The Pacific Ocean

I absolutely love running between Del Mar and Torrey Pines. Run, Walk, Bike or sit... it doesn’t get much better!

Lots of things to see underwater off San Diego. The water is cold, but not bad during the summer, or with a wetsuit year-round. Much of the shoreline is difficult for entry because of the surf, but there are a few sheltered areas with an easy entry. Of course any surf related inconvenience is mitigated by good surfing.

Snorkeling: head to La Jolla Cove. Sheltered entry and a kelp forest just feet from the shore. Swim around the rocks and big, friendly kelp bass will swim up and look into your mask. Bright orange garibaldi will follow you of their territories. A little deeper and you'll see bat rays and maybe giant seabass. As a bonus, there is a lifeguard who can give you the current conditions, and even free showers for washing off. Parking is really difficult though, so allow time to search, or come during a week day when everyone's at work..

Snorkeling with sharks: A ways to the south is the Marine Room restaurant. Park and sneak through the narrow ally on the left side. You'll end up on a sandy beach and you'll see hundreds of leopard sharks, guitarfish, and every kind of ray and skate on the sandy bottom in just a few feet of water between June and October. Shuffle your feet though when you walk in so you don't step on one of the hundreds of stingrays on the bottom in the waves.

Shore diving: Off of La Jolla Shores, a marine canyon drops to thousands of feet within an easy swim from the shore. Here you can see what comes up from the depths to the canyon rim at around 60 feet. A deeper wall at Scripps Canyon, just north of the Scripps pier is covered with life. Millions of squid lay eggs on the canyon edges in the winter and are quite a sight. La Jolla Cove is again a good sheltered entry point. You'll be surrounded by marine life from the shoreline out into the shallows and the canyon edge. The Cove attracts interesting visitors- 6-gill sharks, giant seabass, even gray whales have shown up in 30 feet of water there.

Offshore diving: There are a number of dive boats to charter for offshore diving. The best spots are the kelp forests off Point Loma, a series of sunken ships (artificial reefs), and the Los Coronados Islands. The water clarity can be challenging along the shore (usually 5-20 feet), but at the islands, a half hour offshore, you'll usually see the bottom 50 feet down. Not to mention seabird colonies, sea lions and elephant seals.

Even if you don't dive, make sure to rent a wetsuit, mask and fins from one of the many rental places near La Jolla shores and stick your head in the water. It's worth getting wet!