About 60 miles off San Diego, south of Catalina. Boat only.
San Clemente Island
No state marine protected areas, but the Navy owns the island and controls the water. A Coast Guard safety zone runs 3 nautical miles out all the way around it, and you need permission to enter unless enforcement of that section has been suspended. The south end is a shore bombardment range with unexploded ordnance.
The next three mornings
Is it worth getting out of bed?
Reading the forecast for every spot…
What divers actually saw
Loading reports…
Get a ping the evening before San Clemente Island looks good
Go means wind under 8 kt, under 3 ft of swell reaching the spot and under 1.5 ft of surge at 30 ft, every hour from 7 to 11 am. Rules of thumb, not a safety call: how each spot is judged. Visibility is not in the verdict, because no feed measures it at the spot: the Vis column shows a diver’s report from the last 48 hours when there is one, and otherwise an estimate from satellite water clarity, surge and rain.
No state protected areas here
State rules apply to what you take. Whether you may be in the water at all is the Navy’s and the Coast Guard’s call: read the rules below before you go.
These 0 labels are this chart’s shorthand for 0 separately written regulations. Each area is governed by its own section of CCR Title 14 §632(b), named when you hover it. The rules differ area by area and change — check CDFW before you take anything.
Somewhere else in mind? Tap the open water to drop your own mark.
Tap the spots you’d actually get on a boat for. No commitment — it tells us which water to plan the first season around.
Outside every protected area — general California regulations apply.
Outside every protected area — general California regulations apply.
Outside every protected area — general California regulations apply.
Outside every protected area — general California regulations apply.
Outside every protected area — general California regulations apply.
Outside every protected area — general California regulations apply.
Outside every protected area — general California regulations apply.
MPA boundaries: California Department of Fish and Wildlife, ds582. Regulations: CDFW per-MPA pages, retrieved 2026-10-04. Spot positions: USGS Geographic Names Information System (Domestic Names, California), public domain.
Federal rules on the water
Beyond the state’s protected areas
The 3 nm safety zone (33 CFR 165.1141)
All waters from the high tide line out 3 NM, in eight sections. Sections A to F are enforced except when the Coast Guard announces a temporary suspension; Section G and the Wilson Cove section are enforced at all times. Ask San Clemente Island Range Control, call sign STARBURST, at 619-313-2293 or on VHF channel 82A, and tell them when you are clear. Suspensions are published in the local notice to mariners and at scisland.org.
Shore bombardment areas (33 CFR 334.950)
Three danger zones off the south end, from China Point to Pyramid Head. Vacate when ordered and do not enter during scheduled firing. Unexploded ordnance exists on the island and in the surrounding waters. No anchoring without permission.
Wilson Cove security zone (33 CFR 165.1131)
Within 1.5 nautical miles of shore from Wilson Cove North End Light to Spruce Pier. Entry is prohibited unless authorized by the Captain of the Port, San Diego.
Northwest shore and West Cove (33 CFR 334.961, 334.960, 334.921)
A danger zone off the northwest shore is closed to people and boats during closure periods. Off West Cove, intermittent firing may take place 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and you must leave when told; anchoring there is prohibited at all times.