Boating, Fishing, and Travel Information for Santa Cruz (Monterey Bay), CA

Santa Cruz, beach town on the edge of Monterey Bay, is known for its warm, sunny weather, and is a popular surfing and vacation destination. Santa Cruz has something for everyone: sandy beaches and parks to hike in, great entertainment for people of all ages, and great culture. Annual events include the infamous “Woodies on the Wharf” (a classic car show of all woodies), the annual 4th of July Wharf to Wharf Running Race, the nearby Capitola Begonia Festival , and many more.

Things to Do in Santa Cruz, CA

Santa Cruz Boardwalk
Here’s where to go for a fun day at the beach with the whole family. This beloved seaside park has a great amusement park in a beautiful beach setting. It provides affordable family fun – admission is free – and lots of summer entertainment. Some of the famous rides include the Giant Dipper wooden roller coaster that was built in 1924. For nature lovers, the Boardwalk is located along the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

Santa Cruz Wharf
This wharf in the center of Santa Cruz was built in 1914 and is a destination for fishing, wildlife viewing, food, entertainment, and boat tours. Annual events at the Wharf include a classic car festival of ‘woodies’, live jazz music, and the

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center
Monterey Bay is one of the nation’s largest marine sanctuaries. In this unique ocean exploration center run by NOAA visitors can learn about the sanctuary’s unique marine environment and ways in which they can help protect it.

UC Santa Cruz
University of California Santa Cruz is a well-known public research institute that offers undergraduate and graduate studies. The university, established in 1965, became known for its innovative, progressive, and cross-disciplinary education. Today it is also has a good reputation as world-class research university.

Natural Bridges State Park
Two minutes from downtown Santa Cruz, this park is known for its great bird and wildlife watching – you might see a migrating whale, seals, and sea otters. There are also publicly accessible tide pools which both kids and adults will love. The park also has a unique Monarch Butterfly Preserve where thousands of monarchs spend the winter every year. Monarchs typically arrive in mid-October and leave by mid-February.

Excellent Beaches
Santa Cruz has amazing beaches both in town and a short drive outside. Find great beaches here!

Other Resources

Santa Cruz Harbor (An excellent resource for boaters using the harbor)
Santa Cruz Life
Visit Santa Cruz
City of Santa Cruz (Official Site)

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Boating in Santa Cruz (Monterey Bay), CA Map View

The city of Santa Cruz is on the northwest shore of the bay. Seabright, Twin Lakes, and Soquel, suburbs of Santa Cruz, are along the beach to the east.

Santa Cruz Anchorage, on the northwest shore of Monterey Bay between Point Santa Cruz and Soquel Point, has a municipal pier and small-craft harbor. The Santa Cruz small-craft harbor is just east of Seabright and has slips and end-ties for about 1,200 small craft.

The harbor is administered by the Santa Cruz Port District Commission. Transient vessels should report to the harbor office at the SE corner of the small-craft harbor, for berth assignments.

The entrance to the small-craft harbor is protected by jetties; a light, and sound signal are at the end of the west jetty. The least clearance for the bridges between the north and south basins is 18 feet.

Santa Cruz Light (36°57’05″N., 122°01’36″W.), 60 feet above the water, is shown from a 39-foot white lantern house on a square brick tower attached to a brick building near the S extremity of the point. A lighted whistle buoy is 1.1 miles SE of the light.

The Santa Cruz harbormaster advises that extensive shoaling occurs at the harbor entrance from November through May. Persons unfamiliar with the area should contact the harbormaster’s office prior to entering the harbor; a radio guard on VHF-FM channel 16 is maintained 24 hours a day or telephone 831-475-6161 between 0830 and 1700 daily. The Santa Cruz harbormaster further recommends that mariners without local knowledge should not attempt to enter the harbor during periods of high ground swells.

Gasoline, diesel fuel, and marine supplies are available. A launching ramp and a yacht club are in the harbor. A repair yard at the harbor has a 40-ton mobile lift that can handle vessels for hull and engine repairs. Electronic repairs are also available.

Anchorage: Good anchorage can be had anywhere off the pier in 5 fathoms, sand bottom. Santa Cruz Anchorage provides good shelter in north weather, but in northwest weather a heavy swell is likely to sweep into the anchorage. In south weather there is no protection in the harbor; vessels must run for Monterey or Moss Landing Harbor or take refuge in Santa Cruz Municipal small-craft harbor.

Point Santa Cruz, 20 miles N of Point Pinos and 2.5 miles W of Soquel Point, consists of cliff heads about 40 feet above the water. The area back of the point is flat, but rises in terraces to higher land. There are two flat rocks close under the point; the outer one is the higher. From Point Santa Cruz the coast trends west about 4 miles to Needle Rock Point and thence northwest to Point Ano Nuevo. The shoreline rises from high bluffs, with a few intervening beaches, to a low flat tree-covered mountain range.

Needle Rock Point is 4 miles west of Point Santa Cruz. A slender pillar of rock stands a short distance seaward from the face of the cliffs and another lower pinnacle is about 200 yards east; neither is distinguishable once abreast.

Sand Hill Bluff, 6.5 miles west of Santa Cruz Light, is composed of sandstone cliffs about 50 feet high with a rounding irregular hillock of white sand near the edge of the cliffs; this hillock is white on the northwest side, and is covered with brush and grass on the southeast side. Neither this bluff nor Needle Rock Point is a good landmark.