Carmel Meadows

Carmel Meadows is an infrequently-dived beach that is between the Carmel River Beach entry and Monastery Beach and is located within the Carmel Meadows development project. Here one finds a wide, sandy beach that is marked by large, rock outcroppings at each end. Divers may enter at either end of the beach.

The shallow bottom near shore has been carved by wave action like few sites I've seen. Divers can explore deep canyons, huge pinnacles and vertical mini-walls. There are several arches that are big enough to swim through and many smaller ones that resemble portholes. The terrain here is more three dimensional than most California sites.

Various species of algae cover the rocks. At first the rocks here appear uninteresting with their predominant algae coat. Divers should take some time to look between the plants to reveal a colorful assortment of tunicates, nudibranchs and small crabs. This is a very nice place for exploration in only 20-40 feet of water.

This shallow area supports a healthy bed of giant kelp, and this is a good place to fish watch. Look for painted greenlings, black-eyed gobies and numerous species of rockfish. Not many to spear, but there are plenty to look at and photograph. At the edge of the kelp bed are often found large schools of blue rockfish. Leopard sharks come inshore to sandy bottoms to pup in the late winter and spring.

Beyond the kelp the bottom turns to sand and rolls away into the Carmel Trench. This is one of two sites in Monterey County where divers have easy shore access to deep water. The feeling of flight is exhilarating as you follow the canyon down into its depths. Divers should be careful of their depth here as you can get real deep, real fast.

Unlike most sandy planes, the bottom here is quite interesting. In some areas huge mats of writhing brittle stars cover the sand. The brittle stars may be several animals thick and the bottom has the appearance of being both alive and on the move. In other areas armies of olive shells march along in their never-ending search for food.

Some areas of the bottom are home to a virtual garden of sand-dwelling anemones along with their chief predator - the rainbow nudibranch. This is a good spot to photograph these animals since this site offers better visibility that sandy bottoms elsewhere.

In some areas the sand bottom is dotted with large boulders and rocks, and divers can reach extreme depths descending from one rock to another. These isolated rocky patches are a great place to photograph gopher and brown rockfish and offer a gateway to the extreme depths of the Carmel Trench.

You must pay some dues to dive at The Meadows, since the parking area is well above the beach. Physically fit divers will enjoy the unique topography and marine life of this seldom-visited site.

Dive Spot At-A-Glance

Location: Off Hwy. 1, just north of Monastery Beach.

Access and entry: Divers should turn west from Hwy. 1 onto Ribera Road. Ribera Road intersects with Highway 1 between the Crossroads and Monastery Beach. Parking is available at the intersection of Ribera Road and Cuesta Way in Carmel. There is limited parking and divers must hike down 80 steps on a well-maintained stairway of railroad ties. Enter off the beach near the rocks to the right or left.

Skill level: Intermediate to advanced.

Depths: 20 feet to deeper than you want to go.

Visibility: 20 to 60 feet.

Hunting: This site is part of the Carmel Bay Ecological Reserve. Spearfishing is OK in the Carmel Reserve, but no invertebrates may be taken. Few fish are big enough to spear.

Photography: Good macro photography for fish and encrusting invertebrates; and wide-angle photos in caves and kelp beds.

Hazards: There is a long, steep walk to the beach. The sand here is coarse like that found at Monastery, so divers should watch their footing while going in and out of the water. This is a steep beach and the plunging breakers can be dangerous on rough days. Divers should also watch their depth gages - it can get real deep here.

Bruce Watkins is a regular contributor to California Diving News and hundreds of his articles and photographs have appeared in various magazines. He is the author of A Diver's Guide to Monterey County, published by Saint Brendan Corp.