Location: Lovers Point - also known as Lovers #1, Pacific Grove

Maps Available:
- Beach View
- Underwater Topo

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 a serious breakfast/lunch. Note: there’s no dive store or air fill facilities – diver beware! 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. Otherwise, expect to pay the city coffers.
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
Piece of cake! Just hop on 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 ViewAve 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.

• Via the Dive Motels (Fremont St)
Head south on Fremont Street to Hwy 1 South. Now, we're never really going to get on Hwy 1, but stay with me here. Stay in the right lane of the on-ramp. It immediately turns into an off-ramp for Camino Aguajito. Take this exit, and make a right at the stop sign at the bottom of the hill. Take Camino Aguajito to Del Monte Ave, where you'll make a left. 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.