Person in Monterey Bay with snorkeling gear

Explore the Underwater World: Monterey Bay Scuba Diving & Snorkeling

As the largest marine sanctuary in the United States, it should come as no surprise that Monterey Bay offers world-class scuba diving and snorkeling. See Monterey’s most fascinating marine life up close, like seals, otters, sea lions, rockfish, grouper, lingcod, starfish, and abalone. Whether you are a PADI certified diver or are trying snorkeling for the first time, there is an underwater experience for all skill levels. Stay on Monterey Bay with Seascape Beach Resort and keep reading to learn about the best local dive sites, snorkeling spots, and tours!

What’s the Difference Between Snorkeling and Scuba Diving?

While both snorkeling and scuba diving allow you to experience the underwater world of Monterey Bay, there are some key differences between them.

Snorkeling is an easy and beginner-friendly way to explore the underwater world. With snorkeling, you stay close to the surface and use masks, snorkels, and fins to view the marine life. You do not need special training to snorkel, making it more accessible for travelers.
Scuba diving offers a more immersive experience and requires special certification. If you are serious about going deeper in the water and seeing more of the ocean, scuba diving is for you.

Snorkeling in Monterey Bay

Tours

Snorkeling tours provide everything you need for a day of snorkeling. Learn about the basics of snorkeling and be fitted with the necessary equipment before heading out into the water:

Monterey Expeditions offers 2.5-hour snorkeling tours perfect for beginners. On the tour, you will snorkel through kelp forests and see a wide variety of marine life like otters, sea lions, harbor seals, sea stars, crabs, anemones, and urchins.
Bamboo Reef Dive Centers provides 2 and 4-hour snorkel tours. Dive sites are selected based on current conditions and will feature highlights such as kelp forests, white-plumed anemones, sea otters, and seals.

Snorkel Rentals and Spots

Rent snorkeling gear for the day from Adventures By the Sea or Aquarius Dive Shop and explore popular snorkeling areas on your own:

Lover’s Point Park
McAbee Beach
Monastery Beach
Asilomar Beach
San Carlos Beach

Scuba Diving in Monterey Bay

To go scuba diving, you must have a PADI Open Water Certification.

Diving Tours

You will need to rent equipment separately or bring your own.

Bamboo Reef Dive Centers offers three guided dive tours, including dives through kelp forests, night dives, and trips for junior divers.
Aquarius Dive Shop offers group and private one and two-dive tours, along with night dives.
Monterey Bay Scuba offers a guided two-tank dive through reefs and diverse marine life. Also includes a meal from a local Italian restaurant.

Rentals and Diving Spots

All companies offering tours also provide rentals for scuba diving equipment. If you want to dive on your own, there are several fantastic dive spots in Monterey: