This past Saturday, Nicole and I slept in a little bit longer than normal in an attempt to recover from the week. We figured we’d take it easy. Maybe we might head down to La Jolla Village and walk around, possibly find a nice spot on the beach and read a book Nicole had recently purchased at the San Juan Capistrano Mission about the ghosts that haunt California’s 21 missions. It didn't quite end up that way.
Parking in La Jolla sucks. It’s terrible. There is no way around it. I hate it. I was already in a grumpy mood to start this trek. We finally found parking in a random neighborhood a bit far from the main attractions, and made our way down. It wasn’t an especially sunny day, but it was nice enough so that everything was absolutely packed. Great.
I am used to much more laid back settings, and the amount of people there was unnerving to me. We walked along Coast Boulevard, checking out various parks and beaches along the way, but found no place to relax. We took a small break near the famous Cave Store, which charges an entrance fee for passage through a La Jolla ocean cave. That’s when the fun really began.
Looking out into one of the well-known La Jolla Sea Caves, we realized there was a small rocky beach people were climbing in and out of in order to gain easy access to the caves. Some people were snorkeling, some were on kayaks. It seemed ideal and we quickly decided we were going to rent some snorkels and finally check out the caves.
The Cave Store had a set of snorkel, goggles, and flippers for 20 bucks for the rest of the day. A bit steep, but it was so convenient, and we were so pumped at this idea that we went with it anyway. We climbed down the rocks to the launching spot we’d seen, and soon we were in the water.
San Diegans who are able to experience these warmer waters are truly lucky. While the initial minute is spent warming up, after that you are good to go. Nicole and I were out on the water for a good 2-3 hours having a blast. Initially, the water was pretty calm as the tide hadn’t started to come in yet. Visibility was at a maximum, and you could instantly see bright orange Garibaldi fish everywhere. I’d never seen so many of California’s state fish in one spot, so many in fact that they became old hat during that session. Tons of other small fish were abundant, as well as other critters on the ocean bottom. I’m near sighted, and I didn’t feel like this limited my enjoyment a bit.
We decided to snorkel through the caves, and that was an adventure in its own. The first cave we went into was rather narrow, and the water going in and out with the tide caused me to get roughed up on the rocks a bit… totally worth it. We also went into a series of other caves with a nice pool area. The last cave we hung out in has a tunnel that leads out of the Cave Store. During prohibition, it was used to smuggle alcohol, and before that to smuggle in illegal Chinese and other immigrants. It now serves as a tourist attraction and as a story to tell people going on a kayak tour of the caves, as I eavesdropped upon one.
The La Jolla caves are something you have to experience if you’re in the area.
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| La Jolla Sea Cave (photo by Nicole) |
Information:
Wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Lajollacaves
Map: http://goo.gl/maps/Q1FF
Directions: Walk northwest from the Cave Store and head down a wooden staircase to the cliffside towards a small viewing platform offering views of the sea caves. Head down the cliffs (CAREFULLY) towards the right side where you’ll see other people gathered. Jump in and enjoy.
