La Jolla Shores to Del Mar & Back
This morning at 8:00 AM, “Darwin” Duane Strosaker, Kevin “Dr. Paddle”, Dennis Hyndman, Teresa “Beaufort” Boli, and I headed 6.5 nm north from La Jolla Shores to Del Mar. The sky was clear and there was no wind or surf to speak of. Teresa made the mistake of saying she almost felt guilty the conditions were so calm (thus she is tagged as “Beaufort”).

Although Duane was the only non San Diegan, he was the only one of us who had paddled this complete stretch. Most of the time we paddle to Mission Bay, visit the sea caves, look for whales, or practice in the mellow surf. As you paddle north past Scripps Pier, you get views of cliff-top homes, Black’s Beach (famous for its good surf and nude beach), a hang-gliding facility for the advanced, the Torrey Pines Golf Course, Torrey Pines Park, A continuous stretch of sandy beaches, cliffs, and good surf extended all the way to our landing in front of Powerhouse Park, which is just south of Jake’s restaurant.

Duane took full advantage of the surf as we paddled between 4th and 15th streets in Del Mar. The surf at Powerhouse Park was larger than at the Shores but all landed with no problem. We arrived at our destination in 1 hour and 55 minutes. Restrooms are located a short distance away, north of the Poseidon restaurant. We took 20 minutes off the return trip due to a slight tail wind, favorable current, and Teresa’s fast pace. Duane and Kevin hugged the surf line and found some rocks to play in.

I apologize for not posting notice of this trip since many would likely have enjoyed it. All agreed we will be working this paddle into our rotation because of the scenery and continuous, kayak friendly, surf in Del Mar.

“Avalon” Jon Brindle


Submitted on January 15, 2005