La Jolla Shores
La Jolla · near La Jolla / San Diego · San Diego
Surfing
At a glance
- Skill level
- beginner
- Best season
- Year-round · Summer south swells are gentle and ideal for learning
Worth knowing
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Surfing detail
- Nickname
- San Diego's Learn-to-Surf Beach
- Break types
- beach
- Swell
- Mixed W/SW · 1–4ft typical · Somewhat protected from prevailing SW wind
- Tide
- Forgiving across most tides · Mid tide best for organized peaks
- Wind
- Sheltered from the worst of the wind · Morning glass common
- Crowd
- Busy with surf schools and beginners, but the beach is wide and the crowd spreads out. Year-round lifeguards.
- Board
- Longboard or soft-top 8ft+ · The classic learning setup
- Wetsuit
- 3/2mm most of the year · Spring suit possible in late summer · Water 60–68°F
- Intl tip
- La Jolla Shores puts you walking distance from La Jolla Cove (sea lions, snorkeling), the sea caves, and the village's restaurants. Make a full beach day of it — surf lesson in the morning, snorkel or kayak in the afternoon.
The guide
La Jolla Shores is San Diego's classroom. A wide, sandy beach somewhat protected from the prevailing southwest wind, with gentl…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to La Jolla Shores — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 32.857, -117.256