Leopard sharks in the shallows in high summer, in numbers you can wade among, along with garibaldi, rays and a sea lion colony…Leopard sharks in the shallows in high summer, in numbers you can wade among, along with garibaldi, rays and a sea lion colony on the rocks that will follow a snorkeller for the entertainment. The head of the La Jolla submarine canyon starts just outside the cove, which is why so much life concentrates here. Protected since 1970 as one of California's first marine reserves, and a diving site long before that, the sea caves next door were dug into commercially in the nineteenth century and Scripps has been studying the canyon off the cove since 1903. Anchorage: No anchoring in the reserve. Yachts lie in San Diego Bay or Mission Bay and come up by road; this is a shore dive, not a boat stop. Hazards: Surf entry over rock when a swell is up, and sea lions that are wild animals however used to people they look. The colony is protected and approaching hauled-out animals is illegal. More