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La Jolla Cove
Dive site · United States
Advanced divers and up
Is it worth the trip?
63Good out of 100 for your dates
Best on Sun 8: Sea 0.4 m, Visibility under 5 m, Water 18 °C
Mon 2 · 57 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.7 m
- Wind
- 5 kn
- Gusts
- 9kn
- Air
- 21°C
Tue 3 · 63 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 6kn
- Air
- 21°C
Wed 4 · 58 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.7 m
- Wind
- 3 kn
- Gusts
- 6kn
- Air
- 21°C
Thu 5 · 63 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.6 m
- Wind
- 2 kn
- Gusts
- 6kn
- Air
- 21°C
Fri 6 · 64 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 4 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 22°C
Sat 7 · 64 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.5 m
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 24°C
Sun 8 · 65 out of 100
- Sea
- 0.4 m
- Wind
- 1 kn
- Gusts
- 8kn
- Air
- 24°C
Tap a day for sea, wind and water. Full forecast
Forecast: next 10 days
Full forecast- Sun 168, good
- Mon 257, fair
- Tue 363, good
- Wed 458, fair
- Thu 563, good
- Fri 664, good
- Sat 764, good
- Sun 865, good
- Mon 965, good
- Tue 1064, good
The site in five facts
- Down to 15 mits deepest
- From the shorehow you get in
- Advancedand up
- Water 18 °C7 mm wetsuit and hood
- Faces NWswell from there reaches it
Full forecast
every day, every number
The score doesn't know currents, the visibility on the day or your certification.
Suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it. Scored for Advanced divers.
| Day | Score | Sea | Wind | Gusts | Air |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 1Nov | 68, good | 0.6 m | 4 kn | 10kn | 21°C |
| Mon 2Nov | 57, fair | 0.7 m | 5 kn | 9kn | 21°C |
| Tue 3Nov | 63, good | 0.6 m | 3 kn | 6kn | 21°C |
| Wed 4Nov | 58, fair | 0.7 m | 3 kn | 6kn | 21°C |
| Thu 5Nov | 63, good | 0.6 m | 2 kn | 6kn | 21°C |
| Fri 6Nov | 64, good | 0.5 m | 4 kn | 8kn | 22°C |
| Sat 7Nov | 64, good | 0.5 m | 1 kn | 8kn | 24°C |
| Sun 8Nov | 65, good | 0.4 m | 1 kn | 8kn | 24°C |
| Mon 9Nov | 65, good | 0.4 m | 3 kn | 10kn | 24°C |
| Tue 10Nov | 64, good | 0.4 m | 3 kn | 6kn | 23°C |
Sea is the waves near the site, in metres; wind and gusts in knots. "Boats in": gusts that keep dive boats in. More
Tide
- Sun 1 NovHigh 03:33 +0.3 mLow 07:38 +0.1 mHigh 13:39 +0.6 mLow 21:18 −0.9 m
- Mon 2 NovHigh 04:26 +0.4 mLow 09:38 −0.1 mHigh 15:17 +0.6 mLow 22:19 −0.8 m
- Tue 3 NovHigh 05:07 +0.6 mLow 10:56 −0.3 mHigh 16:39 +0.5 mLow 23:09 −0.8 m
Local clock times; heights about mean sea level. On open coasts the times are usually within a quarter of an hour; in bays, estuaries and on the Gulf of Mexico they can be an hour or more out. Slack water, the safest time to dive where there is current, is about half an hour either side of each high and low. Tide: EOT20 global ocean tide model, Hart-Davis et al. 2021, DGFI-TUM (doi:10.17882/79489), CC BY 4.0. Times and heights computed by us. A model, not a tide table: check a local table before you go.
Forecast updated . It refreshes every three hours. Forecast data: ECMWF, DWD, Météo-France and NOAA, served by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0). Changed by us. Generated using E.U. Copernicus Marine Service Information.
Map
the site, its town, photos
La Jolla Cove on Google Maps · Directions
Each place wears its best day on these dates: green good, amber fair, pale red poor, as the key says.
The map needs JavaScript. Every place on it is listed on this page, and each place's page links to Google Maps.
One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Photos of La Jolla Cove
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More diving near here
2 places
- La Jolla Canyon 0.9 km away
- La Jolla Shores 1.6 km away
About
the place in full, sources, credits
About La Jolla Cove
A reef dive. It goes down to 15 m. You get in from the shore. It suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it. The coast faces NW: swell from the NW reaches it, and wind from the SE blows out to sea. No dive centre within 10 km, the nearest 11 km away. The sea is about 15°C in February, its coldest month (7 mm semi-dry or a drysuit), and 22°C in August, its warmest (5 mm wetsuit). The town to stay in is Del Mar. Within 5 km we also list 24 surf spots, 1 wind sports spot and 2 dive sites.
- What it is Reef.
- How deep Down to 15 m.
- Getting in From the shore.
- Who it suits Suits Advanced divers and up, as a dive guide states it.
- Dive centres No dive centre within 10 km, the nearest 11 km away.
Water about 18°C: 7 mm wetsuit and hood. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.
Visibility under 5 m. Typical for the time of year, estimated from ten years of NASA satellite water clarity, not a forecast. Clearest in Jun, Jul, Sep, Oct and Dec (about 8 m).
The score is the conditions only: the journey, the price and the partners never change it (how we score, how we earn).
Rough cost (estimate): about US$925–US$1,720 each
about US$925–US$1,720 each · 6 nights, 2 sharing: flights, taxi, stay, food.
Our estimate from typical public prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book (where they come from). Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
How we worked it out
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return MDW to SAN, estimated from distance and season, 1 airline on the route, with a hold bag | about US$248–US$516 |
| Taxi | airport and back, shared | about US$33–US$60 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | about US$301–US$502 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | about US$342–US$636 |
| Total | about US$925–US$1,720 |
Guided dives are not priced yet: we have no sourced price, so it is not in it. Prices from public sources, checked in 2026.
Where to stay: Del Mar
21 min by car · 10 places to stay
about US$114/nightcountry average
About Del Mar its beds, food and every spot near it
About US$114 a night is our estimate of the country's average 2-star double room that month: not each town's price, and not a quote. Drives are estimates. Prices are about, in US Dollar (USD): our pound figures at the European Central Bank's rate of 30 October 2026.
Getting there: about 6h 40m
About 6h 40m door to door from Chicago
Fly MDW → SAN, direct, then 35 min by road
Flights MDW → SAN on your dates · Skyscanner
An estimate, one way; the journey never changes the score.
In the water
Dives and courses in Del Mar · GetYourGuideDive gear hire in Del Mar · GetYourGuide
Dive centres nearby
Ocean Enterprises 11 km
Spear Shack 12 km
North County Scuba Center 22 km
The nearest named dive centres and shops within 25 km, in a straight line; training agencies where the map states them. Listings, not a recommendation. Dive centres: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Credits
What you might see
Animals divers and surveys have recorded within 2 km of this site in the last 15 years. A record says someone saw it here, not that you will.
Zalophus californianusSeal or sea lion
Seen in 10 records, mostly Feb to May.
Austraeolis stearnsiNudibranch
Seen in 4 records.
Sea bass Paralabrax clathratus
Seen in 742 records, mostly Aug to Oct.
Rock wrasse Halichoeres semicinctus
Seen in 526 records, mostly Aug to Oct.
Bodianus pulcher
Seen in 446 records, mostly Aug to Sep.
Oxyjulis californica
Seen in 428 records, mostly Aug to Oct.
California Spiny Lobster Panulirus interruptus
Seen in 408 records, mostly Oct to Nov.
Garibaldi damselfish Hypsypops rubicundus
Seen in 303 records, mostly Aug to Oct.
Red sea urchin Mesocentrotus franciscanus
Seen in 229 records, mostly Oct to Nov.
Blacksmith Chromis punctipinnis
Seen in 215 records, mostly Aug to Oct.
Purple sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus
Seen in 172 records, mostly Oct to Nov.
Embiotoca jacksoni
Seen in 154 records, mostly Aug to Oct.
Records: OBIS (Ocean Biodiversity Information System, IOC-UNESCO), from the datasets named here, CC0 and CC BY records only. Names: WoRMS, through OBIS; common names from Wikidata. Largest datasets here: PISCO swath transects; cfceb150-bbe2-4efb-8682-14cfc7167e7c; A photographically-vouchered global citizen science dataset of sea slugs (Mollusca: Heterobranchia) from the SEASLUG.WORLD platform since 2015; MARINe CBS - Quadrat Surveys Summarized; SOCAL KB04, FZN1, FZN2 Marine Mammal Aerial Monitoring 2011-2012. Credits
This week: visibility about 9 m, clearer than usual (satellite plankton reading, 24 Oct). Estimated from the month's typical visibility and this week's satellite chlorophyll against the site's normal; heavy rain before a dive can still muddy it.
The current no free forecast gives. Ask a dive centre before you book.