Swim With Marine Creatures in the La Jolla Cove

2 Activities in 1

Observe Marine Life Up Close

Explore Sea Cliffs & Caves

If you’re looking to swim with the fishes, you’re in the right place. This kayak and snorkel tour combo brings you the best of our La Jolla Kayak tour and Leopard Shark Encounter tour. Join us at Southern California’s most famous place to snorkel and experience leopard sharks, sea lions, garibaldi, and other marine creatures up close. If that’s not enough for you, you will paddle along the La Jolla Ecological Reserve, over to La Jolla Cove, and gaze in amazement at the astounding sea cliffs.

Why Kayak and Snorkel in La Jolla?

Premium Snorkeling Spots: La Jolla Ecological Reserve and La Jolla Cove boast an abundance of marine life, good visibility, and calm water, suitable for children and beginners.

Marine Creatures Up Close: Our “sit-on-top” kayaks are ideal to jump in and out of the water easily, so you’ll be able to do just that at the opportune moments to swim the colorful fishes, leopard sharks and even observe the occasional sea turtle.

No Experience Required: Learn how to snorkel under the guidance of our expert staff. Our certified guides will start the tour with a safety orientation, paddle instructions and guide you on how to use the snorkeling equipment.

Click The Tabs For More Information

Tour Details

What You Need To Know

Price

As low as $79 per person


Departure time

1:30pm


Availability

Monday – Sunday, April through October


Duration

2.5 hours



Participation requirements

All participants must be able to swim without the assistance of a personal floatation device.


Included

– Kayak
– Paddle
– Life vest (with emergency whistle)
– Helmet
– Wetsuit
– Mask
– Snorkel


Weight restrictions

– 275 lbs. for a single kayak
– 450 lbs. for a double kayak


About your guide

– Certified guide
– 1:5 ratio guide per person

What You’ll See And Do

young snorkeler giving two thumbs off while exploring on a la jolla snorkel tour

Our certified La Jolla guides will commence the tour with a safety orientation, and paddle introduction, and guide you on how to use the snorkel equipment. You don’t require previous kayaking or snorkeling experience.

On this tour, you’ll be kayaking through La Jolla Cove and the Ecological Reserve to explore the vast marine life underwater. You’ll take a dip in two unique habitats, including the rocky reef between Goldfish Point and the Emerald Cove and sandy flats outside the Marine Room. Your snorkel gear is on hand aboard the kayak, ready for you to equip and jump into the water, where garibaldi, sheepshead, blue moon, shovelnose guitarfish, and other indigenous fish are waiting to greet you.

After your guided Kayak and Snorkel tour, snorkel gear is available to rent, so you can continue your adventure exploring the shallow La Jolla waters, teeming with life throughout the warm water months.

Kayaking and snorkeling in the La Jolla Ecological Reserve is the best way to explore the underwater world of marine life. The best time to spot the leopard shark is from May to October, which is when they appear in the shallow, warm waters of La Jolla Cove. If you’re interested in a shorter, snorkel-only tour and a close-up underwater encounter, check out our Leopard Shark tour.

Good To Know

Our beach staff will assist with launching and retrieving the kayaks at the beginning and end of the tour.

This tour is fun for the whole family, including children 6 years and up, with swimming capabilities.

The La Jolla sea caves are only accessible when permitted by a certified tour guide on one of our La Jolla Kayak tours.

The tour is fun and educational, as our certified guides will give you interesting facts and information on the area and the La Jolla Ecological Reserve.

We recommend you contact us for updated weather conditions before purchasing tickets online.

Our guides undergo safety training and are 100% certified. Local to the area, they are expert watermen and women with experience specific to our destination. Click here to meet our tour guides!

Customer Reviews

See What Our Customers Say About Our Kayak, Snorkel and Bike Tours

Vanessa was so much fun and a great guide for our kayak tour! We loved listening to her stories and had some sea lions surprise us by hunting about 20 ft away! Also, we wouldn’t have wanted to wipe out in front of anyone else 🙂
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Brittany Mathiot Avatar
Brittany Mathiot
3/15/2024
Michael and the other guides were awesome. Educational, informational, and super fun. We learned a lot and had a great time. I would do it again.
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Jonathan Schneck Avatar
Jonathan Schneck
3/13/2024
Great guides that work there ! Informative , fun kayak experience . Entering the cave was amazing ! Well worth the trip.
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Constance Mulhern Avatar
Constance Mulhern
3/12/2024

Check Out Our Other Tours


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La Jolla Snorkeling Tour
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Half Day Bike And Kayak Tour

...Or Choose From Our Rental Options