If you’re looking for something fun to do that gets you beyond the beach but not soaking wet, kayaking is one such activity.
La Jolla Kayak offers a 2-hour tour in a single or double kayak along the La Jolla shoreline. Each tour is led by two guides that are great at a little educational humor, and offers the opportunity to enter a sea cave and learn about the wildlife inhabiting our local natural reserve, which is a part of University of California system. On this trip I saw sea lions galore, cormorants and pelicans–but turtles, Garibaldis (California’s state fish), tiger sharks and dolphins also frequent the area.
All photos by Annie Lane.
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From someone who hasn’t gone out on the water in ages, thanks for the views. Especially enjoyed the cave shots and the dappled lighting. I believe the one shot looking out from inside a grotto is from the place where from another angle the opening appears to be a profile of a person’s head (the somewhat famous “Sunny Jim”). From this angle I think it appears more like Bart Simpson, or is it just me?
Ha! It kinda does! I love viewpoints like that – thanks.
Stand up paddle boards or SUP are a good way to get around there also.
I saw several when I was out there – it made me want to try it!
What isn’t mentioned here is the number of kayaks that launch from La Jolla Shores as part of these guided tours. Kayak companies have flooded the commercial district of the Shores and their trucks and SUVs jam the boat launch area between the Shores Hotel and the Beach and Tennis Club to the exclusion of other kinds of watercraft, such as personal kayaks or Sunfish or catamarans. It is an unregulated zoo that has transformed the south end of La Jolla Shores’ public beach into an overpopulated commercial playground.
On the flip side, there was much talk from the guides about the fact that those shores are a natural reserve and what effect the human population and activities are having. I hear where you’re coming from, but I believe in the importance of access with education. Hopefully a happy medium can be found.