La Jolla Sea Caves
La Jolla (San Diego) · near La Jolla / San Diego · San Diego
Caving · Kayaking & SUP
At a glance
- Depth
- 0
- Season
- Year-round · Kayak-cave entry depends on tide and swell (calm summer mornings best)
- Cost
- Sunny Jim's Cave (land, via Cave Store): ~$10 adult / $6 child · Kayak tours: ~$40–65 · Kayak rentals available
- Difficulty
- Sunny Jim's: 145 steps down a tunnel, easy · Kayak caves: beginner-friendly guided tours, but open-ocean paddling
- Best season
- Year-round · Best April–October · Morning sessions before afternoon swell picks up · Summer water warmest
Permits and booking
- Permit
- Sunny Jim's: ticket via the Cave Store. Kayak tours: through licensed La Jolla outfitters (no permit needed for guided). Private kayakers should respect the ecological reserve rules and only enter caves in safe conditions.
- Permit
- No permit for open-water paddling. Cave entry: guided tours only, no independent entry. La Jolla Underwater Park (6,000-acre protected area): no fishing, no collecting, observe wildlife only. Launch from La Jolla Shores Boat Launch (west end of Avenida de la Playa).
What is here
- Wildlife
- California sea lions (cave residents) · Leopard sharks (June–September, extremely docile) · Garibaldi · Bat rays · Shovelnose guitarfish · Kelp bass · Harbor seals · Occasionally gray whales (winter)
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
- Gear
- Kayak tours provide PFDs & equipment · Swimwear & quick-dry clothes · Sun protection · Water shoes or sandals · Waterproof phone case for photos
Caving detail
- Nickname
- Seven Caves + Sunny Jim's Tunnel
- Cave type
- sea-cave
- Tour length
- Sunny Jim's ~15–20 min · Kayak tours ~1.5–2 hours
- Formations
- 75-million-year-old sandstone · Sea lions & harbor seals · Dolphins & leopard sharks · Sunny Jim's land tunnel (only one in CA) · Kelp forest & ecological reserve
- Featured caves
- Sunny Jim's Sea Cave · The Seven Caves by kayak · The Underwater Park
- Intl tip
- La Jolla is one of San Diego's most beautiful and walkable neighborhoods — combine the caves with the Cove's snorkeling, the tide pools, and the seals at the Children's Pool. Torrey Pines (hiking and paragliding guides) is minutes north. Go on a calm summer morning for the best cave-kayaking conditions.
Kayaking & SUP detail
- Nickname
- The Seven Caves
- Water types
- sea-cave · kelp-forest
- Exposure
- moderate
- Sup friendly
- No
- Wetsuit
- 2mm–3mm spring suit summer · Boardshorts possible in peak summer · 3mm recommended shoulder seasons
- Tidal note
- La Jolla's caves are accessible at all tides but optimal window varies. Cave entry is tide-sensitive — some caves are only accessible at lower tides. Only tour groups (not independent kayakers) are permitted to enter the caves. Check with outfitters for cave-specific conditions.
- Intl tip
- La Jolla's upscale village (a 5-minute walk from the kayak launch at La Jolla Shores) has excellent restaurants, galleries, and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography's Birch Aquarium — one of the best small aquariums in California. Torrey Pines Gliderport (the paragliding destination in our PG guide) is 3 miles north, making the La Jolla corridor one of the densest concentrations of California outdoor experiences per square mile.
The guide
The La Jolla sea caves are Southern California's most accessible and beautiful coastal caving — seven caves carved over million…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to La Jolla Sea Caves — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 32.8506, -117.272