Jade Cove

Treasure! Just mention the word around any diver and watch their eyes glaze over. Divers dream about finding sunken ships filled with gold and silver, but treasure comes in many forms. In Central California, divers are fortunate to have a rich vein of semi-precious gems in their own back- yard. And, that's treasure by any definition.

Jade Cove is located in the southern portion of Monterey County and is remote and seldom-visited, compared to the popular beaches of the Monterey Bay. The Jade Cove beach consists of large boulders and coarse gravel that extends out into deep water. Underwater, the rocks are covered with red coralline algae and palm kelp. The cove is thick with kelp, particularly during the summer months. Giant, bull and feather-boa kelp are all common here.

Among the nooks-and-crannies on the bottom live an assortment of fish and invertebrates. Large lingcod and cabezon may be seen patiently waiting for a small fish or crab to venture by. Colorful snubnose sculpins, and painted greenlings hide among the coralline algae, while schools of blue rockfish and senorita move through the kelp canopy. Numerous species of nudibranch, bright orange sea cucumbers, as well as giant green anemones are also common.

Fifty yards offshore is a large, wash rock named Cave Rock. At the inshore base of the rock is a cave that runs straight through the rock, parallel to shore. The inside face of the cave is naturally polished jade and small pieces of jade may be found throughout the cove.

The jade of Jade Cove is the mineral nephrite. Pure nephrite is white, but impurities give the local jade a variety of shades of green, from lightly tinted, nearly transparent, to a rich, dark green. Underwater, jade is fairly easy to distinguish from other rocks by its characteristic, almost luminescent color. Jade is quite hard and a piece of steel will not scratch it, while the softer, and more common, serpentine is easily scratched. That doesn't mean that a strong blow with a hammer will not shatter jade, but rather that a firm scratching motion will leave the jade unharmed.

Small pebbles of jade may always be found in the gravel beds within the cove, particularly the one near the cave rock and the one near the north point of the cove. Jade hunters need not be divers as tide poolers regularly find many small jade pebbles at low tide between the boulders and in the gravel areas. Gently fan the gravel while looking for that characteristic jade color, or dig out a gravel bed with a small shovel.

Larger pieces can be anywhere. Search under large rocks and overhangs. On calm days look in shallow water that is not diveable when the surf is running, and not accessible on most days. Diving in the calm period after a winter storm can be the most rewarding time to find jade, since the rough water usually exposes many previously hidden pieces.

Once on the beach the question becomes what to do with your treasure. The smaller pieces are easily turned into earrings and pendants, and many find that the beauty of a sea-polished jade pebble is more beautiful than an intricately carved specimen. Large pieces may be polished and displayed intact, or carved into almost any shape desired. Jade is so hard and resistant to fracturing that it may be carved paper thin and into very intricate shapes while retaining much strength.

Dive Spot At - A - Glance

Location: About 10 miles south of Lucia at the southern end of Monterey County.

Access and Entry: Park along Hwy. 1 at the large National Forest sign. Follow the trail that crosses the meadow and switchbacks down the bluff to the beach. There are no facilities.

Skill level: Intermediate or better.

Visibility: Fair, 10-25 feet.

Hunting: Good spearfishing for lingcod, cabezon, and rockfish. Abalone may not be taken in this part of California.

Photography: Good macro and wide angle on days with good visibility.

Special rules: Jade collection is regulated by both Federal and State laws. Federal law allows the collection of loose jade from the seabed from westernmost tip of Cape San Martin to the stairway at Sand Dollar Beach. No tool may be used to collect jade except: a hand tool no greater than 36 inches in length and has no moving parts, to maneuver or lift the jade or scratch the surface of a stone as necessary to determine if it is jade; a lift bag or multiple lift bags with a combined lift capacity of no more than two hundred pounds; or vessel to provide access to the authorized area. Each person may collect only what that person individually carries. Pneumatic, mechanical, electrical, hydraulic or explosive tools are forbidden. California law requires a permit to collect jade, or any other mineral, but normally does not enforce this rule if the jade is collected for personal use. Jade may not be collected above the mean high tide mark.

Hazards: There is a long, strenuous walk from the parking area to the beach. Divers should watch for big waves, surge, and thick kelp.