Travel

Alexis in California PT 5: Snorkeling at La Jolla

by Alexis Chateau

There’s something about the ocean that inspires peace of mind. This is true whether you’re a surfer, a snorkeler, or a casual observer.

So what happens when you spend almost your entire life living on an island, and then find yourself in a land-locked city? Why, you run off to California, of course!

On our last day in San Diego, California; Ericson, Tristan, and I had two main goals. We planned to hike Annies Canyon, and we planed to go snorkeling at La Jolla.

Parking

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Apparently, all beach adventures begin with finding parking space in California, because just like our Torrey Pines trip, we spent at least 15 to 20 minutes just looking for a place to park.

Free parking by the beach, and parking lots close by, fill up quickly. Because of this, parking lots facing the beach charged as much as $15 per hour! Luckily, we were able to find parking a block away at $15 for the day.

Beach Buddies

Almost as soon as we set our things down, we found an unexpected sunbather, soaking up the sun.

1 La Jolla Seal.jpg

However, everyone else seemed to be ignoring the sleepy sea lion, so we resolved to do the same. When he opened his mouth to yawn, and we saw his bloody teeth, we were quite happy that we had done so.

3 La Jolla Tristan O'Bryan Ericson Quero.jpg

Snorkeling Time

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With one failed snorkeling attempt under my belt, I could barely wait to see what La Jolla was working with. But after all the rave reviews, I was a little disappointed.

I was happy to be in the water again, and to be snorkeling for the first time in two years. But La Jolla has nothing on the Caribbean. Our waters are warmer, clearer, bluer, and less “polluted” by seaweed.

6 La Jolla Beach.jpg

I didn’t take any underwater pictures, but I found two on Instagram, that basically sum up the underwater experience:

Just to give some perspective, here are two other pictures from Instagram. These, however, are of snorkeling spots in Jamaica. Notice a difference?

View this post on Instagram

Snorkeling in Runaway Bay, Jamaica

A post shared by Jim Luttrell (@jim8968) on

Time to Go

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It may not have measured up to my Caribbean standards, but I had fun at La Jolla. After about two hours though, we had worked up quite an appetite, and left to hunt for food.

9 La Jolla Alex Chateau.jpg

Eating Out

We had lunch at Karl Strauss Beer in La Jolla. It’s a nice little bar and restaurant a few blocks away from the beach. They had specialty beers, good wine, and great food.

After lunch, we headed back to the house to get some rest. I left for Atlanta, GA the following morning, while the guys stayed on for another day or two.

Needless to say, Shadow was very happy to have me back with him. Too bad I’ll be leaving him again in the fall to witness the leaf-turnings in New England. 

I’m an autumn baby, so naturally it’s one of my favourite seasons. What’s your favourite season, and where do you plan to spend it? Tell me all about it in the comments below!

Alexis Chateau Black Cat

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My trip to California was sponsored by Alexis Chateau PR and booked by our in-house travel agents. Is there a country or city you’ve always dreamed of seeing with your own eyes? Then stop dreaming, and start traveling.

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34 thoughts on “Alexis in California PT 5: Snorkeling at La Jolla”

  1. Now you understand why I don’t like to go swimming up here in CA 😉 Imagine what it’s like when you live in an area that rarely breaks 75º Fahrenheit! I do enjoy spending time on the coast though, looking at the water.

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    1. Haha. I understand why everyone wears a wetsuit. I never got the point of one before now. It’s unreal how cold the water gets when the sun is glaring overhead. But like you said, sometimes it’s just good to look. 😊

      Reply

  2. We too love snorkelling and scuba diving: it’s like entering a magical world. It is so thrilling when the fish follow you! I’ve noticed lots of people seem to have a new kind of goggles and tube, more like a mask that covers your whole face. Must get some soon.

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    1. That’s great! Where do you usually go snorkeling and diving? I hear it’s beautiful in southern Europe.

      I haven’t seen those masks before! That must be new. Sounds safer too. 🤔

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      1. The Mediterranean is great for snorkelling, as it is usually calm. We also did a spot of scuba diving in Greece about 10 years ago. We are in Palamós, north east Spain, in La Costa Brava, Catalunia. It is here where my journey began in the summer of 1984 when I came to work as a waitress to save money to go and study in England. Where did the time go? More snorkelling this afternoon!

      2. More snorkeling this afternoon? So jealous! Do you ever take any underwater pictures? I would love to see them!

        I really want to go to Spain, but I also know my life will never be the same again after setting foot there.

      3. Unfortunately, I do not have an underwater camera. I know you can buy one-use cameras, as we did when we went to Australia, but I haven’t bothered recently.
        You must come to Spain: every region is different, beautiful and unique in its own way. Take your pick!

      4. When I come to Spain, 1 of 2 things will happen. I either won’t ever go back home, or I’ll go home and never be happy again. I know this for a fact haha.

        I don’t have an underwater camera, either. I was going to buy one, but then I ended up staying in Atlanta, Georgia. That would have been a waste, since there is nowhere to snorkel here really.

      5. All in good time. One of the reasons why we are travelling for a whole year is that every time we had to go back to England at the end of the summer holidays, we felt totally miserable and wished we could stay in Europe mainland. Do come over whenever is right for you.

  3. Years ago when we were in La Jolla, that beach was closed and just had the seals on it. We head off for central Maine in a week. Looking forward to seeing you when you get to New Hampshire.

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  6. It looks like a great trip Alexis and a great counterpoint to your hike through the canyons. Autumn is my favourite season – I love the trees, the weather, the introspection of the season.

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    1. Thank you. It really was. I haven’t enjoyed another state the way I enjoyed my visit to California.

      Where do you usually spend your autumn? The downside of autumn for me is those years when it rains much too often.

      Reply

  7. Looks lovely! (so does the sea lion in a kind of “stay 100 metres away” way! I’ve bought the Lonely Planet guide to the Caribbean today, so I can dream… and hopefully plan! 🙂

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    1. I couldn’t believe there was a sea lion just casually laying there! I definitely wouldn’t want to get too close to one. They look much scarier in person than on TV.

      If you decide to go, I hope you pick Jamaica. I have plenty of recommendations! And of course, we can help with the booking. 😊

      Reply

  8. I love Autumn (Fall) best of all and we are lucky to get a good one here in Michigan. So we will be leaf peeping as I believe it is called. I do miss the English spring though, with the progression from snowdrops to crocuses to daffodils. It’s a little “switch snow off/switch summer on” here. 🙂

    Reply

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