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Stillwater Cove

Welcome to the beautiful dive site located along the coast of California in the United States. This dive site offers gentle beach access into a southwest-facing cove, providing a convenient entry point for divers. The cove is typically protected from northern swells, ensuring a calm and enjoyable diving experience.

As you explore the underwater environment, you'll encounter stunning rock formations that extend for approximately 250-300 yards. These rocks create a wall-like environment, with a depth drop of over 50 feet, offering an exciting diving opportunity for both beginner and advanced divers.

To make your visit even more convenient, there is an unloading parking area located at the entrance of the cove. You can park your vehicle at the Stillwater Cove Campground Day Use Parking Area. This area also provides essential amenities such as restrooms, picnic tables, and BBQ facilities, allowing you to relax and enjoy the beach before or after your dive.

Under the crystal-clear water, a diverse array of marine life awaits you. Keep an eye out for giant starfish, brittle starfish, lemon nudibranchs, urchins, octopuses, abalones, perches, and a variety of rock fish, including ling cod and cabezon. The vibrant underwater ecosystem will captivate divers of all experience levels.

With a maximum depth of 11 meters and a visibility of around 4 meters, this dive site offers a comfortable and safe diving environment. Whether you're a beginner or an advanced diver, you'll find something to appreciate in the diverse marine life and unique underwater landscape.

Plan your dive adventure today and discover the wonders of this dive site located near Coast Highway, Stewarts Point, Sea Ranch, Sonoma County, California, United States.

Diving Conditions Score for Stillwater Cove

3.8
Poor

Poor conditions, not recommended.
The score is based on a calculation of the current weather and sea conditions.

Dive Site Overview for Stillwater Cove

Depth

11m

Visibility

4m

Experience Level

beginner
advanced

Weather Conditions for Stillwater Cove

Wave Height

1.36m

Wind Speed

12.5 m/s

Water Temp

15.7°C

Visibility

200m

Cloud Cover

100%

Wave Period

9.5s

Air Temperature

12.9°C

Precipitation

0 mm

Detailed 7-Day Diving Forecast for Stillwater Cove
Alpha

Dive Score Chart for Stillwater Cove

Best time to dive: 15:00 with score 4.680849673202614/10. Water conditions: Waves 1.34m, Wind 2.6 m/s.Best night dive time: 1:00 with score 4.925460992907801/10.

Chart showing hourly dive conditions including wave height, wind speed, water temperature, and visibility throughout the day.

Sunrise at Stillwater Cove: 06:00
Sunset at Stillwater Cove: 18:00

Optimal diving conditions at Stillwater Cove are affected by daylight hours. Sunrise occurs at 06:00 and sunset at 18:00, which impacts visibility and water temperature for scuba diving and snorkeling.

🌙
Best Overall
1:00

Score: 4.9/10
Waves: 1.36m (9.4s), Wind: 13.2 m/s

🌞
Safest Overall
12:00

Score: 4.6/10
Waves: 1.36m (9.95s), Wind: 0.8 m/s

🌞
Best Day
15:00

Score: 4.7/10
Waves: 1.34m, Wind: 2.6 m/s

Seasonal Analysis for Stillwater Cove
Alpha

Historical patterns and best seasons for diving at Stillwater Cove

The dive score combines all factors to rate overall diving conditions throughout the year. Higher scores indicate better diving conditions.

Monthly Dive Score Analysis - Seasonal Diving Conditions

Higher values indicate better diving conditions

Seasonal DiveScore Chart

This chart displays monthly diveScore data throughout the year, showing seasonal patterns. The data is presented as a bar chart with an overlaid line graph.Dive scores range from 1 to 10, with 10 being optimal conditions.

Higher values indicate better diving conditions

Best Season for Stillwater Cove

Winter

Avg. Score: 8.8/10

Winter offers the best overall diving conditions with calmer seas and better visibility, despite cooler temperatures.

Best Months for Stillwater Cove

January
Score: 9.0
February
Score: 8.8
December
Score: 8.5

Ideal Conditions for Stillwater Cove

Water Temp

Thermometer Emoji

16.7°C / 62.1°F

August

Visibility

Telescope Emoji

16.9m / 55.4ft

January

Wave Height

Wave Emoji

0.6m / 2.0ft

January

Wave Period

Wave Emoji

8.0s

January

Seasonal Insights for Stillwater Cove

Stillwater Cove shows typical northern hemisphere patterns with August being the warmest month (16.7°C) and December the coldest (5.5°C). The calmest conditions typically occur in January with average wave heights of 0.6m and wave periods of 8.0s. The most comfortable wave conditions are in January with a low wave steepness ratio, creating gentler swells. January offers the longest wave periods (8.0s), creating more comfortable and predictable conditions for boat entries and exits. Ocean currents are slowest in January (0.5m/s) and strongest in January (0.5m/s). January is usually the driest month with 0.0mm of precipitation. For beginners, the best time to visit would be during January to March, when ocean conditions are calmer with long-period waves and currents are typically weaker. Experienced divers might enjoy the challenges and potentially better visibility during the shoulder seasons, with moderate currents that can improve marine life encounters.

Scoring Legend:
9-10 (Excellent)
7-8 (Good)
5-6 (Average)
3-4 (Poor)
1-2 (Dangerous)

Last updated: 1 min. ago - Jun 23, 2026

Note: This dive site is not a verified dive site. Please dive with caution. This dive site might have incorrect information by the community.

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