Winter storms leading to spectacular ocean visibility

Clear water is revealing what’s often a mystery in the Monterey Bay. In some spots, you can see up to fifty ft. underwater

With the break in the rain over the past couple of days on the Peninsula, the ocean’s water visibility
has become spectacular. And that’s got divers like Anthony excited, “Beautiful! Visibility is awesome,
it’s around 20-25 ft right now. Relatively blue.”

Blue is right. And the visibility only get better traveling around the coast to Point Lobos, with visibility close to 50ft.

Now, you don’t have to be underneath the water to enjoy it. Surfers and boogie boarders were enjoying the water too.

In the summertime, visibility can get down to as little as one foot. Right now it’s about 25-50 ft! Manager of Breakwater Scuba, Anne De Souza, says “The storms tend to clean up all of the organic matter. There is a little bit less kelp right now. So the wintertime, that’s when we have very nice clear periods of water.”

That clear water brings a little more comfort to those who spend their weekends out at sea, like surfer, Spencer Axton. “It’s just, you get a little more peace of mind. And if it murky and it’s super overcast, you can’t really see everything below you. You can’t see how deep it is. You don’t really know what to expect.”

But there is a downside to winter, after it rains, storm runoff and debris flows right out to the ocean. During those times, it’s best to stay out for a few days before enjoying that clear water.