The open Pacific Ocean can be a very dangerous place. Luckily, La Jolla is an extremely protected part of the Pacific coast and is a unique place that even beginners can explore with basic skills and knowledge. The two biggest factors that affect kayaks and paddleboards are wind and waves. We’ll look at each of these separately here. Please visit our “Forecasts” page for links to current and predicted conditions and our “Hazards” page to learn about specific safety issues.
Wind: Wind over 8 mph can make steering and headway difficult for beginners. Even very experienced kayakers will find it difficult to make headway against 15 mph winds. Winds over 8 mph that tend to blow kayaks and paddleboards further from shore (“offshore winds”) are the most dangerous. If the wind is coming from a southerly or easterly direction, you should take extra precautions to stay close to shore. It is always a good idea to carry a cell phone in a waterproof case so you can call for help in the event you are blown offshore. While forecasts are an important tool, never forget that they can be wrong and that local conditions may be quite different than expected. ALWAYS stay alert to the actual wind speed and direction that you are experiencing and to any changes so that you can react before it becomes too late!
Waves: Breaking waves pick up anything in their path and start accelerating it towards shore. This can result in damaging high speed impacts with swimmers, surfers, rocks, shore, and other kayaks, so it is very important to avoid breaking waves. Pacific swell becomes breaking waves in shallow water and generally close to shore; but the bigger the swell gets, the farther from shore it breaks. Knowing the swell and surf forecast will give you a good idea about how far from shore waves will be breaking.
Not all waves break in the same place on any given day. As swell travels across the ocean, it becomes organized into “sets” of bigger waves and “lulls” of smaller waves. On any given day you may be able to observe some degree of predictability to this pattern, but it takes a lot of experience and a lot of time observing. Several different patterns can be superimposed over each other. Lulls can last 2 minutes or 40 minutes; sets can be 8 waves or one wave. Start paying attention to the size and pattern of the waves from the minute you get to the beach and while you are unloading and gearing up. Look across to the caves and watch for water plashing up the cliffs and whitewater at the base.
The bigger the waves, the more damage they can cause. Large waves and rocks or caves can create a lethal combination. The safest strategy is to avoid breaking waves at all times. The only time it’s impossible to avoid them is when launching and landing at the boat launch. Visit the “Hazards” page and “How To” page to learn more about staying safe there.