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Lover's Cove
Location:
Lovers Point -
also known as Lovers #1, Pacific Grove
Dive Level:
Beginner to
Intermediate
General Overview:
Pacific Grove's Lovers Cove is another popular dive destination
in Northern California. It's a very protected beach, and is
generally calm. It is often used as another location for Open Water
programs in the Monterey area. Lovers Cove varies from 25' to 45'
depths, with terrain ranging from rocky outcroppings to sand
channels. Kelp can be VERY thick here.
Site Amenities:
Lovers Cove has free parking! There is a public restroom at the
north end of the beach. There’s plenty of grass lawn and picnic
tables for having a nice lunch by the ocean. And finally, there’s a
hamburger joint at the top of the stairs, where you can grab a snack
or lunch. Note: there’s no dive store or air fill facilities. Also
note that the birds surrounding the hamburger joint apparently are
descendants of the birds used in the movie of the same name - they
have no problem attacking your hands to get you to drop your food -
diner beware!
Entry/Exits:
There are two primary entry and exit points -Lovers Cove and Lovers
#3. There's also a Lovers #2, but is generally considered not good
diving.
- Entry One - Lovers Cove. This entry point provides easy
entry to Lovers Cove. Just follow the steps down to the cove, gear
up, and walk in! Using the topography map, you can follow the wall
out and loop back slowly. Please note that divers allowed entry/exit
to the right of the "Divers Only" sign. For courtesy and legal
issues, please respect the wishes of Pacific Grove in this matter.
- Entry Two -Lovers #3 (intermediate). This is a rocky beach
entry, following a narrow stone stairway down to the beach.
Notable Sights:
This site has a very large kelp forest and some small pinnacles. On
and around these pinnacles you'll find a huge variety of colorful
invertebrate life, including large colonies of Strawberry Anemones,
rockfish, Cabezon, Lingcod, and Bay Rays are often seen the sand to
the east of the tip of Lover's Point!
Insider Info:
Parking is for two hours, and two hours only. This means that you
will need to move your cars around if you plan on diving longer.
Between April through October,
divers must be off the beach by 11am. Note: during storms,
there’s a rather nasty riptide that starts in the middle of the
beach - diver beware!
How to Get There:
• Via Hwy 1
Take Hwy 1 going South. Once you hit Monterey, take the
SECOND Del Monte Ave Exit (the one that says "To
Monterey and Pacific Grove"). Stay on Del Monte Ave until you go
through the tunnel. Immediately after the tunnel, get in the right
lane. Follow this road (now Lighthouse Ave) to the last signal in
New Monterey (marked by a Carl's Jr on the right). Make a right,
then a left at the end of this street onto Ocean View Ave.
Follow Ocean View Ave around the bay (a very scenic
commute), to 17th St. Make a right, then an immediate right
into the parking lot.
• Via 101 or 280
Take I-280 to Hwy 85 S. to Hwy 101 S. (or just hop on 101 to begin
with). In Prunedale, take 156 W. to Hwy 1 S. to Monterey. Take the
SECOND Del Monte Ave Exit (the one that says "To
Monterey and Pacific Grove"). Stay on Del Monte Ave until you go
through the tunnel. Immediately after the tunnel, get in the right
lane. Follow this road (now Lighthouse Ave) to the last signal in
New Monterey (marked by a Carl's Jr on the right). Make a right,
then a left at the end of this street onto Ocean View Ave.
Follow Ocean View Ave around the bay (a very scenic
commute), to 17th St. Make a right, then an immediate right
into the parking lot.
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