Visit an Underwater Park in La Jolla, California

Leopard Shark

First, lets learn how to talk like a native…San Diegan that is! La Jolla is a Spanish word. For San Diego natives it is great fun to hear out of towners say La Jolla. It gives everyone a great laugh. If you are lucky, they will tell you how to pronounce it correctly. But most likely, they will leave you in ignorance so you can amuse the next person you run into. So I will give you the inside scoop. “Jolla” is not pronounced how it looks. In Spanish the J makes an H sound and two l’s together (ll) make the y sound. So say La Hoy Ya like it is all one word and you will be saying it correctly!

Now that you can speak like a San Diegan, it is time to have fun like one. La Jolla, California is home to the San Diego- La Jolla Ecological Reserve. The 6,000 acre, underwater reserve is an ecological haven with an abundant amount of wildlife, most of it close to shore.

Have you ever wanted to swim with the sharks? Just jump in the water! The reserve is a popular breeding ground for the Leopard sharks. The Leopard Sharks grow to be 5 to 6 feet long, and inhabit the shallow waters close to shore. During the summer and early fall you can usually find them swimming together in large numbers. But you don’t need to be afraid of them. They have very small mouths, (about the size of a quarter) and are quite shy. Humans don’t need to be afraid of them.

A very popular animal at the La Jolla Reserve is the Sea Lion. From the shore you can see them sunning themselves on the distant cliffs. But the best way to get up close is to rent a kayak. There are a number of outfitters nearby where you can rent everything you need to paddle out to get a closer look at the Sea Lions. Don’t get to close though, the Sea Lions are protected and it is against the law to approach them on the cliffs.

While you are paddling out to see the Sea Lions make sure to look down into the water and see if you can find a Garibaldi. Garibaldi are bright orange fish that can grow to over 13 inches long. They live in the kelp forests and along the shore of the reserve. The Garibaldi is the official marine fish of the state of California and is protected all along the California coast.

Leopard sharks, Sea Lions and Garibaldi are just some of the abundant wildlife you will see at the San Diego-La Jolla Ecological reserve. While you are there, make sure to also check out the seven sea caves and the kelp forest. Admission is free and all that is required is a good amount of sun screen!