San Diego sea life

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MARK JOHNSON
Ocean
BY
7/29/09
PHOTOS
OCEAN
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The Life
Aquatic
Just minutes from the track,
vibrant sights of marine life
By Mark Johnson
ith more than 70 miles of coastline, San Diego offers
countless opportunities to get close to the sea and birdlife
that call the Pacific Ocean home. And with warm summer months bringing 70-degree water and balmy days to
San Diego’s shores, there is no time like the present to
step out and get close to our aquatic neighbors. All it takes is a short
drive, walk, or bike ride from Del Mar to visit places that are alive with
all manner of watery life, including birds, seals, fish, and porpoise.
W
SEALS AND SEA LIONS
In recent years seals and sea lions have made it easy to get close by
taking up residence in La Jolla’s Children’s Pool. Formed by a curving
brick break wall that shields a cozy beach from waves, the wall was
built in 1931 by La Jolla philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps.
Originally a calm swimming area for kids, over the years the
enclosed swimming hole filled with sand. Today that’s the beach hundreds of harbor seals and California sea lions now call home. These
wild animals are protected by federal law, so don’t get close to them on
the beach. A narrow walkway along the break wall, however, gets you
to within feet of their antics. While seals are generally a quiet lot, sea
lions are garrulous and showy. Adults and their babies sprawl, flop,
scratch, belch, roar, and make surprisingly human-like gestures with
their flippers. At high tide, waves splash onto the far reaches of the
break wall, so be prepared to get wet if you venture out to the end!
Seals are generally smaller than sea lions – they top out at about six
feet long and 300 pounds. Sea lions, on the other hand, are whoppers
that can reach eight feet in length and weigh 1000 pounds. Along with
their size, you can tell the difference because seals do not have external
ears and are generally sleeker in form.
Just off shore from the lifeguard station that overlooks the
Children’s Pool, a protected area called Seal Rock is piled with lounging seals and sea lions during low tides.
A 10-minute stroll north from the Children’s pool, one of the most picturesque walkways in California takes you to another seal and sea lion
hot spot, La Jolla Cove. Seals often congregate on rocks just west and
east of the cove’s sandy beach.
On the east side of the cove, follow the sidewalk along the water’s
edge up the hill and turn left onto the La Jolla Coast Walk trail that
A family of seals lounge by the La Jolla seaside, enjoying the
tranquility of the aptly named Seal Rock
PHOTOS
BY
MARK JOHNSON
Continued on page 42
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Ocean
Kayakers are sure to see
garibaldi and stingrays
starts at the Cave Store at 1325 Coast Boulevard. This
magnificent half-mile path clings to the top of a 10 0 -foot
cliff that affords views of the entire La Jolla Bay, La
Jolla Shores and the glowing cliffs of Torrey Pines.
Just below the Cave Store you’ll find an observation
deck in a grove of Torrey Pine trees. Seals and sea lions
often sun themselves on the rocks below the deck at the
base of a cliff locals call The Clam. If the animals are relatively high above of the water, it’s a safe bet that they
are sea lions. Unlike seals, seal lions can use their rear
flippers to move and this allows them to access lofty
perches seals cannot.
After doing the half-hour out-and-back Coast Walk
trail, you can pay $4 ($3 for kids) and make the eerie
subterranean descent into another seal hangout, one of
La Jolla Bay’s seven cliffside grottos, the Sunny Jim
Cave. Wizard of Oz author Frank Baum named the cave
after a 1920s British cartoon character, and the store’s
passageway to the cave was created with pick and shovel in 1902.
La Jolla Children’s Pool: 850 Coast Boulevard, La Jolla.
La Jolla Cove: North end of Coast Boulevard, La Jolla.
42 Del Mar Scene
SHARKS, RAYS, AND FISH
The San Diego-La Jolla Underwater Park is a 6,000acre protected marine sanctuary between La Jolla Cove
and Scripps Pier. Because sea life can grow here without fear of spear, hook, or diver’s bag, this is the best
place in San Diego for getting close to fish and their
finned brethren, sharks and rays. There are two ways
to do so: by kayaking or by scuba diving and snorkeling. Of course, if you are ambitious you can both
snorkel and kayak in one day.
After launching from the end of Avenida de La Playa
in La Jolla Shores, paddle your kayak along the secluded base of La Jolla Bay’s soaring cliffs and gaze up at
the spectacular La Jolla mansions on top. You are certain to see plenty of California’s state marine fish, the
bright orange garibaldi. In the calm, shallow waters at
the south end of La Jolla Shores you will also find
stingrays, leopard sharks, and gracefully soaring rays.
At high tide you can paddle into the seven magnificent
caves that hundreds of thousands of years’ worth of
Continued on page 44
Visitors can
rent kayaks and
go out on their
own or get
guided tours.
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Ocean
waves have bored into vertical cliffs.
During the summer months, La Jolla Cove is usually calm and ideal for exploring with mask and
snorkel. Venture into the water from the cove’s
petite, life-guarded beach and you will see abalone,
spiny lobster, starfish, and purple sea urchins. Head
out further and peer or dive down toward the flowing
green surf grass that’s abundant on rocky seabeds
and you may spy octopus and fish such as grouper
and sheepshead.
Because the area is off-limits for all fishing and
harvesting, La Jolla Bay offers a vision of
California’s undersea riches as they were a hundred
years ago, before the area was developed and the sea
was scoured by divers and fishermen.
You’ll find both kayak rentals and kayak guides on
Avenida de La Playa in La Jolla Shores. These shops
will take the kayak to the beach for you and outfit
you with life vests. Most offer guided kayaking tours
that take you into the caves and explain the local history and undersea life. The kayak rental shops also
rent snorkeling gear. Some offer day tours that combine guided kayaking and snorkeling.
La Jolla Shores kayak and snorkeling gear
rental and guided tours:
La Jolla Kayak, www.lajollakayak.com, 858-459-1114
San Diego Bike and Kayak Tours,
www.sandiegobikeandkayaktours.com, 858-454-1010
Hike Bike Kayak, www.hikebikekayak.com,
866-425-2925
Low tide
provides
optimal
viewing
at tide
pools
WHALES AND DOLPHINS
Two locations offer you a chance to spy porpoises
romping in the Pacific. At Torrey Pines State Beach
pods of porpoises often venture right into the surfline in the morning. It’s a magic experience to watch
the sleek mammals race along the translucent wave
faces then burst into the air with an explosion of sunilluminated spray. Watch for porpoises where
Highway One descends from Del Mar and flattens
out at Torrey Pines State Beach. In the mornings
before the summer beach crowds arrive, there is
plenty of beachside parking along the highway.
Alternatively, go into the state park’s south
entrance off the Coast Highway, then walk or drive
up the steep paved road to the Guy Fleming trail.
(The hairpinned, narrow road was once the main
highway between San Diego and Los Angeles.) The
flat trail takes you out through a thick grove of
Torrey Pine trees to a breathtaking overlook from
which you can see all the way to Los Angeles and the
San Bernardino mountains on a clear day. It’s also
an ideal spot to watch for porpoises, and, when they
are migrating in the fall and winter months, grey
whales.
Point Loma is also a popular spot for whale and
porpoise watching. Take Cabrillo Monument Drive
to Cabrillo National Monument at the tip of Point
Loma. There panoramic ocean vistas give you ample
opportunities to spot passing porpoise and whales.
You can access another good observation point
that gets you lower to the water by turning right on
Cabrillo Road just after the national monument
Continued on page 46
44 Del Mar Scene
Colorful
inhabitants
of the deep
come into
view on a
daily basis.
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Ocean
Gems of nature, overhead and underfoot
Coastal
birds soar
in Torrey
Pines State
Park, while
hermit
crabs
are more
low-key.
46 Del Mar Scene
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entrance guard house. Cabrillo Road drops steeply to a small
oceanfront parking lot that faces a surfing spot called Dolphin
Tanks. While the surf spot is accessible only by boat, porpoises
still frequent the spot, perhaps because the Navy once used this
part of Point Loma to train porpoises and dolphins for reconnaissance missions.
Torrey Pines State Reserve: www.torreypine.org 858-755-2063
Cabrillo National Monument: www.nps.gov/cabr 619-557-5450
SEABIRDS
One of the best places in San Diego to view seabirds abuts the
Del Mar track. Running east of the track along Via de La Valle,
the 440-acre San Dieguito Wetlands were recently restored to
their original natural state. Since the $90 million, three-year
project was completed last year, 160 bird species have been
sighted in the wetlands – twice the number seen before the
restoration. It’s an important birding location, because the wetland is on the Pacific Flyway, a virtual freeway for birds migrating between Alaska and South America. Like a Starbucks or InN-Out Burger along the highway, the lagoon is a food pit stop for
traveling birds as well as a nesting location for some species.
From Jimmy Durante Boulevard at the south end of the track
parking lot look for a quarter-mile-long viewing boardwalk with
interpretive signs. The trail starts where Jimmy Durante crosses the San Dieguito river. Along with pelicans, terns, ducks, and
grebes, you may spot soaring red-tailed hawk, plump California
quail, and blue-feathered scrub-jay.
Another nearby trail, the 1.2-mile Lagoon Trail, takes you into
the heart of the wetlands and its marsh-loving birds. The trailhead is at the end of San Andres Drive off Via de la Valle near
the Albertson’s shopping center.
On the other side of Del Mar, Los Peñasquitos Lagoon also
offers peaceful bird-watching in the shadow of the Torrey Pines
headlands. To get there, park at the Park and Ride at the corner
of Carmel Valley Road and Sorrento Valley Road. Sorrento
Valley Road is closed to motor vehicles, so walk or ride a bike
south on it. In the peaceful wetlands you are likely to see ducks,
majestic great blue herons, and snowy egrets, as well as hawks
and crows with their eyes open for rodents, flocks of tiny
bushtits rushing among clumps of bushes, and black ravens
floating on the valley updrafts.
Since the once-car-jammed road is now closed to autos, this
area has become an undiscovered zone of peace and serenity for
birdwatchers. To learn more about the birds of Torrey Pines
State Reserve and the lagoon, visit the Torrey Pines State
Reserve headquarters accessible from the south beach parking
lot off the Coast Highway.
San Dieguito Wetlands: www.sdlagoon.com
Torrey Pines State Reserve: www.torreypine.org 858-755-2063
Continued on page 48
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Ocean
Sealife takes over an old
swimming hole for kids
TIDE POOL CREATURES
Tide pools offer a contained glimpse at the mysteriously deep and wild ocean that lies just
beyond the shoreline. Kids love tide pools
because they are wet, slippery, and full of cool
crawling, pinching swimming things. Before
going tide-pool exploring, check the tide tables in
a newspaper or online. You want to visit a rocky
shoreline at low tide, ideally during a minus tide
(when the low tide height in the tide table is indicated by a negative number). Minus tides, caused
by a particular alignment of the sun, moon, and
earth, expose more ocean bottom for you to
explore.
In Ocean Beach, a large expanse of reef is rich
with tide-pool exploration options south of the
Ocean Beach pier. Park at the pier at the end of
Newport Avenue, then follow the boardwalk
south under the pier to the reef. The rocky shelf
extends south to the foot of Santa Cruz Avenue,
where a secluded beach makes an ideal spot for a
post-exploration picnic.
In La Jolla, head for the reefs west of La Jolla
Cove that wrap around the point at the base of
grassy Ellen Browning Scripps Park. During
very low tides, it’s also worth checking out the
48 Del Mar Scene
reefs on the ocean side of the Children’s pool
breakwater as well as the rocky shelves at
Hospitals, a surf spot in front of the Museum of
Contemporary Art on Coast Boulevard.
In the tide pools, look for cone-shaped limpets,
barnacles, and small snail-like creatures called
periwinkles. These animals survive the stress of
being exposed to air by trapping water inside
their shells – like a scuba diver in reverse. Just as
old-time scuba divers breathed air trapped in
their helmets, these sea creatures survive their
time in the killing air by living on their own personal pocket of seawater.
The lower tidal zones are often covered with
vivid green surf grass, which, unlike similarlooking eel grass, does not need the calm waters
of estuaries and bays to survive. Thickets of
black barnacles are also common, as are sea
anemones. When seen in a tide pool, these colorful organisms are like wildly fringed party hats.
Seen out of the water, they resemble lumps of
cold jelly. You will also see lots of scuttling hermit
crabs. Stand still for long enough and they will
come out of their hiding spots for a better view of
you, and you of them. In deeper pools, keep your
eyes open for the purple spines of sea urchins and
the telltale limbs of the starfish.
La Jolla’s
Children’s pool
offers up-close
viewing of seals
and sea lions.
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Ocean
Tanks full
of wonder
To learn more about the sealife along San Diego’s shores, visit the
Birch Aquarium at the University of California’s Scripps Institute of
Oceanography and Sea World, the aquarium and amusement park on
Mission Bay.
BIRCH AQUARIUM
On the campus and perched spectacularly above the Pacific Ocean,
the aquarium has delivered since 1903 on its mission of keeping the
public in tune with the research and discoveries taking place at the
University of California’s Scripps Institute of Oceanography.
The aquarium features 60 tanks where you will come face to face
with undersea animals who inhabit the Pacific Coast from Canada to
Baja California. The giant kelp forest aquarium is simply breathtaking – massive grouper fish weave in and out of gently swaying kelp
as sunlight filters down from above. It’s as close to scuba diving in La
Jolla Cove as you can get without donning a wetsuit and tank. A
shark reef aquarium gets you up close and personal with those highly evolved toothy swimmers. There is also an outdoor tide pool where
you can touch the denizens of San Diego’s rocky seashore and where
the water level rises and falls just like the ocean.
The museum arm of the aquarium details the history of Scripps
Institute of Oceanography. Remarkable photographs show the
research site when it was founded – just a cluster of wooden buildings
on a desolate coastline that is totally unrecognizable today.
Interactive exhibits allow you to make waves and learn how animals
camouflage themselves against undersea reefs, plants, and sand. A
faux supermarket shelf teaches the amazing number of sea products
that go into everyday products
The aquarium’s bookstore has many volumes geared to all ages
explaining the aquatic denizens of San Diego’s shores.
Birch Aquarium: 2300 Expedition Way, La Jolla, 858-534-3474,
www.aquarium.ucsd.edu
SEA WORLD
For an experience that mixes amusement park with aquariums
and ample opportunity to learn about and get close to sea life, check
out Sea World on Mission Bay. Founded in 1964 and now owned by
Anheuser-Busch, the park has as its signature attraction is the
Shamu Adventure. Trainers ride and get tossed by four-ton killer
whales in a seven-million gallon tank, and visitors sitting in the first
10 rows of the arena always get wet! Kids absolutely love the Shamu
show.
Other worthwhile exhibits include Penguin Encounter, where
some 300 Antarctic penguins waddle around their frosty enclosure.
At the Shark Encounter, you’ll walk through a clear tube that runs
through a 280,000-gallon tank swarming with sharks. If you snorkel
or kayak at La Jolla Cove, be sure to check out Sea World’s Forbidden
Reef exhibit where you can touch the same California bat rays that
you see in the cove.
Over the years Sea World has put more emphasis on adventureride type entertainment. So along with learning about sea life in the
park’s exhibits and sea lion shows, you can ride splashy roller coaster rides like Journey to Atlantis and Shipwreck Rapids.
Sea World: 500 Sea World Drive, San Diego, 619-222-6363,
www.seaworld.com
50 Del Mar Scene
SCRIPPS OCEANOGRAPHY
(From top) A leafy sea dragon, a yellow
tang, and a sea nettle are some of the
more than 5,000 animals, representing
380 species, at the Birch Aquarium.