La Jolla Cove

caburke

I'm going to be in San Diego, CA on May 15 and 16 and would like to swim at La Jolla Cove or maybe another nice venue nearby. Are there any forum members that will be swimming there that I can meet up with either of those days?

Also, I’m a Floridian. What is the water temp in the cove this time of year?

Chris

WaterGirl

This is the Facebook Page for the La Jolla Cove Swim Club. You could post on there to see when people are swimming. https://www.facebook.com/pages/La-Jolla-Cove-Swim-Club/154362183674

It says on there the water temperature is 60-61.

Lynnkub

Here is a link to a near-by NOAA buoy:
http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=46225

Says it is 62.2F there, right now!

Anne

Yes, it says 62-63 on the buoy but someone did their 6-hour qualifier today so it must have been 60F. Nonetheless, La Jolla Cove is one of the best places to train for Catalina and English Channel swims... if you don't mind sharing with sea lions.

Anne

Sea temp 62-63F yesterday... 64F today!

Chris, I usually swim the Cove sometime during the day on Wednesdays. Let me know about the 16th.

heart

I swam the LJRWS last summer and will swim Gatorman in September. The water was delightful, but there are caves in the cliff, and when you get closer to them the current suddenly turns very cold. As long as you stay where the seaweed grows, you're fine.

Walter

@caburke - I'll be out there at lunchtime on the 15th. I'm happy to be there at a specific time around then if you'd like to join me for a mile or two.

caburke

What a great community. I know have two opportunities to swim in San Diego, 2,500 miles from home. I just hope this warm blooded Floridian can handle the California water temps.

WaterGirl

I'm planning on being there with a friend on Wednesday, Aug. 22nd and maybe the morning of Thursday the 23rd. If anyone is going to be swimming those days, we'd love to meet up.

WaterGirl

I posted on the La Jolla cove Facebook page, but I haven't seen a response yet. I'll be in La Jolla on Wednesday and Thursday of next week (22nd and 23rd). I'd love to find some people to swim with.

Walter

I'll be there both mornings doing laps to and from the lifeguard tower on the opposite shore (2mi round trip). I'll be starting from the Cove at 05:00-ish (in the dark) and then again at 06:00. There is often a small group that gets in at 6. Always someone to swim with by 07:00. I'm surprised no one has chimed in on fb; but rest assured, there will be folks out there on both mornings anyway. Water is toasty!

WaterGirl

We'll be there at 5. We're both about 5'7". I have a blue 2-piece suit with green piping.

We definitely won't be able to keep up with you, so we may wait around for someone to show up who is closer to our speed. We swim 32-35 minutes per mile in fresh water. My friend wants to swim all the way across the cove once. I'll swim that with her, and then I'll do some shorter loops to get my total distance up to 7-7.5 miles.

Walter

Excellent. Up to you of course, but if you are seriously there at 5 a.m., I'll be glad to swim with you, regardless of pace. For one thing, it's dark at that time. But chivalry aside, I usually only see one other person out there that early and I think he is in the EC cue this week - it would be nice to have company!

caburke

WaterGirl, try to meet up with Walter. He is a great "tour guide" for an introduction to La Jolla. He reached out to me when I wanted to swim there and took me across the cove and back. It was a great swim! Anne Cleveland is also on the forum and is another good Ambassador for La Jolla. Have fun. I hope the kelp doesn't freak you out like it did me.

IronMike

So how'd it go, guys?

Walter

@WaterGirl and her friend Rachel joined me at the Cove for a pre-dawn lap to Scripps pier and back (3mi round trip was just a warm up for WaterGirl that morning I understand!). They ditched me for the leopard sharks the next morning though. Can't blame them!

WaterGirl

It was amazing! @Walter was the best tour guide ever. My friend Rachel could not stop saying, "Walter is my hero" and "I should have gotten my picture taken with Walter."

KNicholas

@Watergirl and @Walter - for two years now I find myself running around at the La Jolla Roughwater and missing out on introducing myself to Walter. If you want to hear the most touching Catalina Channel swim story you'll ever read @Watergirl, ask @Walter for a copy. I found it very moving about the swim he had with Mike. I plan on getting some cold water swims in so I hope to see you in the cove at some point during October and November Walter.

Jim_Pape

I'll be in San Diego around Christmas this year. I swam the cove earlier this year and would love to do it again. How is the water temp and currents that time of year?

Walter

@KNicholas: You crushed me (again!) in Gatorman. Must make a point to meet up next year, like you said though. Mike had a conflict this year, but two other guys from the office turned out in his place to pick up their very own extremely expensive t-shirts. Looking forward to getting in the water with you in October or November - just let me know when you're in town.

@Jim_Pape: I would expect the Cove to be very low 60s to very high 50's by Christmas. Currents are rarely a major issue at any time of year. But it's usually bumpier in the winter. The shore that the Cove faces to the NE is a popular surf spot commonly called La Jolla Shores. So the temp is frequently monitored and you can check a number of places for current water temp before you come out. Here's one place: http://www.surfline.com/surfdata/lola_surf_model.cfm?id=4812.

heart

Re Gatorman - did anyone else encounter serious sighting problems? Maybe it's because I'm new to the course, but it was very tricky to see where I was going.

Walter

@heart: I think sighting Gatorman is very difficult, especially if you rely on the buoy/balloons they provide. Being new to the course is a significant disadvantage. I usually follow a pack on the way out, checking myself infrequently with land features that I know are directly above the extreme left/seaward side of the pier. Coming back to the Cove is a whole other problem because the packs are dispersed. I use the large pink La Jolla Cove Suites as a point of reference until I can see the stairs leading up from the beach.

Jim_Pape

Thank you Walter. Hopefully I will get a chance to meet you when I am out there.

heart

Thanks, Walter; this is very useful. It's a beautiful course and it was a pleasure to swim in it... and maybe next time I'll sight better!

heart

Folks, I wonder if anyone can help. LJRWS is coming up this weekend and, for the life of me, I can't remember if I sent in my registration. No one is answering my emails - does anyone have a phone number for the race director/admin person?

Walter

Speaking of LJRWS, there is currently red tide in the swim channel just outside the Cove, between the Cove and the opposite shore. If you are in town early, and don't mind a little late evening or pre-dawn swimming, you might consider going out when it is dark to experience the bioluminescence (be safe of course). The bioluminescence is not pronounced enough to see in the waves from shore at this point, but you will definitely get it while swimming in the dark. I have made biolum angels out there for the last four mornings. It's not as good as Puerto Rico's biolum bays, but it's pretty awesome for La Jolla!

lakespray

heart wrote:

Folks, I wonder if anyone can help. LJRWS is coming up this weekend and, for the life of me, I can't remember if I sent in my registration. No one is answering my emails - does anyone have a phone number for the race director/admin person?

I've done this event about eight times in my life. The LJRWS are not known for there pre-race customer service and they don't print a psych sheet. Generally speaking the only way you can verify your entry is if you sent a "self addressed" return post card in with your entry per there instructions or wait until the pre-race check-in on the Saturday before the event. The good news is if they don't have you listed at the check-in you can still enter the race. This is unless there full up, however if you get there right when the check-in starts at 9 AM, you should be able to get a slot.

heart

I'll plan on being there early on Sat, so if I haven't registered yet, I'll do it on the spot. And the night swimming sounds like a lot of fun.

Walter

Speaking of Gatorman, if anyone is looking for 2013 Gatorman results and frustrated by the fact that the LJRWS site links to last year's instead of this year's, while you wait for them to fix the error, you can find the 2013 results here: http://results.active.com/events/la-jolla-rough-water-swim--4/gators

heart

Thanks, Walter! What great conditions and lovely water temps this time.

MvG

I'll be at La Jolla Cove on Sunday June 24th, training in the morning (my first swim with sealions and kelp!). I'd be happy to meet up with other MSF members in the afternoon.

heart

Is anyone going to the open water camp at La Jolla in September? I would love to meet forum friends there.

Walter

Heart! I am not going to the camp, although I plan to be around and in the Cove, as ever I am. But, in case you hadn't heard, the La Jolla Cove Swim (an approximate replacement for the La Jolla Rough Water Swim a.k.a. "Gatorman") is happening this year on September 11 - https://thelajollacoveswim.org/ - 3mi and 1mi. There is also the Tiki Swim in Oceanside on September 18 if that corresponds to your visit - https://runsignup.com/Race/CA/Oceanside/TikiSwim - 1.2mi and 2.4mi.

heart

I wish I could race either of those! Work obligations will keep me away from that, but the camp should be super fun. A good way to get back into things, at least for me, and I've craved the unique tactile experience that is disentangling one's limbs from the seaweed in the company of colorful fish. I've really missed LJRWS, where I swam either the mile or Gatorman almost every year, and I'm so glad to have the opportunity to go back there.

One challenge I remember from every cove swim I've done is sighting against the sun on the way back. I would lose precious time and get disoriented every single race, despite sighting every 6 (!) strokes. No idea what to do about that and open to landmark suggestions!