If June 2026 was the month the bloom ambushed California six weeks early, July was the month divers learned to live with it. The plankton didn't vanish — but a persistent marine heatwave, a warm surface lens, and a reliable afternoon clearing pattern gave patient divers real windows. This is what actually happened in the water in July, region by region, grounded in dozens of in-water reports and the offshore intel that shaped the month.

California's 2026 bluefin season is starting early and showing inshore - the marine heatwave plus El Niño is pulling fish closer to the coast than typical years. Here is what divers are seeing, where the fish are stacking, and how to plan trips through summer.