Sea Ranch is a 10 mile stretch of "gentrified" housing stretching along the Northern end of the Sonoma Coast. There are 5 Coastal Access points to Sea Ranch which involve parking fees if you use the lots provided. The parking lots have pit toilets, and are patrolled on a regular basis by Sea Ranch Security. The abalone diving at all of these beaches is good to excellent. This beach gets hits by some very big ocean activity so be careful. Just look for the "Coastal Access Signs" on Highway 1, they are all clearly marked and easy to spot.

Here are the coastal access mile marker numbers and names of the 5 access points at Sea Ranch:
*****BLACK POINT, MILE MARKER 50.40
*****PEBBLE BEACH, MILE MARKER 52.29
*****STENGEL BEACH, MILE MARKER 53.80
*****SHELL BEACH, MILE MARKER 55.24
*****WALK ON BEACH, MILE MARKER 56.48

My favorite spots are Shell Beach, and Stengel Beach. I have always found nice limits of abalone at these locations. The spearfishing is also very good at all of these beaches, but it is a very long way to heft scuba equipment. I have seen a few use carts down the paths to transport their gear.

As a final note, the Security Force at Sea Ranch do a wonderful job of patrolling, but they are not employed by the Department of Fish and Game. All DFG regulations apply at Sea Ranch. On occasion the local security force has tried to impose "Sea Ranch limits" on divers using the public access points. All I can say is tch, tch, tch!!! I have seen very experienced divers opt not to dive at this beach on given days - the waves can get bigggg!!!

For additional information please go to a very complete description of a normal days diving by Mike B. & Eric S. on diver.net.

The decision to dive (or not) is your responsibility. Keep diving activities within your training and comfort level. If you feel more training or experience is needed before attempting a dive, don't dive. Know personal limits, skill levels, and abilities of yourself and your dive buddy. Dive Safely and Dive Often!

If you have any questions, concerns, or comments, contact me