Checking out the La Jolla Harbor Seals

2009 harbor seals la jolla san diego

One of my favorite places to bring family and friends from out of town is La Jolla! Our absolute favorite place to visit in La Jolla is at the Children’s Pool, Point Mencinger, and Casa Beach. We love to see if the La Jolla harbor seals are hauled out on the rocks or the beach.

Did you know that Point Mencinger and the Children’s Pool is a Pacific harbor seal rookery? (A rookery is where the seals mate and raise young.)

Yes, it is!

And just north at Point La Jolla, there is a California sea lion rookery! The coastline of La Jolla is magical.

On August 17, my girls and I went on a little pinniped adventure.

Let’s now take a look at what we saw, and as a bonus for you and as well as for me, I have listed several La Jolla harbor seal facts.

The Pacific Harbor Seals of La Jolla

Point Mencinger la jolla san diego
Point Mencinger is North of Boomer Beach, 2021

First, it blows me away that I never knew that the formal name of this area in La Jolla is Point Mencinger. 

Below is a photo during a King Tide, so the tide was super low.

Continue reading “Checking out the La Jolla Harbor Seals”

Let’s Have a San Diego Beach Bonfire!

fiesta island sunset san diego mission bay

Welcome back to San Diego Beach Secrets! Do you like bonfires? There is something special about sitting around a fire with the ocean waves crashing on the shore, yes? As a rule, it is good to remember that open fires are prohibited on all San Diego County beaches.

You may only have a bonfire within a provided fire rings. In other words, where are all of the fire rings on the beaches of San Diego? Well, not all of the beaches of San Diego have fire rings, so this has motivated me to make a handy list, so next time you (and I) will have a better idea of where to go.

And once there, how many are there to choose from?

So the question is, which beach has the best bonfire potential? Each beach has its own preferred extinguish time, so take note of that.

All fire rings in San Diego County are on a first come- first serve basis.

I have also included a couple of businesses where you can rent a San Diego beach bonfire!

More information is down below.

Ok! Let’s have a San Diego beach bonfire!


Best San Diego Beaches for Bonfires-Where Are All of the Fire Rings?

San Onofre State Beach

old mans beach fire pits san onofre state beach

Oh, how I love, love San Onofre State Beach!

Continue reading “Let’s Have a San Diego Beach Bonfire!”

Checking out the California Sea Lions in La Jolla

CA sealions point la jolla featured image

There is something extraordinary about seeing wild animals in their natural habitats, especially marine mammals. Well, what if I told you that over at La Jolla, two designated pinniped rookeries near each other? Yes! A Pacific harbor seal rookery is located at Casa Beach/ Children’s Pool, and a California sea lion rookery is found at Point La Jolla and Boomer Beach. Have you ever seen California sea lions up close before?

Both rookeries are close and parallel to Ellen Browning Scripps Park. Today, I will only concentrate on what we saw at the newly closed public- California sea lion rookery.

sea lions people la jolla san diego
July 6, 2017

Where Are The California Sea Lions in La Jolla?

La Jolla Cove

people sea lion la jolla cove august

La Jolla cove sits adjacent to Point La Jolla, so it is not uncommon to see a couple of California sea lions hanging out on the rocks in the cove.

On this day, it was unusual for this sea lion to swim onto a crowded beach and pose on a rock, but maybe not.

You would think that some sea lions are becoming less afraid of humans, seeing that human smells and sounds constantly surround them.

Continue reading “Checking out the California Sea Lions in La Jolla”