Divers Cove Beach

What it’s like

Divers Cove is a beach about 300 feet long below Cliff Drive in North Laguna. At its south end it joins Picnic Beach, which runs about 700 feet along the base of Heisler Park. To the north lies Fisherman’s Cove.

The beach is steep and has a shorebreak in all conditions. The city lists swimming, skin and scuba diving and bodysurfing as the popular activities. The city lists restrooms and outdoor showers, and the Coastal Commission lists restrooms.

Getting there and parking

Stairs lead down from the 600 block of Cliff Drive. The Coastal Commission puts them 20 yards south of the stairs to Fisherman’s Cove. The city places the stairway to Fisherman’s Cove along the side of the Diver’s Cove condominiums.

Park on the street. The Coastal Commission lists it as metered, so pay with a card, coins, bills or the Laguna Beach Parking App. The city’s parking page lists enforcement from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., but its lot list gives 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. for the off-season through June 2027, so check the meter. The city says some parts of Laguna Beach have three-hour meters and others have limited neighborhood parking. The parking guide covers permits and lots, and getting around covers the trolley.

City beaches open at 5 a.m. and close at 1 a.m. Restrooms are open from dawn to dusk.

Rules and safety

The city reports hazardous and rip conditions on all sides of the cove. The city calls the rocks around the north point always a potential hazard and says to stay off them and keep your distance. Under high tides or surf conditions the city closes the rocks and the point. In heavy surf the whole cove becomes a rip that pulls south. The rocks to the south, which separate Divers Cove from Picnic Beach, should be avoided at all times.

Divers Cove lies inside the Laguna Beach State Marine Reserve, and the state names Diver’s Cove Beach among the reserve’s beaches. The reserve runs from Abalone Point to Goff Island. State rules make it unlawful to injure, damage, take or possess any living, geological or cultural marine resource, and fishing is not allowed. The city repeats both rules on its page for the beach. The state says time in the reserve’s clear water can turn up leopard sharks, garibaldi and California halibut, and kelp-filled reefs lie offshore.

City beaches ban alcohol, smoking and fires. Some beaches have no lifeguard at times, so the city asks you to swim with a partner and near a lifeguard when one is on duty.

Good to know

Dogs are allowed on a leash. From June 15 to September 10 they must stay off the beach between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m.; outside those dates they can come at any hour.

Cliff Drive runs through North Laguna. Heisler Park runs along the bluff to the south, from the cove’s stairs to Rockpile.