Kayaking La Jolla Cove

What a beautiful day in sunny San Diego. Our time is coming to an end here, and one of the activities on our "to do" list was to go kayaking. I have been kayaking several times and really love it! What a great upper body workout, plus you get to enjoy being on the water! We gathered up a few friends and family and made it to La Jolla by 1pm. Apparently the early bird does get the worm [or kayak in this case] because we asked around at several rental shops and all had a wait of a couple hours. No importa. We sat outside at The Shores Restaurant happy as can be with our beers and bloody marys. (thanks again Tavo!)Our wait was not a nuisance in the least bit, but if you have a schedule to stick to, I would advise an earlier start time for the kayaks , or even calling ahead for a reservation. The prices can vary greatly we found, so it's worth it to walk around and get some price quotes. We were told by OEX Dive & Kayak that there was less wait on the double kayaks, and the price was good. $45 for 90 minutes. (we were quoted $38 for a single at another shop)

My first experience kayaking was in La Jolla about 9 years ago. What a difference 10 years can make. I remember being out on the water with no more than 5-10 other kayakers, but this is the scene if you go today.

People and groups and tours and more tours. Crow-ded! You have to use some major maneuvering skills to get where you want to go. Which is the cuevas or caves. Ernesto and I shared a kayak and had a great rhythm going.  Its about a 15 minute paddle from the beach to the most popular spot for kayakers and snorkelers. Here, in front of the caves, the leopard sharks swim, the seal and sea lions bake in the sun.  The water is so blue and is speckled by the bright orange California state fish, the Garibaldi.

A dive instructor told me that the fish must know they are protected because they swim right up to you.  No fear.  The seals and sea lions also seemed accustomed to the many people around them, not only in the water, but on the cliffs too.  You can get very close to them. 

People were snorkeling and swimming close to these huge mammals.  Ernesto was trying to go close to them too, and I had to counter paddle to get away! 

After we turned in our kayaks we drove to the cliff side and took these pics, unfortunately I don't have a waterproof camera, and I although we didn't tip over, I couldn't risk it with Nester. 
On these cliffs there is a dirt trail that winds in front of these million dollar homes overlooking the water. Oh. My. God.  There were huge ridiculous homes and then there was this.

I fell in love.  No don't let the front deceive you, it had a huge side courtyard with glass walls.  I'm sure there was a pool there and the glass doors were slid open to combine indoor-outdoor living.  Yes, I'll take it please!  We sat on the cliff in front of this house and pretended it was our front yard.

We were tempted to knock on the door and ask "Excuse me, rich ass, what do you do for a living?"