La Jolla Cove, right now.
A small pocket beach below the cliffs, with rocky reef, kelp and plenty of marine life. It's inside a marine reserve, so look and leave everything as you found it.
Right now
Updated Wed 1:25 AM. Refreshes about every 30 minutes.
Coastal Flood Warning. Coastal Flood Warning issued October 28 at 1:09AM PDT until October 29 at 1:00PM PDT by NWS San Diego CA
Swell
0.7 ft at 11.1 s
From the WNW. Wind waves 1.6 ft at 7.1 s. Combined wave height 2 ft.
Measured Wed 12:56 AM at the Scripps Nearshore buoy.
Water temperature
73°F
Scripps Pier 73°F, Scripps Nearshore buoy 73°F. At the surface. It’s usually colder below the thermocline, sometimes a lot colder.
Scripps Pier, Wed 1:18 AM.
Wind
5 mph E
Mostly Cloudy. Up to 5 mph over the next 12 hours.
National Weather Service hourly forecast.
Rain, last 72 hours
None reported
San Diego airport.
Tides
| Low | Wed 4:01 AM | 2.0 ft |
|---|---|---|
| High | Wed 10:26 AM | 6.5 ft |
| Low | Wed 5:51 PM | -0.8 ft |
| High | Thu 12:29 AM | 3.5 ft |
| Low | Thu 4:38 AM | 2.4 ft |
| High | Thu 11:11 AM | 6.3 ft |
Predicted at La Jolla (Scripps Pier). Heights above mean lower low water.
Visibility
Not measured
No instrument measures visibility here, so we won’t guess a number. Three things drive it: swell stirring the bottom, runoff after rain, and plankton blooms, most often in late spring and early summer. Small swell and no recent rain are a good start. The only real answer is a diver who was just in the water.
Sources: NOAA buoy 46254, NOAA tides 9410230, National Weather Service. Check the surf zone forecast for surf heights and rip current risk.
What to watch at La Jolla Cove
- Surge
- The Cove is more exposed to swell than the Shores. Surge on the pocket beach and over the rocks is the main concern.
- Swell direction
- Check where the swell is coming from, not just how big it is. Direction decides how much of it reaches the Cove.
- Crowds
- Swimmers, snorkelers and sea lions share the entry. Plan where you'll get in and out.
Entry. Down the stairs to a small sandy pocket beach. It's a short, rocky, often crowded entry, and it gets harder fast when there's surge.
Depth. Shallow reef near the entry, getting deeper as you head offshore toward the canyon.
Questions
Where do these La Jolla Cove conditions come from?
Swell, period and direction come from the Scripps Nearshore wave buoy, just offshore of La Jolla. Water temperature and tides come from NOAA's Scripps Pier station. Wind, the forecast and surf alerts come from the National Weather Service.
What's the visibility at La Jolla Cove today?
Nobody measures it, so we don't guess. Swell, recent rain and plankton drive it. The only real answer is a diver who was just in the water.
Before you go
Conditions don’t make the call. Your team does.
A buoy reading tells you what the ocean is doing offshore. It doesn’t tell you what the entry looks like or whether the plan still works. Watch a few sets, plan the exit first, then decide. Want to dive it with us? See Essentials of Recreational Diving.