La Jolla is a coastal community about 12 miles north of downtown San Diego. One of La Jolla’s big draws is, of course, the beach. This family friendly 1 mile stretch of sand is adjacent to sea cliffs that house a series of caves. These caves are easy to access by sea kayak. As a result, La Jolla sea kayaking is a popular activity!
A La Jolla sea kayaking adventure sounded too good to pass up! We wanted to explore the caves, so we decided to use a guide service rather than going it alone. Several local companies offer this service. We selected La Jolla Sea Cave Kayaks. In retrospect, I’m really glad we went with a guide! We saw and learned so much more from our guide, Luke, than we could have experienced on our own!
Our La Jolla sea kayaking tour tour was in the morning. We started with a lesson on the beach in maneuvering the kayak. Fortunately, the water was like glass at launch time, so we had no trouble getting past the breakers.
When we arrived at the cave, safety was the primary focus. Our guide carefully explained the process of entering and exiting the cave. We were led in the cave 2 kayaks at a time. Instruction included how far into the cave to paddle and when to paddle out. I was glad to be with a guide who knew the pattern of the waves as well as the location of the obstacles. I would not have felt comfortable doing this solo!
Mission accomplished – we kayaked in a sea cave! But, the fun was far from over! A colony of sea lions was lounging on rocks near the cave. These marine mammals were entertaining and quite vocal! We had plenty of time to just sit and watch the sea lion soap opera unfold. Watching bulls jockey for position among the females was a hoot!
On the return paddle along the cliffs, we stopped to watch sharks swimming below the surface. No need to sing the Jaws’ theme song – these were leopard sharks which are harmless to humans. It was such a treat to see these amazing predators in their natural habitat!
Kayaking in the sea cave and along the rocky La Jolla coastline was really fun! It wasn’t difficult or scary. A La Jolla sea kayaking experience was an amazing way to spend a morning in Southern California. It far exceeded my expectations and was a highlight of our trip!
For more information about things to do in California, check out my other California articles:
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