Stillwater Cove

The Sonoma coastline is sprinkled with many access points, some privately owned, some public. At Stillwater Cove, Sonoma county maintains public access and a campground that is an ideal spot for vacationing divers.

The land that the park sits on was once know as Stockhoff's Cove, named after the rancher who homesteaded there. The ranch later became a boys' school, and the old name wouldn't do. There was an abandoned dog hole port and mill south of Stockhoff's that went by the name "Stillwater." When the mill closed down, the school borrowed the name, and it stuck.

The U-shaped cove faces southwest, providing ample protection from the dominant northwesterly swell. The ease of entry makes this a popular spot for scuba and free diving instructors to bring their beginner classes, but experienced divers will find Stillwater a great place to launch a boat, diveboard, or even swim to many sites for excellent game diving.

The center of the cove consists of a highly textured boulder field with some reasonably large abalone, a bit of kelp, and is otherwise fairly barren. Out from the cove stretches a kelp bed consisting of mostly bull kelp, but a little giant and palm kelp can be found as well. Harbor seals are often found hauled out on the wash rocks within the cove.

The north and south walls of the cove are covered with an interesting collection of invertebrate life. Under a layers of coralline algae and sea lettuce may be found juvenile red abalone, red crabs, and an assortment of nudibranchs, including the sea lemon and the clown nudibranch. For beginners and macro-photographers, this area can be interesting, but intermediate to advanced divers will find that the better diving is outside of the cove.

Straight out from the cove is an extensive bed of bull kelp under which is a series of rocky ridges and small holes in 40 to 60 feet of water. This is a good area to hunt for lingcod. Out from the far edge of the kelp runs a rock wall. The face runs along for about 200 feet and juts straight up 30 feet or so from a 80-90 foot bottom. Some call the this rock, "The White Wall" because it is covered with white plume anemones. When the visibility is good, the scale and beauty of this reef is nothing short of spectacular and puts many tropical reefs to shame. Hiding among the anemones are lingcod and cabezon, along with an assortment of crabs and nudibranchs. Hunting aside, this an excellent place for wide-angle photography.

South of the cove is an extensive boulder field that stretches out past a series of prominent wash rocks. This is an interesting place to explore on scuba because of the rugged bottom topography. There are many holes and a few small caves that are homes for a healthy assortment of rockfish and cabezon. Around the wash rock in 25-30 feet of water can be found an abundance of abalone in the 8-to 9-inch range. Conditions here can be very rough and caution is advised when the northwesterly swell in running.

The campground sits on the bluff above the cove and it is a moderate walk down a wooded staircase to the cove. You can also stay at the old boys' school. Either way this is a great family spot for camping and picnicking and, of course, diving.

Dive Spot At - A - Glance

Location: In Stillwater Cove Regional Park, 14 miles north of Jenner on Hwy. 1.

Access: Drop off gear at the junction of park entrance and Hwy. 1 between mile markers SON 37.17 and 37.31. There is no parking right at the cove but, limited, free parking is available at the turnoffs on the north and south ends of the cove. There is also a large parking lot in the park for day use (fee). Campground with hot showers in the park, restrooms on the beach, call (707) 847-3245. For reservations at the Stillwater Cove Ranch (the old boys' school) call (707) 847-3227.

Skill: All levels.

Depth: 15-100 feet.

Visibility: 10-30 feet in spring/summer; 30-60 fall/winter.

Conditions: Very calm within the cove, conditions are highly variable outside.

Hunting: Game is sparse within the cove; but there is good spearfishing and abalone hunting outside of the cove. Remember, free diving only for abalone, no scuba!

Photography: Fair macro photography inside cove; good macro and wide-angle photography at the White Wall and in the kelp beds outside of the cove.

Hazards: Watch for big waves and swell outside of the cove and for boat traffic.

Bruce Watkins is a frequent contributor to California Diving News, lecturer and author of the soon to be published book A Diver's Guide to Northern California.