Event Report
20160212
The photos below are
what we saw.
We were
lucky enough to park right on Cove Blvd and get easy access to
the cliffs. This is looking east from the cliffs.
To the
northeast, we could see the Scripps Institute pier, Torrey Pines
cliffs as well as some sea kayakers in the cove.
The surf
was pounding the cliffs. Usually a popular resting place
for seals during the day, the high waves had caused most of the
seals to go elsewhere. Note the 2 seals at the bottom
right of the photo above.
The
waves were crashing hard against the cliffs.
Wave
impact generated great splashes of spume.
When the
wave timing was correct, the water was funneled into a narrow
channel creating huge geysers of spray.
Not ever
wave generated focused impacts, but when one gets it right it
results in an explosion of salt spray.
Were a
swimmer to get caught in these waves it would likely be fatal.
Most of
the seal resting areas were getting washed by the waves.
The washing action is not a bad thing, particularly since the
whole cliff area reeked due to the combined essence of seal and
seabird feces. The stench of "recycled fish" was
overwhelming.
The
upper section of the cliffs had a few resting seals basking in
the warmth of the noonday sun.
Some of the seals were
fully crashed-out, others "bottling" (resting with nose in the
air).
The
seals were taking a break from swimming in the cold ocean
waters.
Pelicans
are fond of the cliffs as a resting area too.
This
photo made me realize something that I did not know:
seagulls have claws on their webbed feet.
Another
kind of bird came by our location. This is a Robinson R-44
helo and is similar to one owned by a Unimog buddy. Note
the fellow in the front taking photos out the window. This
photo is a "crop" and therefore not full-sized.
Animal
stench notwithstanding, La Jolla cove is a great place to
visit. The views from the cliffs are unique to San
Diego. We are lucky to live so close to La Jolla and
really lucky that we don't have to deal with the traffic on a
daily basis.
Copyright Bill Caid 2016. All rights reserved.