Neptune Cove Arch directions

[MaxBottomtime]

Javy Martin asked me for directions to the Neptune Cove Arch, so I thought I would share them on Scubaboard as well.
Park in the small lot on Calle Entradero and go over/through the fence south of the parking lot. You can check conditions first from the top of the trail. At the bottom of the trail are tidepools. You can make a giant stride entry here if it’s calm, but then you have a long swim. If you hike to the south end of the rocky beach you will have a shorter swim, but longer walk. The arch is at the NW tip of the reef. Go to the end of the kelp and you will probably drop down in the opening. Lineups are 33° from the top of the trail and 85° from the black rock that breaks the surface offshore from the point. The top of the arch is in 33 feet, with the sand at 53 feet. Frank Lukowski and Charlie Bartleson made it to the arch once from the beach, but it is a tough dive.

Click on this link for the large map
http://www.scubaboard.com/gallery/data/1064/Neptune_Arch.jpg

 

[FrankPro1]

Charlie and I never had the headings to get to the Arch. Out of the half dozen shore dives we've had at Neptune's Cove, it was only by chance that we found it once. We had somehow missed the pinnacles off the point and found ourselves out in the sand. We stopped, Charlie took a guess at a new heading and took it. Out of the murk the arch took shape. We've been trying to get back there, but the hill, march along the slippery tide pools and long swim out is only worth it when conditions are perfect.

[video=youtube;jKSDYUbad2Y]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKSDYUbad2Y&list=UUHcOWPjU4Rn1tarSy754_jA& index=12&feature=plcp[/video]