La Jolla Cove is a small cove with a beach that is surrounded by cliffs in La Jolla, San Diego, California. Point La Jolla forms the south side of the cove. The area is protected as part of a marine reserve and is popular with snorkelers, swimmers and scuba divers. The swells that often roll in from the open ocean can be large and strong. The water temperature is often a little colder than the average San Diego beach. While the beach has only a small dry sand area at high tide, during very low tides, tide pools are revealed at the cove. California sea lions can be found in the waters of the Cove and hauling out, temporarily leaving the water to rest on its beaches, cliffs, and bluffs. Similar to the events of the Pacific harbor seals at Children's Pool Beach, there is controversy concerning the interactions of people with the sea lions. Access Free public parking is extremely limited and is all on-street; there are also paid parking garages in the area. From the park at the top of the Cove, there are a few steps down on each side to a "gallery" area with a lot of benches. This gallery includes the entrance to the lifeguard station, where the lifeguard's chalkboard shows useful information updated throughout the day. From the gallery level there are two steep sets of concrete steps that lead down to the beach itself, although visitors often have to step on rocks to get all the way down to the sand. Noxious odors The air throughout the La Jolla Cove area is filled with the odor of sea lion and bird feces. The smell can be especially offensive on the warmest days in the summer. The extensive fecal contamination also has caused unsafe swimming conditions. Description The beach at the cove is very small, and the sand is gritty. The Cove is a very popular spot for swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving. Some swimmers attempt to swim to Scripps Pier and back, totaling 3 miles round trip. The cove is home to many open water swimming events year round including the Rough Water Swim and the 10 Mile Relay swim. Because La Jolla Cove is within the San Diego-La Jolla Underwater Park (a marine refuge area), swimming devices such as surfboards, boogie boards, and even inflatable mattresses, are not permitted, and kayakers are