Rocky Entries

Salt Point State Park
Sonoma County

Salt Point State Park is a popular destination for campers and divers alike. Located immediately north of Ocean Cove, it provides the

	Location:	About 1/4 mile south of the Gerstle Cove Marine Reserve.
	Mile Marker:	Between SON 3989 & SON 3998
	Access:	Shore
	Facilities:	None
	Nearest Public Telephone:	Outside the A-frame visitor's center overlooking Gerstle Cove. There's also a public telephone at the Gerstle Cove entrance off Hwy 1.

The road leading to Gerstle Cove from Highway 1 splits as it approaches the coastline. Go straight and you'll end up in the parking lot for the Gerstle Cove reserve. Take the left turn toward the A-frame visitors center and follow the dirt road until it deadends. This parking area is the access point to a boulder beach and south Gerstle Cove.

	Location:	Immediately outside the boundary markers for the Gerstle Cove Marine Reserve. Accessed from the Gerstle Cove parking lot.
	Mile Marker:	Between SON 3989 & SON 3998
	Access:	Shore
	Facilities:	Restrooms Changing rooms Cold showers Fish cleaning station
	Nearest Public Telephone:	Outside the A-frame visitor's center overlooking Gerstle Cove. There's also a public telephone at the Gerstle Cove entrance off Hwy 1.

For years, I've heard about how easy it is to get big abalone diving right along the boundary of the Gerstle Cove reserve. Theory, as it goes, is that big abalone overflow out of the reserve for some easy pickings. So I checked the area out. Forget about it. I dove my a$% off for an hour and more hitting depths between 5' and 25' without seeing anything worth bothering with. It was so barren, I went back and got a SCUBA tank out to take another look. There are abalone there but they're way back in cracks and the ones I saw were only marginally legal.

	Location:	West and north of the Gerstle Cove parking lot.
	Mile Marker:	Between SON 3989 & SON 3998
	Access:	Shore
	Facilities:	Restrooms Changing rooms Cold showers Fish cleaning station
	Nearest Public Telephone:	Outside the A-frame visitor's center overlooking Gerstle Cove. There's also a public telephone at the Gerstle Cove entrance off Hwy 1.

Easy pickings in shallow water but only on days when the swell is down. This area is extremely exposed to swell and, accordingly, the surf can be quite dangerous. Generally speaking, the farther north you walk from the parking lot, the better the pickings.

	Location:	At the south end of Fisk Mile Cove a few miles north of the entrance to Gerstle Cove.
	Mile Marker:	SON 4122
	Access:	Shore
	Facilities:	None
	Nearest Public Telephone:	There's a public telephone at the Gerstle Cove entrance station just south of Mile Marker 40.

	Location:	The middle of Fisk Mill Cove
	Mile Marker:	SON 4263
	Access:	Shore
	Facilities:	None
	Nearest Public Telephone:	There's a public telephone at the Gerstle Cove entrance station just south of Mile Marker 40.

Somewhat more difficult to get to than Fisk Mill Cove just to the north, this location tends to be under less diving pressure. The fact that it gets some protection from the typical northwest swell plus its extensive and shallow reef structure means there are a lot of abalone to pick from. Just don't expect any trophies; you'll find a lot of undersized abalone within easy dive depths (10' to 15') and not much better. The few decent sized abalone (8.5"+) that might be found are fast growers (flat shells) rather than old timers. Still, if you have to get in the water and ocean conditions aren't very cooperative, this site is worth a look.

	Location:	The north end of Fisk Mill Cove
	Mile Marker:	SON 4268
	Access:	Shore
	Facilities:	None
	Nearest Public Telephone:	There's a public telephone at the Gerstle Cove entrance station just south of Mile Marker 40.

Fisk Mill Cove is a long cove starting at Stump Beach and going north for a couple of miles. The dive area commonly referred to as Fisk Mill Cove is usually limited to the north end of Fisk Mill Cove proper. This area is well protected from the prevailing northwest swells. Like the similiarly protected North Fort Ross Cove, this dive site gets a lot of diving pressure and the selection of abalone reflect that fact. The fact that this site seems to be a popular location for poachers doesn't help the situation.

	Location:	The exposed shoreline outside of and immediately north of Fisk Mill Cove.
	Mile Marker:	SON 4320
	Access:	Shore
	Facilities:	None
	Nearest Public Telephone:	There's a public telephone at the Gerstle Cove entrance station just south of Mile Marker 40.

	Location:	Just south of the north boundary of Salt Point State Park
	Mile Marker:	SON 4455
	Access:	Shore
	Facilities:	None
	Nearest Public Telephone:	There's a public telephone at the Gerstle Cove entrance station just south of Mile Marker 40.

Beginners Cove faces directly into the prevailing northwest swell which can make it a very unfriendly place to dive. I have three theories to explain why this spot is also known as Beginners Cove:

1. The steep access trail to get to Beginners Cove is a traditional requirement for any good abalone dive site making it a most proper location to introduce new divers to the sport.
2. Typical conditions within the cove at the beginning of abalone season provide a good barometer against which the fortitude of a new ab diver can be quickly determined. Put differently, Beginners Cove is a good place to make or break a new diver.
3. On the occasions when conditions are ideal for Beginners Cove (swells out of the south, southwest, or west combined with good visibility), granny can get a limit working water 8' to 10' deep with abalone sitting in the open and visible from the surface.

Accessible from Beginners Cove is the shoreline bounding Richardson's Ranch to the north. Before venturing along that shoreline, do checkout the information on Richardson's Ranch.

	Location:	The north boundary of Salt Point State Park.
	Mile Marker:
	Access:	Shore
	Facilities:	None
	Nearest Public Telephone:	There's a public telephone at the Gerstle Cove entrance station just south of Mile Marker 40.

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