La Jolla Cove is a small cove with a beach that is surrounded by cliffs in La Jolla, a community of San Diego, California. Point La Jolla forms the south side of the cove. The area is protected as part of a marine reserve and is popular with snorkelers, swimmers and scuba divers.
The swells that often roll in from the open ocean can be large and strong. The water temperature is often a little colder than the average San Diego beach. While the beach has only a small dry sand area at high tide, during very low tides, tide pools are revealed at the cove.
California sea lions can be found in the waters of the cove and hauling out, temporarily leaving the water to rest on its beaches, cliffs, and bluffs. Similar to the history of the Pacific harbor seals at Children's Pool Beach, there are challenges concerning the interactions of people with the sea lions.
Description
The beach at the cove is very small, and the sand is gritty. The cove is a very popular spot for swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving. Some swimmers swim to Scripps Pier and back, totaling round trip. The cove is home to many open water swimming events year round including the Rough Water Swim and the .
Because La Jolla Cove is within the San Diego-La Jolla Underwater Park (a marine refuge area), swimming devices such as surfboards, boogie boards, and inflatable mattresses, are not permitted, and kayakers are not allowed into the cove. As an ecological reserve, no fishing is allowed and the collecting of marine invertebrates, (even taking dead specimens or seashells) is prohibited. All sea animals are protected by law, including the orange Garibaldi fish, which are unusually common in the cove. There are hundreds of sea lions that call La Jolla Cove home, sometimes being seen in the deeper-water parts of the cove or basking on rocks.
The water temperature in the cove is sometimes cooler than in some other areas of San Diego's coastline because the cove faces out into much deeper, colder, water. The weather on land is typical of weather in La Jolla, where the temperature year-round seldom exceeds the 50 degrees to 90 degrees range.
The air throughout La Jolla Cove area is filled with the odor of sea lion and bird feces. The smell can be especially strong on the warmest days in the summer. The extensive fecal contamination also has caused unsafe swimming conditions.
Access
Free public parking is extremely limited and is all on-street; there are also paid parking garages in the area. From the park at the top of the cove, there are a few steps down on each side to a "gallery" area with a lot of benches. This gallery includes the entrance to the lifeguard station, where the lifeguard's chalkboard shows useful information updated throughout the day. From the gallery level there are two steep sets of concrete steps that lead down to the beach itself, although visitors may have to step on rocks to get all the way down to the sand.
At the top of the cove there is a group of outdoor showers, and large public restrooms which include one indoor shower and an indoor area with benches and hooks for changing.
Surrounding area Up on the bluffs above the beach, and stretching south to other nearby beaches, including Shell Beach and Children's Pool Beach, is Scripps Park, a grassy area with trees and other plantings. Scripps Park is used for picnicking and relaxing.La Jolla Cove, at lajollabythesea.com accessed 27 April 2013
The La Jolla sea caves, or "The 7 caves of La Jolla", are just north of the cove. The best known of these is Sunny Jim's Sea Cave, a short walking distance from the cove and from the local businesses that are situated up above the shoreline. The cave is accessible through The Cave Store, which charges a nominal fee to go down a staircase leading to the cave itself.Sunny Jim Cave, at lajollabluebook.com accessed 14 August 2013
Sea lions
Primarily as a result of their nationwide protection following the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) in 1972, California sea lion populations quickly rebounded.McClatchie, S., Field, J., Thompson, A. R., Gerrodette, T., Lowry, M., Fiedler, P. C., Watson, W., Nieto, K. M., & Vetter, R. D. (2016). Food limitation of sea lion pups and the decline of forage off central and southern California. Royal Society Open Science, 3. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.150628 The Channel Islands population has greatly expanded and inhabit parts of central and southern California. As the sea lions have occupied more of La Jolla Cove, their interactions with people and property have increased significantly, with both positive and negative outcomes.Hanan, D. A. (2016). California Sea Lion Observations at La Jolla Cove Initial Investigation of Abundance and Behavior with Recommendations/Options Final Report. Hanan & Associates, Inc. Submitted to City of San Diego Park and Recreation Department. P.O. #4500062579 https://www.dropbox.com/s/zvsq7ade69fwbnz/AKBCopyHananReport.pdf?dl=0 Large wildlife in urban spaces raises concerns about public health and the safety of people and wildlife in close proximity to each other. These circumstances pose challenging management efforts for the City of San Diego as it seeks to protect the ecological integrity of the area while also ensuring opportunities for public use of the beaches.Hanan, D. A. (2017). Marine Coastal Management Plan – La Jolla. Hanan & Associates, Inc. Submitted to City of San Diego Park and Recreation Department. https://e275257f-745f-4a56-a0e1-3870a6825caf.filesusr.com/ugd/03bec0_5d849b125ec64fc6a2f09c1dcc2ee1c2.pdf
Wildlife conservation and land use policy According to the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), while there is no explicitly defined distance in feet to stay away from pinnipeds,Public Law 92-522. (1972). AN ACT To protect marine mammals; to establish a Marine Mammal Commission; and for other purposes. 1027-1046. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/STATUTE-86/pdf/STATUTE-86-Pg1027.pdf including California sea lions, harassing pinnipeds is illegal, and the MMPA defines harassment in two ways:
any act of pursuit, torment, or annoyance that has the potential to injure a marine mammal; or acts that have the potential to disturb but not injure a marine mammal by disrupting certain behaviors, including migration, breathing, nursing, breeding, feeding, or sheltering.
The cove is a public beach as defined by the California Coastal Act and overseen by the California Coastal Commission.Constitution of the State of California. (1976). Article X Water, Section 4. Prop. 14. Res.Ch. 5, 1976. Accessed from State of California Legislative Counsel Bureau. Therefore, there is disagreement about who can use the beach and to what extent.Strege, D. (2018, April 24). Tourists are ‘loving sea lions to death’ in La Jolla. For The Win. https://ftw.usatoday.com/2018/04/tourists-are-loving-sea-lions-to-death-in-la-jollaMackin-Solomon, A. (2017, August 3). Sea Lion Summer: Both humans and pinnipeds compete for La Jolla Cove waters at this time of year. La Jolla Light. https://www.lajollalight.com/news/sd-summer-months-important-humans-sea-lions-la-jolla-cove-20170801-story.html Currently the City is pursuing a shared-use policy with educational signs, interpretive docents, and law enforcement by park rangers, lifeguards, and policemen to ensure respect for the wildlife while permitting full use of the beaches.Mackin-Solomon, A. (2018, August 22). City sets up information tent at La Jolla Cove. La Jolla Light. https://www.lajollalight.com/news/sd-city-information-tent-la-jolla-cove-20180817-story.html
History
Earliest references to the sea lions hauling out in the cove, or temporarily leaving the water to rest in significant numbers, are from 2013. At that time La Jolla business owners organized into the nonprofit Citizens for Odor Nuisance Abatement in order to file a civil lawsuit against the City over the “foul odor” caused by shorebird and sea lion poop at the cove, which they claimed was as a public nuisance.Citizens for Odor Nuisance Abatement v. City of San Diego. Cal. Ct. App., Fourth District, Division 1, decided February 9, 2017. https://caselaw.findlaw.com/ca-court-of-appeal/1777141.htmlTrageser, C. (2013, December 27). San Diego Sued Over 'Foul Odor' Of Sea Lion And Bird Poop At La Jolla Cove. Patch. https://patch.com/california/lajolla/san-diego-sued-over-foul-odor-of-sea-lion-and-bird-poop-at-la-jolla-coveTrageser, C. (2016, January 10). San Diego Stumped On How To Stop The Stink. NPR.org. https://www.npr.org/2016/01/10/462555677/san-diego-stumped-on-how-to-stop-the-stink The City contracted the cleaning product company Blue Eagle to develop and apply a nontoxic bacterial solution to dissolve the poop without polluting the ocean or harming wildlife.Phan, H. T. (2013, December 26). SD sued over sea lion stench. The San Diego Union-Tribune. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/environment/sdut-la-jolla-cove-stench-sea-lions-lawsuit-2013dec26-story.htmlTrageser, C. (2013, May 31). How Poop-Eating Bacteria Could Clean La Jolla Cove. KPBS. https://www.kpbs.org/news/2013/may/31/how-poop-eating-bacteria-could-clean-la-jolla-cove/Trageser, C. (2015, December 15). La Jolla Poop Problem Lingers As New Solutions Are Flushed Out. KPBS. https://www.kpbs.org/news/2015/dec/15/la-jolla-poop-case-continues-new-solutions-are-dig/ The City additionally installed a public-access gate into a fence along the bluffs east of the cove in hopes that increased foot traffic would disperse the sea lions and reduce the smell.Garske, M. (2014, January 1). City Installs Gate in Response to La Jolla Cove Odor Lawsuit. NBC San Diego. https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/city-installs-gate-in-response-to-la-jolla-cove-odor-lawsuit/122454/
In 2015, the City contracted the marine and environmental consulting services of Hanan & Associates to study both the seals and sea lions in La Jolla and provide management options. Over the course of the year, they performed a research study on the populations and behaviors of Pacific harbor seals and California sea lions in and around La Jolla and offered several options and management strategies for deterring the pinnipeds from hauling out, as well as increasing public education. In the final report, published the following year, Hanan & Associates additionally noted the overall increase in pinniped populations along the entire coastline and suggested that more research would be necessary to better inform policy decisions.
In 2016 the La Jolla Town Council created the Community Task Force on California Sea Lions, which included representatives from the La Jolla Cove Swim Club, the San Diego Council of Divers, and other members of the La Jolla community, to “gather community input and develop a consensus opinion” through public hearings to provide recommendations for the City.Bache, A. K., Beachman, D., Simonelli, D., Tracey, J., Burleigh, D., Haskins, S., Lebeouf, N., Preisdorfer, A., Minick, P., Valentine, D., Marengo, C. A., King, E., & Coakley, M. (2016). Crisis in the Cove: A Call for Action. La Jolla Community Task Force on California Sea Lions. http://media.wix.com/ugd/03bec0_8837d84466e24079956be73c4264fd9f.pdf