La Jolla Shores

La Jolla Shores is about a mile of sand with a gentle, sandy-bottom shoreline, and San Diego lifeguards say its summer waves are usually the mildest of any city beach. Cove regulars swim here when surf closes out the rocks across the bay. Shuffle your feet as you wade in, because stingrays are common on this sandy side, and get to the Kellogg Park lot early on summer weekends.

Directions

Photo: Don Ramey Logan · CC BY-SA 4.0

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Latest reading · SwimScore 77/100 (Good swim) for a typical swimmer: air 23°C, wind 14 km/h, waves 1.0 m, UV 8. Updated 23 Sept, 22:00 UTC.

Know before you go

Best conditions: Summer, when waves are usually the gentlest in San Diego. The swim club recommends the Shores over the Cove when surf is up, since it has a sandy bottom and usually smaller waves.
Getting in: Take La Jolla Shores Drive to Avenida de la Playa, then Camino del Oro to Kellogg Park at the beach. Sandy entry with no rocks.
Parking & transport: Kellogg Park lot on Camino del Oro; it fills quickly on summer weekends and the gates close at 10 p.m.
Lifeguards: One of nine permanent San Diego lifeguard stations, staffed year-round.
Water quality: San Diego County DEH Beach and Bay Water Quality Monitoring Program tests for fecal indicator bacteria (same-day ddPCR method since 2022) and posts advisories and closures.
Season: Year-round; local water runs from about 50°F in winter to around 70°F in summer.
Who swims here: Many novice scuba classes train here, and La Jolla Cove Swim Club members use the Shores on big-surf days. The club's 1.5-mile Pier to Cove Swim starts at Scripps Pier at the north end of the beach. Large groups of harmless leopard sharks and guitarfish sometimes gather here in summer.
Watch for: Stingrays are very common on the sandy bottom
Busy with surf camps, dive classes and kayakers
Facilities: Several restrooms with showers at Kellogg Park · Grassy park and playground near the boardwalk · Beachfront boat launch (the only one in city limits)