Best Time to Dive in La Jolla / San Diego
The best conditions run June to October once the water has warmed to 21 °C from 16. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month.
- Best time
- Jun–Oct
- Water
- 15–22 °C
- Visibility
- 5–20 m
- Dived from
- shore diving and day boat
- Tidal range
- 1.1–2.2 m
- Species logged
- 15
Worth knowing: 52% of days see seas over 1 m.
Where it is
111 km across · coastline from Natural Earth 10m
Diving in La Jolla / San Diego — monthly breakdown
A year of scuba diving conditions at a glance. Hover a month to isolate it.
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conditions | Poor | Poor | Poor | Moderate | Moderate | Excellent | Excellent | Excellent | Good | Excellent | Moderate | Poor |
| Water temp (°C) | 15 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 16 |
| Visibility (m) | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 10–20 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 5–15 | 10–20 | 10–20 | 5–15 |
| Marine life | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak |
| Best time | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak | Peak |
Long-term averages, 2016–2025. Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a. Water temperature is the surface mean; it is cooler at depth.
The La Jolla / San Diego diving season
April to May · Shoulder season
2 months- Water temperature
- 16–18 °C
- Visibility
- 5–15 m
- Rain
- 3 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind eases. The sea is rougher.
Marine lifeSardine (near-guaranteed), California sea lion (near-guaranteed), Ocean sunfish (near-guaranteed) peak at La Jolla / San Diego in these months.
June to October · Peak season
5 months- Water temperature
- 20–22 °C
- Visibility
- 5–15 m
- Rain
- 1 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind eases. It rains less.
Marine lifeSardine (near-guaranteed), California sea lion (near-guaranteed), Ocean sunfish (near-guaranteed), Shortfin mako (hit-or-miss) peak at La Jolla / San Diego in these months.
November · Shoulder season
1 month- Water temperature
- 18–18 °C
- Visibility
- 10–20 m
- Rain
- 3 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind is up.
Marine lifeSardine (near-guaranteed), California sea lion (near-guaranteed), Ocean sunfish (near-guaranteed) peak at La Jolla / San Diego in these months.
December to March · Off season
4 months- Water temperature
- 15–16 °C
- Visibility
- 5–15 m
- Rain
- 7 days a month
Diving conditionsThe wind is up. It rains more.
Marine lifeSardine (near-guaranteed), California sea lion (near-guaranteed), Ocean sunfish (near-guaranteed), Great white shark (hit-or-miss) peak at La Jolla / San Diego in these months.
- Spring tides run 2.2 m against 1.1 m on neaps, so currents build around the full and new moon.
- Water temperature is satellite sea-surface temperature, so expect it cooler below the thermocline.
- Visibility is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a.
La Jolla / San Diego water temperature and weather
9,656 underwater observation records · 32 surveyed years of ocean data · 10 years of sea temperature
Water & weather
La Jolla / San Diego water temperature by month
The dashed line is the monthly average. Eight days in ten fall inside the band.
10th to 90th percentile rangemonthly mean
Seas top 1.0 m on 52% of days. Enough to cancel a shore entry
Gusts over 40 km/h, about where a day boat stays in port
1 of them bring heavy rain
| Month | Swell | Gusts over 40 km/h | Wet days | Heavy rain | Air | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 2.2 m | 2% | 6 | 2 | 18 °C | 10.1 h |
| February | 2.1 m | 3% | 6 | 1 | 19 °C | 10.8 h |
| March | 2.1 m | 0% | 9 | 2 | 18 °C | 11.8 h |
| April | 1.7 m | 0% | 4 | 1 | 20 °C | 12.8 h |
| May | 1.4 m | 0% | 3 | 0 | 21 °C | 13.7 h |
| June | 1.3 m | 0% | 1 | 0 | 23 °C | 14.2 h |
| July | 1.2 m | 0% | 0 | 0 | 25 °C | 14.0 h |
| August | 1.2 m | 0% | 1 | 0 | 26 °C | 13.2 h |
| September | 1.2 m | 0% | 2 | 1 | 26 °C | 12.2 h |
| October | 1.4 m | 0% | 2 | 0 | 25 °C | 11.2 h |
| November | 1.5 m | 0% | 3 | 1 | 22 °C | 10.3 h |
| December | 1.6 m | 0% | 5 | 2 | 19 °C | 9.8 h |
Swell is the rough end of the month: nine days in ten come in under it. Sea temperature covers 10 years, waves 4.
Pick your week
48 weeks from the daily record. Darker is better, against this site's own year. Pick a month for the detail.
| Week 1 | January week 1: Poor | February week 1: Poor | March week 1: Poor | April week 1: Poor | May week 1: Poor | June week 1: Good | July week 1: Excellent | August week 1: Excellent | September week 1: Excellent | October week 1: Excellent | November week 1: Moderate | December week 1: Moderate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 2 | January week 2: Poor | February week 2: Poor | March week 2: Poor | April week 2: Poor | May week 2: Poor | June week 2: Excellent | July week 2: Excellent | August week 2: Excellent | September week 2: Good | October week 2: Excellent | November week 2: Poor | December week 2: Moderate |
| Week 3 | January week 3: Poor | February week 3: Poor | March week 3: Poor | April week 3: Good | May week 3: Good | June week 3: Excellent | July week 3: Excellent | August week 3: Excellent | September week 3: Good | October week 3: Good | November week 3: Moderate | December week 3: Poor |
| Week 4 | January week 4: Moderate | February week 4: Poor | March week 4: Poor | April week 4: Good | May week 4: Good | June week 4: Excellent | July week 4: Excellent | August week 4: Excellent | September week 4: Good | October week 4: Good | November week 4: Moderate | December week 4: Poor |
January, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 16 °C | 2.5 m | 15 km/h | 22% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 15 °C | 2.4 m | 15 km/h | 20% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 15 °C | 1.9 m | 15 km/h | 21% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 15 °C | 1.6 m | 15 km/h | 19% |
February, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 15 °C | 2.0 m | 16 km/h | 20% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 15 °C | 2.1 m | 16 km/h | 21% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 15 °C | 2.2 m | 17 km/h | 21% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 15 °C | 2.3 m | 17 km/h | 24% |
March, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 15 °C | 2.2 m | 17 km/h | 28% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 15 °C | 2.0 m | 17 km/h | 32% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 15 °C | 2.1 m | 17 km/h | 29% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 16 °C | 2.2 m | 17 km/h | 22% |
April, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 16 °C | 2.0 m | 17 km/h | 18% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 16 °C | 1.7 m | 17 km/h | 14% |
| Week 3 | Good | 16 °C | 1.5 m | 18 km/h | 10% |
| Week 4 | Good | 17 °C | 1.5 m | 17 km/h | 12% |
May, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Poor | 17 °C | 1.6 m | 17 km/h | 15% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 18 °C | 1.6 m | 17 km/h | 10% |
| Week 3 | Good | 18 °C | 1.4 m | 17 km/h | 6% |
| Week 4 | Good | 18 °C | 1.3 m | 16 km/h | 7% |
June, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Good | 19 °C | 1.2 m | 16 km/h | 6% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 19 °C | 1.2 m | 16 km/h | 3% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 20 °C | 1.3 m | 16 km/h | 1% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 20 °C | 1.2 m | 16 km/h | 1% |
July, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 21 °C | 1.2 m | 16 km/h | 1% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 21 °C | 1.2 m | 16 km/h | 0% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 22 °C | 1.2 m | 16 km/h | 1% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 22 °C | 1.2 m | 16 km/h | 2% |
August, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 22 °C | 1.2 m | 16 km/h | 3% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 22 °C | 1.2 m | 16 km/h | 2% |
| Week 3 | Excellent | 22 °C | 1.2 m | 16 km/h | 3% |
| Week 4 | Excellent | 22 °C | 1.1 m | 16 km/h | 4% |
September, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 22 °C | 1.2 m | 16 km/h | 4% |
| Week 2 | Good | 22 °C | 1.2 m | 16 km/h | 5% |
| Week 3 | Good | 22 °C | 1.2 m | 16 km/h | 6% |
| Week 4 | Good | 21 °C | 1.2 m | 16 km/h | 6% |
October, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Excellent | 21 °C | 1.2 m | 15 km/h | 6% |
| Week 2 | Excellent | 20 °C | 1.4 m | 15 km/h | 7% |
| Week 3 | Good | 20 °C | 1.4 m | 16 km/h | 8% |
| Week 4 | Good | 19 °C | 1.5 m | 15 km/h | 7% |
November, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 19 °C | 1.6 m | 15 km/h | 6% |
| Week 2 | Poor | 18 °C | 1.6 m | 15 km/h | 9% |
| Week 3 | Moderate | 18 °C | 1.5 m | 14 km/h | 12% |
| Week 4 | Moderate | 17 °C | 1.3 m | 14 km/h | 12% |
December, week by week
| Week | Conditions | Water | Swell | Wind | Rain chance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Moderate | 17 °C | 1.2 m | 13 km/h | 13% |
| Week 2 | Moderate | 17 °C | 1.4 m | 13 km/h | 13% |
| Week 3 | Poor | 16 °C | 1.6 m | 14 km/h | 16% |
| Week 4 | Poor | 16 °C | 2.1 m | 14 km/h | 24% |
10 years of daily records, averaged into weeks.
Gear & storms
What to wear
Off the coldest water of each month, not the average — that is what the suit has to cope with.
| January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September | October | November | December | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suit | January: 7 mm | February: 7 mm | March: 7 mm | April: 7 mm | May: 5 mm + | June: 5 mm + | July: 5 mm + | August: 5 mm | September: 5 mm + | October: 5 mm + | November: 7 mm | December: 7 mm |
- Nov–Apr7 mm semi-dry
- May–Jul5 mm with hood and gloves
- Aug5 mm full suit
- Sep–Oct5 mm with hood and gloves
Swell through the year
The rough end of each month — nine days in ten come in under it.
Amber is over 1.0 m.
Tides
Tropical storms
1 of the last 30 Septembers saw a tropical storm pass within 250 km. September is the only month with a recorded pass.
Share of the last 30 years with a storm that month.
- NOAASea surface temperature, from OISST and MUR
- ERA5Wind, waves, rain and air temperature, via Open-Meteo
- OBISMarine species records within 60 km
- IBTrACSTropical cyclone tracks, 1996 to 2025
La Jolla / San Diego marine life — what you'll see diving
| Species | When | Observed window | Reliability | Evidence | Records |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sardine | All year | Near-guaranteed | 285 | ||
| California sea lion | All year | Near-guaranteed | 4823 | ||
| Common dolphin | All year | Near-guaranteed | 617 | ||
| Harbour seal | All year | Near-guaranteed | 1677 | ||
| Grey whale | Jan–Feb | Near-guaranteed | 337 | ||
| Ocean sunfish | All year | Near-guaranteed | 61 | ||
| Humpback whale | All year | Near-guaranteed | 418 | ||
| Blue whale | May–Jun | Likely | 267 | ||
| Bottlenose dolphin | All year | Likely | 912 | ||
| Minke whale | All year | Likely | 46 | ||
| Green turtle | All year | Likely | 92 | ||
| Shortfin mako | Jul–Aug | Hit-or-miss | 14 | ||
| Blue shark | Jun–Jul | Hit-or-miss | 12 | ||
| Orca | Jan, Sep–Oct | Hit-or-miss | 56 | ||
| Great white shark | Jan, Jul–Aug | Hit-or-miss | 11 |
- Observed window
- Months with records. Peak is where most of them fall.
- Reliability
- Near-guaranteed in 60% of surveyed years or more
- Likely 30% to 60%
- Hit-or-miss under 30%
- Evidence
- Years it was seen, out of the years anyone surveyed.
- Records
- OBIS sightings within 60 km.
These are sightings people logged, not a full survey of the reef. A species missing from a month may just mean nobody recorded one.
Diving La Jolla / San Diego — common questions
- When is the best time to dive La Jolla / San Diego?
- The best conditions run June to October once the water has warmed to 21 °C from 16. The marine life holds steady all year, so the weather picks the month.
- When is the diving season in La Jolla / San Diego?
- The diving season in La Jolla / San Diego runs June to October.
- Is the diving in La Jolla / San Diego good for beginners?
- Yes. It suits Open Water divers, so it works for a first trip after certification.
- How warm is the water in La Jolla / San Diego?
- Between 15 and 22 °C at the surface across the year, coldest in February and warmest in August. It runs cooler below the thermocline.
- What wetsuit do I need in La Jolla / San Diego?
- A 7 mm semi-dry covers the coldest water of the year. In the warmest months a 5 mm full suit is enough.
- What is the visibility like in La Jolla / San Diego?
- Roughly 5 to 20 m depending on the month. That is estimated from satellite chlorophyll-a rather than measured in the water.
- What will I see diving La Jolla / San Diego?
- The most consistently recorded species are Sardine (near-guaranteed), California sea lion (near-guaranteed) and Common dolphin (near-guaranteed), from 9,656 records within 60 km.
- Does La Jolla / San Diego get tropical storms?
- Yes. Over 30 years of records a storm passed within 250 km in Sep, most often in September at 1 of 30 years.
- Is there current in La Jolla / San Diego?
- The tide rises and falls 2.2 m around the full and new moon, against 1.1 m in between. How much of that becomes current depends on the shape of the channel.
- When should I avoid La Jolla / San Diego?
- January–March are the weakest months for conditions.
- How do you dive La Jolla / San Diego?
- Mostly from the shore and day boats. Trips run through the season, Jun–Oct.