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Rocky headland and a long stone breakwater reaching into blue sea, seen over coastal scrub — Morro Bay & Port San Luis

Morro Bay & Port San Luis · United States · Reef

Howell Rock

A large rock topping out about 5 m under the surface

Area photo: jkirkhart35 · CC BY 2.0

Howell Rock is a large submerged rock on the coast between Port San Luis and Morro Bay. Its top comes to about 5 m (15 ft) under the surface and its base sits around 15 m (50 ft). It is full of crevices and rocky structure, and it is reached by small boat from either harbour.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Howell Rock: typical dive to 15 m (to 50 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit15 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

35.1588° N, 120.7281° WPublished position for this site.

The dive

Howell Rock is one large rock. Its top comes to about 5 m (15 ft) under the surface and its base is around 15 m (50 ft). It is full of crevices and rocky structure, with little kelp but a cover of growth that includes metridium anemones and other invertebrates, and some fish. The site is best for photography.

Marine life and season

The sources we used don't single out particular species here.

Month-by-month season rating for Howell Rock
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FairFairFairFairFairFairFairFairFairFairFairFair

Season follows Morro Bay & Port San Luis: No month stands out; the water ranges 7–13 °C with the time of year, and fast-changing weather decides which days the boat sites can be dived.

Know before you go

  • Water of 7–13 °C (45–55 °F) depending on the time of year; extra thermal protection might be needed.
  • Weather along the Central Coast can change very quickly and should be a top concern.
  • A large security zone surrounds the Diablo nuclear power plant on this coast; boats must stay out of it.

Sources

  1. Coastal Dive Sites-Avila (Port San Luis) to Big Sur — Channel Islands Dive Adventures
  2. NOAA ENC Direct to GIS — charted rocks — NOAA Office of Coast Survey

More dive sites in Morro Bay & Port San Luis

Kelp forest

Cayucos Kelp Beds

Thick kelp beds along Highway 1 just past Cayucos

to 9 mintermediate

Reef

Pecho Rock

Surface-breaking rock in kelp with lingcod and rockfish at 6–15 m

to 15 mintermediate

Pinnacle

Souza Rock

Pinnacle rising from about 37 m to within 6 m of the surface

6–37 madvanced

Pinnacle

Westdhal Rock

A large field of jagged pinnacle tops at around 6 m

to 21 mintermediate

Reef

White Rock

Rocky ground to 15 m with lingcod, cabezon and kelp bass

to 15 mintermediate

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