Swimming at La Jolla Shores Beach today
La Jolla, California
Updated 4:03 AM PDT
What decides a swimming score
Water quality
Grades along this beach run from C to A+ — a spread, but not one that changes whether the water is safe to swim in.
Graded clean today
- El Paseo GrandeA+
All 2 monitoring points
| Monitoring point | Distance | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Ave. Del La Playa | 0.3 km | C |
| El Paseo Grande | 0.7 km | A+ |
Dry-weather bacterial grades from the Heal the Bay Beach Report Card, updated 2026-08-21. Grades reflect the most recent agency sampling and can change after rain.
Before you swim
Surf is running 3.4 ft today, which makes shorebreak and currents stronger than usual.
Swim near a staffed lifeguard tower, and check the National Weather Service surf-zone forecast for the official rip-current outlook — we report conditions, we don't forecast rip currents.
La Jolla Shores is also scored for
About La Jolla Shores Beach
La Jolla Shores sits on the California coast, where the water runs from about 59°F in January to 72°F in August.
The water averages above 70°F in July, August and September — 3 months of the year — peaking around 72°F in August and dropping to about 59°F in January.
Today it is 76°F. That is 4° above the August average of 72°F here.
Tide predictions come from NOAA station La Jolla (Scripps Institution Wharf) about 1.1 km away on the open coast.
Frequently asked questions
Is La Jolla Shores good for swimming today?
Great for swimming — we score it 85 out of 100 today. The limiting factor is surf calmness at 3.4 ft.
What makes a good swimming day?
We weight water temperature (40%), surf calmness (25%), uv exposure (15%) and combine them into one score. Conditions we cannot read are left out rather than guessed.
When is the best time of year to swim at La Jolla Shores?
The water averages above 70°F in July, August and September — 3 months of the year — peaking around 72°F in August and dropping to about 59°F in January.