 CCR §28.15.
  • California yellowtail
    Seriola dorsalis · 3–40 m · legal
    Year-round, min 24″ FL (61 cm), 10/day — of which no more than 5 may be under 24″ FL. T14 CCR §28.37.
  • California sheephead
    Bodianus pulcher · 3–25 m · legal
    Spear-critical: the Jan 1–end of Feb closure does NOT apply to divers — divers and shore anglers fish year-round (T14 CCR §28.26(a)(2)). During that closure no gear other than spearfishing gear may be aboard the vessel. Min 12″ TL (30 cm), 2/day.
  • kelp/sand bass
    Paralabrax spp. · 2–20 m · legal
    Year-round, min 14″ TL (36 cm). Bag 5/day for all three species combined, of which no more than 4 may be barred sand bass (sub-limit in force until Jun 1 2028). T14 CCR §28.30.
Bodega Bay
  • Goleta
  • Santa Barbara
  • Carpinteria
  • Mendocino
  • Fort Bragg
  • Ventura
  • Oxnard (Channel Islands Harbor)
  • Malibu
  • Santa Monica
  • Redondo Beach
  • Palos Verdes
  • Long Beach (San Pedro)
  • Two Harbors (Catalina Island)
  • Huntington Beach
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  • Eureka
  • Laguna Beach
  • Dana Point

    • All 367 spots → · Region: California · spearo.app — All countries

    transparency nearby ~16 m · satellite, 2 days agosatellite estimate · may differ right at the shore

    buoy Monterey, CA: 18.3° · wave 1.7 m/9 s · 28 min ago

    window
    —
    Seabed depth of the selected area
    ≈2.1–11 m (bathymetry NOAA CUDEM/CoNED, 3 m)

    WARNING: the kelp reef off the Lovers Point beach entry, 3-12 m, sits inside the Lovers Point - Julia Platt SMR by the CDFW polygon: no-take, nothing may be removed. The reserve edge is barely 30 m away, so a drift out of the cove changes the law. Photography, never hunting.

    Google Maps
    Otter CovePacific Grove
    dangerous
    ⚠️ This point is inside the restricted zone “Pacific Grove Marine Gardens SMCA”: fishing there is regulated (season, gear, permit), not banned outright. Read the zone's rules before you go.
    exposed head-on to the swell today
    window
    —
    Seabed depth of the selected area
    ≈2.0–7.7 m (bathymetry NOAA CUDEM/CoNED, 3 m)

    A rocky cove with lingcod, cabezon and several rockfish species, 3–12 m. Conditional: in the Marine Gardens SMCA finfish may be speared, but ALL invertebrates are protected — no lobster, no abalone.

    Google Maps
    Point Pinos (Sewer Plant Beach)Pacific Grove
    dangerous
    ⚠️ This point is inside the restricted zone “Pacific Grove Marine Gardens SMCA”: fishing there is regulated (season, gear, permit), not banned outright. Read the zone's rules before you go.
    exposed head-on to the swell today
    window
    —
    Seabed depth of the selected area
    ≈0.9–8.8 m (bathymetry NOAA CUDEM/CoNED, 3 m)

    Point Pinos (Sewer Plant Beach): you go in from the shore, some 2.7 km from Pacific Grove. Depths reach about 9 m. The marker is inside Pacific Grove Marine Gardens SMCA, a restricted area; check what may be taken there before spearing. No-take Asilomar SMR is about 90 m away.

    Google Maps

    SOLO is the biggest risk: underwater you can black out from lack of oxygen silently and fatally, with no one around. Solo is never truly «safe». Below are the best weather windows; carry a buoy, tell someone your plan and exit time, and any doubt — don't go.

  • rockfish
    Sebastes spp. · 5–50 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    The headline fact for divers: GMA seasons and depth limits do NOT bind spearfishers — divers may take the RCG complex year-round at any depth (§27.20(b)(1)(D)). BUT zero limit on bronzespotted, cowcod, QUILLBACK and YELLOWEYE rockfish. Overall 10 RCG fish/day.
  • lingcod
    Ophiodon elongatus · 5–50 m · legal
    Open to divers year-round at any depth (§27.20(b)(1)(D)); the GMA seasons bind boat and shore. Min 22″ TL (56 cm), 2/day. Closed year-round inside the Groundfish Exclusion Areas. T14 CCR §28.27.
  • cabezon
    Scorpaenichthys marmoratus · 3–25 m · legal
    A primary California reef/kelp target from Point Loma to Crescent City. Divers year-round at any depth. No minimum size — the old 15″ floor is gone from the 2026 text. 10/day within the RCG complex. T14 CCR §28.28.
  • kelp and rock greenling
    Hexagrammos spp. · 2–20 m · legal
    A standard central/northern California shallow-reef target. Divers year-round at any depth, no minimum size, 10/day within the RCG complex. T14 CCR §28.29.
  • California scorpionfish (sculpin)
    Scorpaena guttata · 5–40 m · legal
    One of the few groundfish explicitly EXEMPT from season and depth restrictions (§27.20(b)(1)(B)): year-round, all GMAs, any depth. No minimum size, 5/day. The dorsal spines are venomous — handle by the lower jaw. T14 CCR §28.54.
  • California barracuda
    Sphyraena argentea · 1–25 m · legal
    A classic SoCal blue-water target. Year-round, min 28″ TL (71 cm), 10/day as part of the 20-fish general bag limit. T14 CCR §28.25.
  • Pacific bonito
    Sarda chiliensis · 0–30 m · legal
    The main SoCal pelagic within breath-hold range. Year-round, min 24″ FL (61 cm) or 5 lb, except five fish under that size may be taken. 10/day. T14 CCR §28.32.
  • ocean whitefish
    Caulolatilus princeps · 5–45 m · legal
    An everyday Channel Islands / SoCal reef fish. Year-round, no minimum size (fillets must be at least 6.5″ with skin intact). 10/day as part of the 20-fish general bag. T14 CCR §28.58.
  • striped bass (California)
    Morone saxatilis · 0–15 m · legal
    A cross-façade contrast: striped bass MAY be taken by spear in California — §27.85(d) names spearfishing under §1.76 as a legal method. Year-round, 2/day; min 18″ TL (46 cm) north of Pt. Conception, no minimum south of it. Snagging and gaffing are illegal.
  • opaleye
    Girella nigricans · 0–15 m · legal
    A primary shore-dive target in the SoCal kelp and surf zone. Year-round, no minimum size. There is NO species-specific bag — the statewide default applies: 20 finfish in combination, no more than 10 of any one species (§27.60(a)). Read it as the default, not a species entry.
  • halfmoon (Catalina blue perch)
    Medialuna californiensis · 2–20 m · legal
    The same standing as opaleye: an abundant kelp-edge target with no species entry in Title 14. Year-round, no size limit; the general default applies — 20 finfish combined, max 10 of any one species (§27.60(a)).
  • surfperch
    Embiotocidae · 0–12 m · ⚠️ closed season/limit
    Year-round EXCEPT in San Francisco and San Pablo bays, where take and possession are banned Apr 1–Jul 31. Minimum only for redtail surfperch, 10.5″ TL (27 cm); none for the others. 10/day inside the 20-fish general limit; 5 all species combined in those bays. T14 CCR §28.59.
  • leopard shark
    Triakis semifasciata · 1–25 m · legal
    Year-round, exempt from groundfish seasons and depth restrictions (§27.20(b)(1)(B)). Min 36″ TL (91 cm), 3/day. Spears, harpoons and bow-and-arrow are legal for all skates, rays and sharks except white shark (§28.95). T14 CCR §28.56.
    • Not a target — don't shoot
    • giant (black) sea bass🚫 no-take
      NEVER shoot: take or possession is prohibited at all times (§28.10). Spearfishers are named explicitly in the §28.90 exclusion list. The single most consequential misidentification risk for a diver in SoCal kelp — juveniles are easily confused with calico bass.
    • garibaldi🚫 no-take
      NEVER shoot: California's state marine fish, take or possession prohibited at all times (§28.05, §28.90, §28.95). Bright orange, curious and easy to approach — which is exactly why it gets shot by mistake.
    Law
    • ✓California sport fishing licence (+Ocean Enhancement Validation south of Point Arguello). No separate spearfishing permit.
    • ✓No take: giant sea bass, garibaldi, salmon; abalone closed to 2036. network: no-take, by zone. Lobster hand-take only.
    • •The key spearfishing exemption (§27.20(b)(1)(D)): divers may take the whole RCG complex (rockfish–cabezon–greenling) YEAR-ROUND at ANY DEPTH — Groundfish Management Area seasons and depth limits do not bind them. The zero-limit species are the exception.
    • •The complete list of what a spearfisher may NOT take (§28.90): giant (black) sea bass, garibaldi, gulf grouper, broomtail grouper, trout, salmon and broadbill swordfish. Every other finfish is fair game, subject to its own season and .
    • •Lobster: divers take crustaceans BY HAND ONLY, may not possess a hooked device while diving, and may carry spearfishing gear only if it is not used to aid the take (§29.90, §29.80(g)). The season runs from 6 p.m. on the Friday before the first Wednesday in October.
    • ⛔ 🚫 Giant (black) sea bass and garibaldi — fully protected, no take. Red abalone — fishery CLOSED until Apr 1 2036. Salmon — no spear.
    • ⛔ 🚫 network: State Marine Reserve () — no-take; — varies (check the specific zone). Lobster — hand-take only. No spear within 100 yd of a stream mouth north of Ventura.

    US spearfishing law is state-by-state. License, spearable species, powerhead rules and distances vary; federal sanctuaries (Gray's Reef, the Keys, Flower Garden Banks) ban spearfishing. Always confirm with the state agency and local ordinances.

    Safety protocol
    • Sets: watch the wave trains ≥15 min before entering; Hmax ≈ 2×Hs, the wash can run 50 m past the foam line. A lull >10 min with period >12 s = a big set «overdue», do NOT enter; enter right after a full set passes and re-check at minute 30.
    • Exit FIRST: find your exit AND a backup before entering. On a rocky/boulder shore a 0.5 m rise in swell can make the exit impossible — getting pinned/unable to climb out is the main killer.
    • Headland rip: prominent points often have a permanent topographic rip regardless of the model — locate it, enter/exit on the windward side, never swim against it.
    • Cold: wetsuit per the SST chip; the first shiver = a metabolic surge and a drop in breath-hold → get out at the first steady shiver. Cap the session at 45–60 min below 15 °C.
    • Solo discipline: buoy up; tell someone the spot and exit time; conservative breath-hold (never push it in cold/murky/surfy water); visibility <3 m — don't enter.
    • Afternoon wind: on many coasts the wind builds from midday — plan to be out of the water by midday; the chop builds — get out.
    • UV 11:00–15:00 (UVI ≥6): sunscreen and cover up on the surface interval.
    • Solo is a fundamental risk (hypoxic blackout with no buddy). Any doubt = No-go.
    Local guide · Pacific Grove

    Spearfishing in Pacific Grove: spots, seasons and rules

    Updated 2026-07-09 · By Oleksandr, spearfisher

    Spearfishing in Pacific Grove is restricted by protected water before it is limited by habitat. Kelp, rockfish, lingcod and cabezon habitat is obvious, but the named shore entries fall into hard MPA warnings or require exact confirmation that cannot be guessed from the rocks. For a visiting diver, the honest plan is to scout conditions, verify CDFW boundaries and avoid harvest unless a legal finfish area is clear.

    TL;DR

    • Pacific Grove is legality-first: Otter Cove, Coral Street and Lovers Point all trigger hard protected-water caution.
    • Lovers Point is a State Marine Reserve, so treat it as viewing water only, not a harvest spot.
    • The Monterey Peninsula is cold, kelpy and exposed to west-northwest swell, with 300 degrees the direction to fear.
    • Use CDFW MPA maps before loading a gun; uncertain Asilomar or garden boundaries mean no take.

    Best spearfishing spots in Pacific Grove

    Otter Cove and Coral Street are conditional finfish-by-spear options inside the Pacific Grove Marine Gardens SMCA, so finfish may be speared while all invertebrates stay protected. The fail-close rule is stronger than the fish appeal: if the water is inside Asilomar SMR, Lovers Point-Julia Platt SMR or an uncertain MPA boundary, do not spear. Lovers Point-Julia Platt SMR is left out of the table because it is no-take viewing water.

    SpotTypeDepthLevelAccessNotes
    Otter CoveRocky cove and kelp reefShallow rock and kelp, qualitative onlyIntermediate cold-water diveShore approach after checking surge and exitRocky cove holding lingcod, cabezon and several rockfish. It is conditional under the Pacific Grove Marine Gardens SMCA: finfish by spear are allowed, but all invertebrates are protected, with no lobster, abalone or poke-pole.
    Coral Street reef (Lucas Point)Kelp cove reefKelp and rock, qualitative onlyIntermediate, kayak or shore entryKayak-dive access into the kelp coveKelp cove where finfish spearing is permitted. It is conditional under the Pacific Grove Marine Gardens SMCA, with invertebrates protected and no poke-pole.

    Why is Pacific Grove so restrictive?

    The local checks include Asilomar SMR, Pacific Grove Marine Gardens SMCA and Lovers Point-Julia Platt SMR. State Marine Reserves are no-take. Some SMCAs allow selected finfish methods, but only inside exact boundaries and under exact rules. Do not simplify this coast from memory.

    What conditions would matter outside a closure?

    The west-facing peninsula has a bad sector from about 250-340 degrees. Northwest swell can make even small coves surge hard over rock and kelp. NOAA station 46042, Monterey Bay cameras and a direct entry check should all agree before a legal dive is considered.

    What fish and statewide bans should I know?

    The species mix includes lingcod, cabezon, rockfish, halibut, white seabass, sheephead and kelp or sand bass. Giant sea bass and garibaldi are no-take, salmon are not spear targets, red abalone is closed to 2036, and lobster is hand-take only where legal.

    How should a visiting spearo use Pacific Grove?

    Use the shoreline as a conditions classroom first. Check whether the entry is actually outside hard reserve water, then decide whether harvest is lawful. If there is any doubt, keep the gun unloaded and use the dive for visibility, kelp and exit practice instead of taking fish.

    FAQ

    Can I spearfish at Lovers Point?

    No. Treat Lovers Point-Julia Platt SMR as no-take viewing water.

    Are Otter Cove and Coral Street open?

    Do not assume so. Hard MPA warnings require CDFW confirmation before any harvest.

    What is the main safety issue?

    Cold water, kelp, rock exits and west-northwest surge.

    Which NOAA station applies?

    NOAA NDBC station 46042 is the listed offshore reference.

    Do I still need a California license?

    Yes. A California sport fishing license is required wherever harvest is lawful.

    Sources

    • California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Ocean Sport Fishing
    • California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Marine Protected Areas
    • NOAA NDBC, Station 46042 Monterey

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