The La Jolla Ecological Reserve (recently renamed Matiahuayl State Marine Reserve) was established in 1970 to protect one of the most biologically rich stretches of coastline in Southern California.
Extending from the Seven Sea Caves near La Jolla Cove all the way north to Scripps Pier, the reserve includes kelp forests, rocky reefs, sandy flats, and the dramatic La Jolla Submarine Canyon.
These habitats support an extraordinary variety of marine life including leopard sharks, dolphins, sea lions, harbor seals, rays, sea turtles, and migrating gray whales.
This guide highlights some of the most commonly seen animals in the La Jolla Underwater Park and explains why this protected ecosystem attracts wildlife year-round.
Marine Mammals of the La Jolla Ecological Reserve
Gray Whales
Gray Whales are one of the world’s largest mammals, at a length of 40-50ft, weighing in at 30-40 tons — about the size of a school bus! They are baleen feeders, using teeth made from a material similar to human hair to filter and to allow the smaller organisms to pass into their mouths. The Gray Whales were almost hunted to extinction in the 1800’s for their blubber until the International Whaling Commission banned the hunting of these animals in 1946 and their population has recovered, although not near the pre-whaling amounts.
They spend most of their time feeding off the Alaskan coast, but during the winter months they start the 12,430 miles round-trip to Baja California for mating season. The shallow lagoons in Mexico provide shelter for the mammals while they strengthen the calves for the migration back to the nutrient rich waters in the north.
The Gray Whales follow the Scripps Canyon through the La Jolla Ecological Reserve as a navigation route, kind of like the I-5. The depths of the canyon provide food for the whales as they often use their tail to stir up the sediment for the whales to filter feed off plankton. Gray Whales are a spectacular experience to see on the kayaks, and it’s a non-invasive way to witness these gentle giants swim by. Larger motorized vessels create noise pollution that can disturb these mammals.
Fun Fact: Whale’s milk is rich in fat, helping the calves build up weight for the journey to Alaska. Once the calves are strong enough to make the journey back to Alaska, the migration route becomes closer to shore, making La Jolla a unique location to see these animals up close.
The best way to go whale watching in San Diego →
California Sea Lion
The California Sea Lion is one of the most iconic mammals of La Jolla Cove. These marine mammals are playful and have distinct personalities. The sea lions are very social animals, often huddled up on each other on the rocks near the sea caves. They huddle in groups to regulate body temperature. Most can usually be seen sunbathing during the day and hunting throughout the night. The primary diet of the Californian Sea Lion consists of a variety of small fish and squid. The juvenile pups are curious animals, swimming most of day to learn their environment and interacting with kayakers and swimmers.
The females can reach the size of 5.5 ft weighing in at 110-600 pounds while the males are about 7.25 ft ranging from 440-2,200 pounds. The demographic of the sea lions in La Jolla Cove are almost all female, with a few males and one very large alpha, locally known as “Bruno”.
Fun Fact: A group of sea lions is called a raft. California Sea Lions can reach a depth of up to 900 ft, and the deepest recorded dive was 1,760 ft! They are able to perform these dives by slowing their heart rate for diving about 10 minutes.
Harbor Seal
Harbor seals are an endangered species in California and are protected by both state and federal law. In the La Jolla Cove we spot them by the Children’s Pool, sunbathing on the sandy beach or swimming around the area. Their primary diet consists of a variety of small fish and shellfish.
They are often confused with the sea lion, but are different in many ways. The harbor seals are better suited for life in the water, more hydro-dynamic and heavier with smaller flippers. They will sometimes sunbathe on the sandy beach, although you will never see them on the rocks because their bodies cannot climb over the rocks. They do not have ear lobes like the sea lion, but have holes for better hearing underwater.
Fun Fact: The Harbor Seal’s pups are born instinctively knowing how to swim only a few hours after birth!
Common Dolphin
The common dolphin is a frequent visitor in the La Jolla Ecological Reserve. The average size of an adult is about 8 ft at 300 pounds. They are highly social and intelligent animals that swim in pods consisting anywhere from 6 to over 1,000 dolphins!
By utilizing many different vocals, they communicate with other dolphins and use echolocation to discover underwater topography and uncover potential threats. Dolphins use a very complex hierarchy based on a variety of factors such as age and size. The social dynamic of dolphins is seen by their behavior and their playful interactions. Using the highly developed social behavior of the pods, they will herd large schools of fish into tight balls for eating. They’ll typically feed on a variety of different fish and squid here in La Jolla, often seen near our kelp forest and Scripps Canyon during feeding and even closer to the beach for breeding. They will often travel in pods of 8-12 dolphins, occasionally with sea lions tagging along to benefit from the bait balls formed by the pods.
Fun Facts: The common dolphins aren’t a migratory species and live in La Jolla year round, only to swim to other areas when food is sparse, but they will always return home after feeding.
Bottlenose Dolphin
Bottlenose Dolphins are occasionally seen in the waters of La Jolla. Although very similar to the Common Dolphin, there are some striking differences - the most noticeable being the shortened snout.
Echolocation is an amazing attribute to the success of the Bottlenose Dolphin, although it's not believed that there is a specific "dolphin language". With the use of a variety of audible and visual signals, they can communicate effectively. High frequency clicks and squeaking from their nasal passages allow the detection of prey.
Starting from birth, their mother's continually sing to their calves, who learn their mother's voice. At one month old, Bottlenose Dolphins develop a signature whistle distinct from other dolphins, which is used for socializing behavior. The dolphin's pectoral flippers are very similar to a human's hand bone structure, containing all five "fingers" within a flipper.
Fish and Marine Animals Found in La Jolla
Garibaldi
The Garibaldi fish is a common and easily spotted fish in the La Jolla Ecological Reserve, which isn’t surprising, as their bright orange color makes them hard to miss!
Native to rocky reefs around subtropical areas from southern California to Baja, this territorial species feeds on mostly invertebrates that they eat from rocks. Adults maintain a brilliant orange color, while juvenile Garibaldi can be identified by not only their orange coloring, but their bright blue spots that they lose as they grow larger.
As the official marine state fish of California, Garibaldi maintain a protected status and are illegal to spear, and can grow up to 15 in. in length.
Shovelnose Guitarfish
Native to inshore waters and shallow estuaries, the Shovelnose Guitarfish thrive in ecosystems where sandy, muddy sea floors and small crustaceans to feed on are abundant.
Sometimes mistaken for stingrays or bay rays due to their wide body disc (named aptly after a guitar) and tendency to lay partially buried beneath the sand, these harmless bottom feeders forage for food such as worms, clams, crab and shrimp. Their respiratory system, which consists of holes (spiracles) on the top of their heads, make it easy for the Shovelnose Guitarfish to breathe while hiding beneath the ocean floor, waiting for their next meal to wander by.
Bat Ray
Bat Rays typically begin visiting La Jolla in May and can be found around the sandy flats, kelp beds or rocky bottomed shoreline of the Underwater Park. A large bat ray can grow to have a wingspan of almost 6 feet and weight 200 lbs, although most are significantly smaller and weight around 30 lbs.
Bat Rays feed on mollusks, crustaceans and small fish by using their fins to expose prey. Bat Rays, like other stingrays, have a venomous spine in their tail but only use this defense mechanism if they feel threatened.
The abundance of marine life and protective cliffs makes La Jolla home to some pretty cool marine birds.
Leopard Shark Migration in La Jolla
La Jolla Cove is the destination for one of the world’s largest migration of Leopard Sharks. Leopard Sharks are named for the prominent spots on their back. As year round residents of La Jolla, they usually reside in the deeper waters feeding off squid and crustaceans, but in the summer/fall months pregnant females will migrate to the warmer shallow waters in La Jolla Shores. This helps during their gestation period to produce 4 to 33 pups, as the warmer water acts as an incubation for the mothers.
Leopard sharks are very timid creatures and will swim away from noise such as splashing. The best way to view these animals is by snorkeling above them as they swim by.
Fun Fact: The Leopard Sharks can reach lengths of 5 feet, and are completely harmless to humans. They are found all over the globe, but the migration in La Jolla is known to be one of the largest migration of these animals in the world.
Sea Turtles in La Jolla
Only about 60 Green Sea Turtles are in San Diego. In 1850, these types of turtles were commonly harvested in Mexico and kept in the San Diego bay for consumption. Some of these turtles would escape the confines of their cages and made life here in La Jolla.
Although rare to spot due to their low numbers, Green Sea Turtles thrive in La Jolla under the safety and oversight of this Marine Protected Area. The water in La Jolla is typically too cold to support sea turtles, but they adapted to survive in this environment.
La Jolla's Submarine Canyon brings an upwelling of nutrient-rich water, which in turn encourages phytoplankton to bloom, seaweed to grow, and an abundance of marine fish to make La Jolla their home.
Where to find green sea turtles in San Diego →
Marine Birds of the La Jolla Coast
Cormorant
As the expert swimmer, the Cormorant is a unique aviator in La Jolla. They have a dense bone structure that makes them awkward at flying, which they often do very low to the water's surface. They'll dive down to depths of 100 meters to catch prey such as mackerel and sardines. Cormorants often build their nests on the cliffs near the Seven Sea Caves, as the hard limestone provides a solid foundation for raising hatchlings.
Learn about the Seven Sea Caves →
Why the La Jolla Ecological Reserve Has So Much Marine Life
The abundance of wildlife in La Jolla is largely due to the La Jolla Submarine Canyon, one of the deepest underwater canyons on the West Coast.
The canyon brings nutrient-rich water close to shore, supporting giant kelp forests and dense schools of fish. The kelp forests foster gentle currents, which in turn create great ocean visibility, making La Jolla a world renowned location for viewing wildlife in their natural habitat.
Because the La Jolla Ecological Reserve is a protected marine area (only 2% of the world's ocean water is protected by state and federal law), fishing and harvesting are restricted, allowing marine ecosystems to flourish.
When Is the Best Time to See Marine Life in La Jolla?
Thanks to the protected waters of the La Jolla Ecological Reserve, marine life can be seen here throughout the entire year. However, different species appear in greater numbers during certain seasons depending on migration patterns, breeding cycles, and ocean conditions.
Winter (December – March)
Winter is the best time to spot gray whales migrating along the Southern California coastline on their journey between Alaska and the lagoons of Baja California. Dolphins are frequently seen traveling along the coast during this time as well, and sea lions remain active around the cliffs and sea caves near La Jolla Cove.
Spring (March – May)
Spring often brings excellent ocean visibility and calmer conditions, making it a great time to observe dolphins, sea lions, bat rays, and a wide variety of reef fish throughout the La Jolla Underwater Park. Migrating whales may still occasionally be seen offshore toward the end of the gray whale season.
Summer (June – September)
Summer is famous for the seasonal gathering of leopard sharks in the warm, shallow waters of La Jolla Shores. Pregnant female sharks gather here in large numbers, creating one of the most unique marine wildlife events in Southern California. Sea lions, rays, garibaldi, and other reef fish are also commonly seen in the kelp forests during the summer months.
Fall (September – November)
Fall is often one of the most underrated seasons for marine wildlife viewing. The ocean tends to be calm and clear, and many species remain active in the reserve. Dolphins, sea lions, rays, and reef fish are commonly seen, and occasional migrating whales may begin appearing offshore again as the winter migration approaches.
Because the La Jolla Ecological Reserve protects this stretch of coastline from fishing and harvesting, the ecosystem remains healthy and diverse year-round, making La Jolla one of the best places in California to observe marine life in its natural habitat.