I went snorkeling in California’s kelp forests (BEST guided snorkeling in Monterey Bay!)

I grew up on the east coast of the US, and even as an avid scuba diver and snorkeler, I’ve never seen a kelp forest in person. So when I planned a 6-day roadtrip from Monterey through Big Sur in a campervan, snorkeling in Monterey was at the top of my must-do list!

Kelp forests are gorgeous ocean ecosystems where brown algae grows like trees from the sea floor in cool, coastal waters. They have this ethereal sparkle to them, with sunlight pouring through an emerald underwater canopy. Because they shelter thousands of marine species, you’d probably recognize them from shows on National Geographic and Animal Planet featuring sea otters, seals, and sea lions dipping and dashing around towering fronds.

But finding the best ocean conditions, navigating the kelp, going at the right time, and actually spotting wildlife is much easier when you’re with someone who knows the area inside and out. That’s why I went out with Monterey Expeditions (a local dive shop who’s owner ended up being my guide!) and it was truly the highlight of my trip.

Here’s everything you need to know about snorkeling in Monterey Bay, the questions I had, and what the experience is really like!

FULL guide to snorkeling in Monterey (when to go, who to go with, prices, etc!)

First, I have to recommend booking this experience with a local guide rather than trying to do it on your own. I love wandering around solo and am a strong swimmer with a lot of wildlife experience, but going out alone in unfamiliar, chilly, choppy water with no local knowledge is not a smart thing to do. Plus, going with a local guide is a total shortcut to seeing the wildlife you’ve come all this way to see!

What’s the experience like?

I booked a guided snorkeling/freediving experience with Monterey Expeditions about a week in advance, and met my guide, Brian, at the dive shop around 9AM. I rolled up after making a quick sandwich in my van (if you’re considering van life on the PCH, check out Everything I wish I’d known about driving a campervan on the Pacific Coast Highway), checked in, and he helped me get quickly fitted for the equipment, all of which was in fantastic condition and felt brand new. You’ll wear:

• Wetsuit (7mm)
• Hood (I don’t love diving with a hood, but the water was in the 50s so it was worth it to stay in longer!)
• Gloves
• Snorkel gear (I brought my own mask and snorkel for comfort, but theirs looked to be in awesome condition!)
• Fins

After suiting up, Brian and I drove about 10 minutes over to a beach entry spot on the bay by a pier, where he walked me enthusiastically through the conditions, safety procedures, and what to expect. Because I was the only person booked, I let him know that aside from the floofy fluffs everyone wants to see, I was especially excited at the idea of spotting bright orange Garibaldi fish, giant sea bass, and sharks of any kind.

Unfortunately, he said they rarely sees sharks at this site, but when we started wading in the water, another diver tipped us off that there were mola mola in the area! Mola mola (aka ocean sunfish) are an alien looking fish I’ve gone out of my way to see in several places around the world, but never had much luck. It never crossed my mind that I’d be able to see them here, and both Brian and the diver said it’s super rare.

The ocean floor sloped down, we started swimming, and the kelp forest came suddenly into view. It was even more magnificent than I thought it would be! Winding through crystal clear water tinged green by the kelp—which is just an absolute menagerie of life sitting right off the beach—was both deeply peaceful and exciting. Going underwater is like peeking into another world for me, and that feeling was especially powerful here because you can’t see beneath the surface from topside. Stick your head under the dark surface, and the colorful underwater city below is a total surprise!

We took turns diving down and circling the kelp at the bottom, Brian pointing out wildlife and other interesting things I would have completely missed on my own. It was so obvious to me that he genuinely loves Monterey Bay and has spent years exploring it—it felt like a day out snorkeling with a friend, and I couldn’t have asked for better chat and laughs!

We spent about an hour and a half in the water, but the full experience (including check in, gearing up, driving over) is 2.5 hours. I think this was the perfect amount of time in the water, and I was actually pretty tired from fighting the waves on the way back in by the time we got out.

What wildlife can you see?

Every day is different and so is every season. For example, the leopard sharks I wanted to see are only present from March-August (so I guess I have to come back!).

I went in December and saw sea otters, sea lions, seals, jellies, and so much more, but one of the biggest surprises was when a seabird dove into the water and did underwater acrobatics with as much speed and agility as any seal.

Another huge shock was seeing 2 mola mola after we had decided to call it quits and swim back in. They were swimming lazily through the kelp about 15 feet down when suddenly, a sea lion went rocketing up at them from the deep and they took off in the blink of an eye! Brian said the sea lions will play with the mola mola like frisbees, and I couldn’t help but laugh a little picturing this when the sea lion sprang its attack.

All that to say, it really will be a surprise! Depending on the season and ocean conditions, you could encounter the following (in addition to many, many other things!):

• Sea otters
• Harbor seals
• Sea lions
• Starfish and batfish
• Sea anemones
• Crabs
• Fish (giant sea bass, rockfish, sardines, Ghirabaldi, etc)
• Wolf eels
• Sharks (they rarely enter the kelp, but you may get lucky and see a leopard shark)
• Jellyfish
• Sea urchins

What’s the best time of year to go snorkeling in Monterey?

The best time of year depends on what you want to see.

Spring & Winter can be chilly, but still generally sunny with clear water on calm days between storms. I went in early December for a few reasons: it’s a GREAT time to go whale watching and I was able to see orcas and humpbacks the following day in Monterey Bay! I also loved the off season pricing for van camping the lack of crowds everywhere. The underwater visibility was crispy and clear, and the weather sunny with warm days and cool nights.

September–November is the best time to go on paper, when seas are calmest because there’s less wind. This is when you’ll have the most dependably clear underwater visibility, and really active marine life.

June–August is the best time purely for weather, but the underwater visibility is less predictable and coastal fog during the “June gloom” is real.

How much does it cost to go snorkeling in Monterey?

I paid $135 and would 100% spend it again. It included the everything (the guide, gear, etc) and was the highlight of my campervan trip on the PCH!

What I really feel like I was paying for was the local knowledge. Brian knew exactly where to find specific animals I wanted to see, pointed out cool wildlife I would have missed on my own, and was just a wonderful human to spend the morning with. We had some great laughs and I learned a ton about the local ecosystem from him.

What to bring & logistical tips

They provide all the gear, but you’ll need:

• swimsuit
• towel
• change of clothes
• sandals/shoes that can get wet (you get out of the water and drive back to the dive shop wet, so wear flip flops!)

One other thing to keep in mind is that this can be a beginner experience, but if there’s a current you’ll want to make sure you/your group is confident in the water. The wetsuits help you float, but if you get tired, there’s nothing to haul out on out there and at the end you need to swim back to the beach.

Snorkeling vs. scuba diving in Monterey

You can scuba dive or snorkel, but for me personally, it’s too cold to dive when the water is in the high 40s/low 50s. I generally run cold and just don’t enjoy cold water diving. I actually wasn’t cold at all snorkeling, but at depth I know I would have been uncomfortable, which made it an easy decision to opt for freediving and snorkeling.

Also, my number one goal was to see Monterey’s famous sea otters, who spend most of their time floating at the surface. So snorkeling actually gave me a better chance of seeing them than scuba diving!

Is snorkeling in Monterey worth it?

Absolutely YES! I’ve snorkeled and dove in bucket list destinations around the world, and this ended up being one of my favorite in water experiences anywhere.

If you love wildlife, unique outdoor adventures, and experiencing California beyond the usual viewpoints and beaches, don’t skip this.

Other ocean-related things to do in Monterey

After you finish snorkeling in Monterey, you can have a full marine-life day without going far! There are a couple of other spots I recommend checking out:

• Monterey Bay Aquarium: There’s something really cool about spending your morning snorkeling through an actual kelp forest and then heading to the aquarium afterward to learn more about the ecosystem you just explored.
• Go tidepooling with Monterey Expeditions
• Lover’s Point Park is right down the street and a lovely spot for walking coastal nature trails, wildlife watching, surfing, swimming, or picnicking on the beach
• Coast Guard Pier / San Carlos Beach: There are groups of sea lions snoozing and barking hear by the water

FAQs: Snorkeling in Monterey Bay