La Jolla, California, United States
La Jolla Cove is a small protected cove on the north side of the La Jolla peninsula in San Diego, sitting inside the 6,000-acre San Diego–La Jolla Underwater Park, the state's first underwater preserve (1971). Entry is from a steep public stair and small sandy beach. The bottom slopes from 3 metres at the kelp edge to about 18 metres on the outer reef line, with shelving sandstone reefs and patches of giant kelp. The cove is a State Marine Reserve where take is prohibited, and the resident colony of California sea lions hauls out on the surrounding rocks. Common reef species include garibaldi, kelp bass, sheephead, moray eels, large lobsters in the cracks and the famous summer aggregation of leopard sharks (Triakis semifasciata) that gather just outside the cove from July through October. Visibility ranges from 4 metres in winter to 12 metres on the best summer days. Currents are generally weak inside the cove.
Information on this page, including technical data such as depth, current, visibility, access, and recommended level, is informational and may vary. Confirm actual conditions with a local operator before the dive.
Tap to see what might appear on this dive
Reviews are from other divers — personal experiences, not guarantees.
