Really good and fun at La Jolla Coves. 

LJ cove is cool, but if you go down towards LJ Shores more right in front of  la Jolla Beach and tennis club (2000 Spindrift Dr
La Jolla, CA  92037-3237) there's almost alway small group of leopard sharks and Angel shark there. The group gets bigger closer to summer
(Breeding season?)
Super easy dive no more than 5-6 ft.  Sharks are super mellow

Check it out. I used to live down the street n went all the time back in the days.
Patt.s

Great I was wondering about LJ cove. I guess a bit of driving inland for a rrasonable hotel and daily visits to the cove sounds good. I am sure they have a quick shower setup there too.

They have showers at the cove and at LJ shores.  Wonder what they'd do with the drought though.

My advice is to pack everything you'd need for the day and get there early for parking.  That will be the biggest hurdle for both those beaches.  There isn't much beach at the cove and lots of people stake out a piece of lawn above the beach.  There are bands playing music on summer evenings at the cove. 

The shores has a wide beach and it'll get super crowded in the summer.  The middle area in front of the big lawn and parking lots is the most crowded, walk to the north toward Scripps pier and you have a lot of real estate to yourself.  LJ shores is beach where the LJ crowd launches their kayaks for fishing outside the reserve.  The south end of that beach is where the sharks and guitarfish are, but that south end has a higher concentration of rays too.  I got tagged good there and have seen many people get carried out of the water with a bleeding foot.  If you're walking in the water then you should shuffle your feet. 

You and your kids may want to snorkel just in trunks because the water in the shallows can get into the mid to upper 70s.  But the sun is beating down on you and it's easy to get burned.  Some type of sun protective wear is a good idea. 

Check out when the grunions are running and see if you're there when there's a run.  Although the summertime runs aren't very impressive. 

Have fun.  I hope to make it down there for a little diving in the summer as well.

Bring extra cash for wife's shopping and good eats.  Place is great to walk around different shops.

I will check out the rental options. Never tried any vacation rental before but it seems to give more flexibility for sure.

the seals are still in the cove and theres construction going on so access will probably be closed. you access on either the south side of the rocks or the north. north being the easiest with a walk path. If you head a little further north of the cove theres a area called the clam. its a 30' jump or climb into deeper water, my kids love it. from there you can swim-snorkel over to the caves and cove. lots of garibaldi, perch ect...

LJ shores is a great call for kids, you wont be alone.
I always bring my body board and waterbag so the kids can hang on it and rest/hydrate or get towed in by dad.

another place if its flat is the birdrock area. nice reefs with lots of schools of fish on them. 

Sunset cliff tidepools and point loma tide pools. kids like tidepools.

You can rent a boat to play on in mission bay for fairly cheap also.

have fun.
go bolts

Thanks my friend.

Our family used to go to La Jolla Shores as our go to vacation spot for many years. I think that it is one of the nicest beach in the San Diego area. We shelled out some bucks and stayed at La Jolla Shores Hotel. It's right on the beach and pretty kid friendly. My younger son and I did our first tandem kayak trip renting a kayak from Kona MiKe's up the street and there is some very beautiful kelp beds off shore. We also had a lot of fun boogie boarding when the waves were breaking, going out with short wetsuits and boogie boarding fins. It's great for kids because you can get some pretty long rides and it is shallow for quite a ways out.
I enjoy open water swimming and the La Jolla Shores beach is one of the best places to swim.
We have had many a great day in the sun, boogie boarding, getting some beer and appetizers at the Happy Hour at the La Jolla Shores Restaurant and Bar.

You can't go wrong taking your family there!!
Aloha,
Da Bruddah (Michael Y.)