March 19, 2026 / Grade: B
Visibility is currently around 15–20 ft, based on the latest Scripps Pier camera image. The water displays a clear turquoise-blue hue with good ambient light penetrating the surface. The nearest piling at 4 ft is sharp and well-defined on the right side of the frame. The middle piling at 11 ft is clearly visible with moderate clarity, while the back piling at 14 ft appears faint but discernible in the distance. Minimal particulate matter is visible in the water column.
📊 Current Conditions
• Wind: 2.9 mph from the SE
• Swell: 2.2 ft @ 10.75s from SSW (199°)
• Tide: 3.73 ft and rising
• Water Temp: 62°F
• Air Temp: 56°F with clear skies
• Cloud Cover: 8% (clear)
Conditions are quite favorable today. Light southeast winds at 2.9 mph are keeping surface chop minimal, while the modest 2.2 ft swell at 10.75 seconds from the SSW isn't stirring up bottom sediment. Clear skies (8% cloud cover) allow ample sunlight to penetrate the water column, enhancing visibility. The tide is at 3.73 ft and rising, which typically improves clarity as cleaner offshore water moves in.
Best dive window: Mid-morning to early afternoon (9 AM – 2 PM) when sunlight is strongest and before any afternoon breeze develops.
✅ Summary
• Estimated Visibility: 15–20 ft
• Dive Grade: B+
• Conditions: Clear turquoise water with good visibility
🎥 Live Camera: https://coollab.ucsd.edu/pierviz/
12:00 PM Update — Grade A
Visibility: 25–40 ft
⚠️ Camera unavailable at report time. Grade estimated from conditions model.
• Wind: 5.8 mph
• Cloud Cover: 0%
• Water Temp: 66.6°F
• Chlorophyll: 0.37 mg/m³ (GREEN)
• Swell: 1.0 ft @ 13.0 sec from NW (274°) — favorable
• Tide: Falling → next L at 16:06 (-0.051 ft)
• Community Report: No report
12:00 PM Update — Grade B
Visibility: 15–20 ft
The 4 ft pilings are clearly visible with reasonable surface detail, showing biological growth and structural texture, though there is a mild blue haze even at this close range. The 11 ft pilings are visible and structurally discernible but carry a noticeable blue-green haze, with some loss of fine surface detail. The 14 ft pilings appear present — the tall vertical structures visible in the mid-to-far background retain discernible shape and some structural form, though they are definitely hazy and lack sharp detail. The water color is a fairly clean deep blue with only mild green tinting, suggesting relatively good clarity without significant particulate or plankton load. Overall the scene is consistent with moderate-to-good visibility, with the 14 ft pilings just crossing the threshold of 'clearly present and hazy' rather than being absent or shadow-only.
The predominantly blue water color with mild haze suggests low turbidity and limited particulate matter, consistent with relatively calm nearshore conditions. The visibility appears to be limited primarily by natural light scattering and mild suspended material rather than heavy sediment or plankton blooms. The overall clarity of the water column indicates no significant upwelling or surge-driven sediment disturbance at the time of the image.
Current conditions appear favorable for diving with an estimated 15–20 ft of visibility, consistent with the community report. The falling tide trend suggests visibility may hold or improve slightly through the afternoon, making the current window and the next few hours reasonable for a dive.
• Wind: 6.9 mph
• Cloud Cover: 0%
• Water Temp: 66.2°F
• Chlorophyll: 0.37 mg/m³ (GREEN)
• Swell: 1.0 ft @ 13.0 sec from NW (277°) — favorable
• Tide: Falling → next L at 16:06 (-0.051 ft)
• Community Report: 15–20 ft (low confidence)
📋 Community dive reports: JustGetWet La Jolla
3:00 PM Update — Grade B
Visibility: 15–20 ft
The 4 ft pilings on both the left and right sides of the frame are clearly visible with reasonable surface detail, showing marine growth and structural texture, though not perfectly crisp. The 11 ft pilings are discernible in the mid-frame and show some structural definition, though a moderate blue haze softens their edges and reduces fine detail. The 14 ft pilings are visible as distinct vertical structures in the background — they are clearly present and identifiable as pilings with discernible form, though they are wrapped in a significant blue haze that obscures finer surface detail. The water color is a clear, deep blue with no green or brown tint, suggesting relatively clean oceanic water with moderate particulate scatter. Overall clarity is consistent with moderate-to-good visibility, where structure is readable at distance but not sharp.
The deep blue, haze-dominant water column suggests clean oceanic water with moderate suspended particulates or light plankton scatter rather than turbid nearshore runoff. The even blue cast throughout the frame without greenish tinting indicates good water quality with visibility limited primarily by natural marine scattering rather than sediment or algal bloom. Conditions appear stable and not severely degraded.
Conditions are currently moderate-to-good and suitable for diving, with reasonable visibility in the 15–20 ft range. The rising tide may gradually soften visibility through the afternoon, so diving sooner rather than later today would be advisable.
• Wind: 7.1 mph
• Cloud Cover: 0%
• Water Temp: 68.4°F
• Chlorophyll: 0.37 mg/m³ (GREEN)
• Swell: 1.0 ft @ 11.0 sec from NW (287°) — favorable
• Tide: Rising → next H at 22:18 (5.319 ft)
• Community Report: No report
