La Jolla Water Temperature and Wetsuit Guide: What to Wear to Snorkel, Month by Month

Typical monthly water temperatures, drawn from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography shore-station record at Scripps Pier. Check a live reading close to your dates since any single day can run a few degrees off the monthly average. Last verified: August 2026.

August is the warmest month by the Scripps record, February the coldest. Even in August, 30 or more minutes in the water chills most swimmers without some layer between them and it.

Match thickness to the month you're visiting, not the season name:

A springsuit, short arms and legs, works fine for a quick summer session but leaves you cold fast once you're past thirty minutes, even in August water. If you're renting anyway, there's little reason to under-suit for the sake of saving a few dollars; ask for the thicker option on any day that feels borderline, and a rental desk will usually swap it without argument.

Swimwear Base

Wear a swimsuit under the wetsuit, not over it. A snug, quick-dry suit avoids chafing at the neck and wrist seals where a looser fit rubs raw after an hour in the water. Loose boardshorts bunch under a suit and create pressure points you'll feel for the rest of the swim, so fit matters more here than style.

Sun Protection

A rash guard under a shorty wetsuit, or on its own in warm months if you're skipping the suit, beats reapplying sunscreen every hour on exposed shoulders. Use reef-safe sunscreen on any skin the suit or rash guard leaves bare; it's the only kind that belongs in a no-take reserve, even where it isn't strictly posted as law. Reapply before you get in, not while treading water, since sunscreen needs a few minutes to bind before it's any use against the glare off the surface.

Wetsuit or Outer Layer

Think of the wetsuit as a when-you-want-one call, not a blanket rule. Below about 65°F most swimmers want one for anything past a quick dip; above that, comfort becomes personal. Every option covered on this site includes a rental one, so there's rarely a reason to travel with your own unless you're a frequent local visitor who wants a guaranteed fit.

Footwear

Fins are the standard for both entries. At the Shores, where the entry is sandy and flat, fins beat booties for the walk-in and the swim alike. At the Cove, the steps and concrete apron call for grip on the way down; wear sandals to the water's edge, then switch.

Skip flip-flops on the Cove steps altogether; they slip on wet concrete and you'll lose one anyway. Sneakers work for the walk down but aren't meant for the water itself, and going barefoot on the Cove's rock ledges is asking for a cut you didn't need.

Real inclusions, not assumptions, so you know exactly what to leave at home:

Beyond the wetsuit and gear, this short list covers what actually gets forgotten:

• Towel and a warm layer for after, wind chill hits fast once you're out
• Reef-safe sunscreen, reapply before, not during
• Water, nothing is sold at either beach entry
• Small bills or coins for the Cove's meters
• Dry bag, keeps your phone safe on the walk down
• Defog for a rental mask, fogged lenses ruin the first ten minutes
• A surface float or bright buoy if you're swimming without a guide
• Waterproof phone case for the shots this spot is known for
• Backup contacts or a strap for glasses, since a mask seal fights frames
• Cash for parking meters, cards don't work at the machines

Sourced from what operators and rangers actually flag as problems, not generic packing-blog boilerplate:

• Cotton under a wetsuit, it stays wet and cold the entire swim
• Jewelry, easily lost in the surge and never recovered from a no-take reserve
• Flip-flops on the Cove steps, no grip on wet concrete
• Glass containers of any kind at either beach
• Gloves or anything that tempts touching wildlife, this is a no-take reserve
• Non-reef-safe sunscreen, the chemical filters harm the reef you're there to see

Winter (December to February)

Water sits at its coldest, 57-61°F, so a 5mm suit with a hood is the honest call, not a courtesy. Air highs run in the mid-60s and mornings are the coolest of the year, so bring a warm layer for the walk back to the car.

Spring (March to May)

Water climbs slowly, 58-65°F across the season, and a 4/3mm suit covers most of it, dropping toward a 3/2mm only by late May. May mornings often carry the marine layer locals call May Gray, cool and grey until it burns off by late morning.

Summer (June to September)

This is the 3/2mm window, and by August, 67-70°F, some swimmers skip the suit entirely for a short session. June still carries some morning cloud, June Gloom, that clears by late morning same as May's version.

Fall (October to November)

October holds onto summer warmth, 64-67°F, still 3/2mm territory, before November drops toward 61-64°F and a 4/3mm becomes the safer call. For the full month-by-month conditions and crowd picture across the year, see our best time to snorkel La Jolla guide.

The best snorkeling window here is the first two hours of the morning, before the onshore wind builds, and that is also the coldest part of the day on the sand. Coastal mornings from May through July often start under the marine layer locals call May Gray and June Gloom, with air in the high 50s to low 60s °F (around 14 to 17°C) even when the afternoon turns warm. Dress for then, not for noon: arrive in a warm layer you can peel, get the wetsuit on early while you are still warm, and keep a dry hooded layer and a towel waiting in the car or a locker for the walk back.

The order matters more than the gear list. Suit up, swim, then change out of the wet suit immediately rather than standing around in it, because evaporative chill in a breeze takes body heat faster than the 60°F water did.

If you are going in without a guide, the same morning logic decides where you park and enter; our guide to snorkeling La Jolla on your own walks the two entries hour by hour.

A 4/3mm with a hood covers anyone who runs cold across three of the four seasons here, and even in August you likely won't regret packing a springsuit. The one season detail worth knowing on top of temperature: leopard sharks gather in the shallow, sun-warmed water off the Shores from June through December, often a few degrees warmer than the open water outside it.