San Diego
Snorkeling Guide

Everything you need to know before snorkeling in San Diego

San Diego Snorkeling

Main Snorkeling Areas

La Jolla
Point Loma
Coronado Islands
(in Mexico)

Mission Bay

When to Go

Snorkeable Months: Year-round
Best Conditions: Fall & Winter

Snorkeling Access

Boat Snorkeling: All snorkeling areas
Shore Snorkeling: La Jolla only

Cost

Boat Snorkeling: avg. $120 - $290
Shore Snorkeling: free - $120

Visibility

Average: 15 to 30 ft
Best: 50 ft - 100 ft

Water Temperature

Imperial: 58° to 70°F
Metric: 14° to 21°C

Bottom Water Temp

Imperial: 48° to 65°F
Metric: 8° to 18°C

Gear Required

Summer: 5mm wetsuit
Winter: 7mm wetsuit (hood recommended)

Marine Life

Leopard, sevengill, horn, tope sharks
Stingray, bat ray, guitarfish
Halfmoon, blacksmith
Garibaldi, sheephead
California spiny lobster
Giant spinned sea star
Sea lion, harbor seal
Green sea turtle
Giant sea bass

Snorkeling Boat Tours

Waterhorse Charters (us!) ⭐️

Full-day trip to Coronado Islands
All snorkeling levels welcome, ages 8+

What to expect

Despite visibility and water temperature being on the lower scale when compared to tropical destinations, snorkeling in San Diego packs the whole punch of cold-water snorkeling.

When snorkeling in San Diego, you'll have the chance to encounter:

  • Sea Lions: a day trip to Coronado Islands' local rookery
  • Sharks: leopard sharks are guaranteed in the summer months
  • Rays: in La Jolla and Mission Bay, common in the summer
  • Sea Turtles: although rare, they inhabit La Jolla year round
YouTube video

Video by Justin MacRae

Snorkeling conditions

Visibility changes hourly, from site to site. These are San Diego snorkeling averages:

  • Average: 15 to 30 ft
  • Best: 50 ft+ locally & 100 ft+ at the Coronado Islands (fall & winter)
  • Worst: 5 ft (usually during algae blooms)*

Water temperatures vary with the seasons and range between:

  • May - October: 62° to 70°F
  • November - April: 58° to 61°F

LOCAL TIP: Water conditions here change hourly. We keep a running Conditions Report spreadsheet to better forecast future visibility for our boat charters.

san-diego-snorkeling-tour

Photo by Frankie Grant

snorkeling-in-san-diego-la-jolla

Photo by Frankie Grant

Coronado Islands, a day trip to Mexico away, tend to have 1 to 3°F higher surface and bottom temperatures. Every bit counts!

San Diego waters are nutrient-rich, which helps kelp forests and cold-water species like sea lions and some shark species to flourish.

Gear requirements

If you plan to snorkel in San Diego, exposure protection is a must.

We recommend wearing a full 5mm wetsuit during the summer and a full 7mm wetsuit and a hood in the winter. If you don't have your own gear, keep on reading for some San Diego snorkel gear rental recommendations.

Snorkeling conditions here change hourly. We keep a running Conditions Report spreadsheet to better forecast future visibility for our boat charters.

GEAR TIP: When snorkeling off the beach, keep your mask around your neck (not your forehead!) and your fins securely in your hands. The waves may look unassuming, but gear is lost in the surf all the time.

San Diego marine life

San Diego’s rugged topography and its Marine Protected Areas create the perfect home for creatures unique to the Pacific Coast.

Although you can’t expect to see every creature on your first snorkel tour, there’s a good chance of finding kelp bass, sheephead, garibaldi, and blacksmiths almost every time you get in the water!

For those either lucky enough or patient enough, you may find giant sea bass, horn sharks, green sea turtles, sevengill sharks, sea lions or our curious harbor seals.

snorkeling-la-jolla

Photo by Michael Wimmer

san-diego-snorkeling

Photo by Frankie Grant

Accessing snorkeling sites

All San Diego snorkeling spots are public access. Some are easy to access, some require a strenuous workout, and some are only accessible by boat. See our next section for details on the main snorkeling spots in San Diego.

If you've never snorkeled before, we highly recommend joining a snorkel charter or a guided snorkel tour so you can easily find entry points and species of interest.

We are the only commercial boat running snorkel charters in San Diego and to the Coronado Islands.

LOCAL TIP: The early bird gets the worm! Get into the water and start snorkeling early in the morning when the reef is coming to life and activity is high.

Only San Diego snorkeling boat tour
Access to wildlife without the workout

Main San Diego snorkeling sites

The San Diego snorkeling map below includes our selection of best San Diego snorkeling spots dive sites from La Jolla, Point Loma, Mission Bay, and Coronado Islands.

Green icons represent easy-to-access spots, red icons represent spots that require a strenuous workout, and blue icons represent spots accessible only by boat.

La Jolla Shores

  • Level: All levels
  • Formation: Sandy Flats
  • Highlight: Leopard Sharks, Rays
  • Access: Boat & Shore

Marine Room

  • Level: Advanced
  • Formation: Rocky Reef
  • Highlight: Abundant Fish
  • Access: Boat & Shore

Turtle Town

  • Level: Advanced
  • Formation: Rocky Reef
  • Highlight: Sea Turtles
  • Access: Boat & Shore (strenuous)

Devil's Slide Reef

  • Level: Advanced
  • Formation: Rocky Reef
  • Highlight: Horn Sharks
  • Access: Boat & Shore (strenuous)

La Jolla Sea Caves

  • Level: All levels
  • Formation: Sea Caves
  • Highlight: Lighting Contrast
  • Access: Boat & Shore (strenuous)

La Jolla cove

  • Level: All levels
  • Formation: Rocky Reef
  • Highlight: Easiest Access
  • Access: Boat & Shore

Boomer's Kelp Beds

  • Level: Advanced
  • Formation: Kelp Forest
  • Highlight: Sea Lion Colony
  • Access: Boat & Shore (strenuous)

Bird Rock

  • Level:Advanced
  • Formation: Kelp Forest
  • Highlight: Giant Sea Bass
  • Access: Boat & Shore (strenuous)

Mission Point Park

  • Level: Advanced
  • Formation: Rocky Reef
  • Highlight: Always Calm
  • Access: Boat & Shore

Sunset Cliffs

  • Level: Advanced
  • Formation: Kelp Forest
  • Highlight: Dramatic Seascape
  • Access: Boat & Shore (strenuous)

Lobster Shack

  • Level: All levels
  • Formation: Rocky Reef
  • Highlight: Sea Lion Colony
  • Access: Boat (Coronado Islands)

Middle Grounds

  • Level: All levels
  • Formation: Rocky Reef
  • Highlight: Harbor Seals
  • Access: Boat (Coronado Islands)

Keyhole

  • Level: All levels
  • Formation: Rocky Reef
  • Highlight: Underwater Archway
  • Access: Boat (Coronado Islands)

Public charters to Coronado Islands
Private charters to La Jolla and Point Loma

Main San Diego Snorkeling (and Diving) Areas

San Diego Snorkeling Shops

Waterhorse Charters

Zach Scuba Shack

  • Shore snorkel tours

La Jolla Kayak

  • Shore snorkel tours
  • Kayak snorkel tours
  • Snorkel gear rental

scuba diver girls

  • Shore snorkel tours

Everyday California

  • Shore snorkel tours
  • Kayak snorkel tours
  • Snorkel gear rental

La Jolla Watersports

  • Shore snorkel tours
  • Snorkel gear rental

Dive In Scuba

  • Shore snorkel tours

San Diego Scuba Guide

  • Shore snorkel tours

Scuba Diving San Diego

  • Shore snorkel tours

Snorkel San Diego

  • Shore snorkel tours

Snorkel San Diego Scuba

  • Shore snorkel tours

La Jolla Caves Snorkel and Paddleboard Rentals

  • Shore snorkel tours

Weekly trips on two boats
Friendly crew and creature comforts

JANET MARIE ORTIZ
JANET MARIE ORTIZ
Long overdue review! My boyfriend and I were in town and booked Waterhorse Charters for a private scuba lesson for him, since he recently got certified and wanted more practice and wanted to feel more confidence. I was also looking to do more freediving and breathwork training, and from the very beginning Karina was amazing! She walked me through our options, answered my 101 questions, and was super accommodating to what we both wanted to do. Everything felt easy and well-organized. My boyfriend’s instructor, Brandon Wiese, was patient, knowledgeable, and really helped him feel more comfortable scuba diving, which helped him be a better diver. My freediving instructor (the blonde fella!) was awesome! He helped me with my breathing and I was able to master the duck dive. I loved that he’s an active freediver/spearfishing and with his help, i was able to beat my own record in static apnea!! Overall, such an amazing experience- Thanks guys!
Josh Lee
Josh Lee
10000% worth the time. Friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable staff. Would go again!!
M. Smith
M. Smith
As always Waterhorse works to maintain a loyal customer base. They do it by providing a consistent, reliable and safe service. They have always given a bit "extra". Taking a moment on the way to/from the dive site to observe breaching whales was that "extra" this trip. Great job guys!
Tony Drake
Tony Drake
Amazing crew, great energy
Chris Curl
Chris Curl
Captain Brandon and crew were very friendly, helpful and professional. This is the second dive trip we’ve done with Waterhorse and both were great experiences.
Shawn Gustaw
Shawn Gustaw
These guys rock. I'm sure there are other good shops in San Diego but if we're down that way we'll definitely be booking with Waterhorse again. We had booked the Coronado Islands trip back in October but it got cancelled due to weather so we went on a local trip with them and still had a blast. Got some amazing pictures of nudibranchs on that trip which was super cool because we don't have that many up in the LA area. They recently opened up another Coronado Islands trip and we jumped at the opportunity and we were super happy we did. Diving with the sea lions was such a surreal experience, and Zach, Brandon + crew were as always super helpful and friendly. The absolute best way to celebrate your birthday :). Whenever we get around to doing the Yukon, we'll be back. See ya guys then!
michael filippini
michael filippini
I love this vendor, simply the best and friendliest crew and ship that takes you to local tours. I'm always happy when I use water horse charters. I do feel; however, as it was mentioned on the lobster trip on Sunday 11/23/25 that Zack should consider a night trip to point loma kelp beds as it is a great spot for lobster!
Matt Nachtigal
Matt Nachtigal
We had such an amazing time diving the HMCS Yukon. The crew and guides were awesome and made the whole experience unforgettable. They gave a really clear safety briefing before the dive so we always felt safe and well taken care of. Underwater, the guides pointed out so many cool creatures we probably would have missed on our own. The wreck itself was incredible, and the entire trip ran so smoothly. The hot soup and hot shower on the boat after diving were an absolute game changer. Highly recommend diving the Yukon with this crew. We can’t wait to go again!