Monterey Bay at a glance
- 126 maverage depth
- 69 mmedian depth
- 1,307 mmaximum depth
- 729 km²water area
Monterey Bay is a bay. Inside its outline the GEBCO grid has about 729 km² of water, with an average depth of about 126 m (the middle value is 69 m) and a maximum of 1,307 m, found at 36.72° N, 122.01° W.
Open the map at the deepest cell and tap to read the depth.
How deep is each part of the Monterey Bay?
The bar splits the Monterey Bay's water by depth. Each colour is a depth band, and the shares add up to 100%.
- 0 to 200 m: 86%
- 200 to 1,000 m: 14%
- 1,000 to 4,000 m: 0%
- 4,000 to 6,000 m: 0%
- below 6,000 m: 0%
Named features near the deepest point: Monterey Canyon (18 km), Carmel Canyon (21 km), Guide Seamount (123 km), Davidson Seamount (128 km).
The Monterey Bay if sea level dropped
The slider on the map lowers the sea in steps. This table shows how much of the Monterey Bay's water would be land at each step.
| Sea level lowered by | Becomes land | Share of its water |
|---|---|---|
| 10 m | 22 km² | 3% |
| 20 m | 74 km² | 10.2% |
| 50 m | 264 km² | 36.2% |
| 80 m | 429 km² | 58.9% |
| 120 m | 583 km² | 80% |
| 200 m | 627 km² | 86% |
| 500 m | 688 km² | 94.3% |
| 1,000 m | 729 km² | 100% |
| 2,000 m | 729 km² | 100% |
| 3,000 m | 729 km² | 100% |
| 4,000 m | 729 km² | 100% |
| 6,000 m | 729 km² | 100% |
A simple bathtub model: it lowers the sea everywhere by the same amount and does not simulate how water would really drain.
Nearby seas
- Salish Sea average depth about 130 m
- Golfo de California average depth about 783 m
- Gulf of Alaska average depth about 1,559 m
- Gulf of Mexico average depth about 1,583 m
- Bahía de Campeche average depth about 921 m
- Hudson Bay average depth about 111 m
Nearest by the centre of each outline. All oceans and seas
Frequently asked questions
How deep is the Monterey Bay?
On average about 126 m in the GEBCO grid (the middle value is 69 m). The deepest cell inside its outline is 1,307 m, at 36.72° N, 122.01° W.
How big is the Monterey Bay?
About 729 km² of water inside its Natural Earth outline, counted from the grid cells that are below sea level.
How much of the Monterey Bay would be land if sea level dropped?
With the sea 10 m lower, about 22 km² (3%) of its water would be land. At 6,000 m lower, 100% would be. This is a simple bathtub model that lowers the sea evenly everywhere.
Data: depths from the GEBCO_2026 grid, statistics worked out inside the Natural Earth outline of the bay. See data sources and licences. The GEBCO Grid should NOT be used for navigation or for any other purpose involving safety at sea.