Feel free to walk the hikes along the cliffs and admire this point’s natural landscapes. Granite Point is a hike that looks over the pinnacles and crashing waves that encompass this part of the coastline.  The restless waves and rough seas are caused by ancient surge channels, as they flow through the oceanic area.  This area is also a popular spot for diving, and has been known to provide some of the best spots for open-water diving in California.

Check out this video filmed by a Point Lobos park docent about the Granite Point trail.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oYzOhQPjn1M&feature=player_embedded

Not only is Point Lobos known for its diverse wildlife on land, but for its oceanic ecosystems as well.  The kelp forests off the coast of Granite Point are rich with species diversity, which is why Point Lobos strives to protect these marine areas.   If one were a professional diver, he or she could venture down into the ocean to discover an entirely new world, filled with California coasts’ rich kelp forests.  One may encounter hundreds of different species of fish, crabs, corals, sea anemone, and sea stars.  Another invertebrate special to this area is the mussel.  If you look around, there is not much sand below the cliffs –fragmented broken mussel shells take its place, giving new environments to many organisms.  If lucky, a diver might even be in company with a few sea lions or sea otters as well, as they are very frequent to the area. We will learn more about these marine mammals later on it the podcast. Make sure to stop and look around at the beautiful cliffs and the other wildlife living in this area, as well as the otters and sea lions that play in the ocean. The next stop on our tour of Point Lobos is Whaler’s Cove.  Follow the Granite Point Trail to the west on the map to this historical location.

Photo of the underwater ecosystem off of Granite Point. Source: pt-lobos.parks.state.ca.us