Rocky, Sandy or Muddy ?

Is there a website or tool to know the bottom structure?
Don't have to be specific, just giving general idea of the bottom structure.

I was spending a ton of time on NOAA, did not see anything.

It's very "general" but the NOAA nautical charts have it.

NOAA chart viewer

http://www.charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/PacificCoastViewerTable.shtml

Here's a snip from HMB where I highlighted some bottom symbols. Like I said pretty general in area.

Thanks Dale. Get the ball rolling....

Navionics has good maps that tell you what kind of bottom from, sand, mud, rocks, gravel or coral

Navionics has good maps that tell you what kind of bottom from, sand, mud, rocks, gravel or coral

Where can I get it ?

http://pubs.usgs.gov/ds/781/OffshoreHalfMoonBay/data_catalog_OffshoreHalfMoonBay.html

This site has some good maps that show bottom structure, in relation to different fish species. http://www.mpcfaculty.net/tami_lunsford/SI_03_Institute/GIS/SI_03_GIS_Curriculum_Products.htm

More underwater topos of Monterey bay (zoom in then click on the red markers for detailed map): http://www.baue.org/monterey_maps/

For Navionics charts, you can buy the app on your phone or use the demo website (doesn't work as well on mobile though). http://webapp.navionics.com/?lang=en#products/SonarCharts@12&key=%7Bzn~EpnzfV


Almost forgot the old school NOAa navigational charts...in pdf format: http://www.charts.noaa.gov/PDFs/PDFs.shtml

And I also forgot the NOAA bathymetric viewer: http://maps.ngdc.noaa.gov/viewers/bathymetry/
This one works better on desktop. Play with the options on the left panel.

Thanks mdoka_matt and Cen Coast. Will take me a few days to go over them.

Just an update, it took me almost a year to learn how to read sandy bottom.
It comes really handy locating Dungeness crab.

read sandy bottom?  from your Lowrance? What kind of FF do you have?

read sandy bottom?  from your Lowrance? What kind of FF do you have?

I use Elite-5 HDI.

Me too, I have a lowrance 4 hdi.  Can you tell sand from rock solely from the sonar readout?  I have a hard time with the swell....

Thanks
David

Me too, I have a lowrance 4 hdi.  Can you tell sand from rock solely from the sonar readout?  I have a hard time with the swell....

Thanks
David

I can know after 1 year of trial and error. It has nothing to do with swell.

Google Earth underwater view.