Otter Pt. is an 8-space public parking area that is excellent for seawatching and it rocky shoreline. Parked vehicles point north towards Monterey Bay, but the observer can see for long distances over the sea both to the east and the west. During storms or northwest winds, many seabirds are blown close to shore. While Pt. Pinos (to the west) has a greater diversity of species, it also bears the brunt of the weather. Viewing from Otter Pt. is often less windy and not as cold as Pt. Pinos. 

This Hot Spot is intended for stationary checklists only, either of seawatching or of stationary counts of shorebirds, terns, gulls, and cormorants passing by. An eBirder should not map longer checklist to this small parking area. If you are birding longer stretches of shoreline, use the "Pt. Pinos--general" Hot Spot if west of Otter Pt., or the adjacent "Lovers Pt. & Perkins Park" Hot Spot if east of Otter Pt.

The 8-space one-way parking lot can be full with tourists or locals, but there is free parking on Ocean View Blvd. and nearby streets.

Both inshore and offshore pelagic species can be seen, depending on conditions. Strong NW winds push pelagics such as shearwaters and alcids towards Otter Pt. In calmer or more routine conditions, it is still excellent to watch passing flocks of cormorants, scoters and other waterfowl (in migration), terns (in spring and fall), and a myriad of gulls. "Scrums" of gulls, pelicans, and cormorants may attract alcids and jaegers. Typical rocky shorebirds also are present when tides are right: Black Oystercatcher, turnstones, Surfbird, tattler, Spotted Sandpiper, Black-bellied Plovers. There have been years when a major rarity winters just off Otter Pt.: Yellow-billed Loon, Harlequin Duck, and Thick-billed Murre have occurred.