Harbor Seal @ La Jolla Cove

La Jolla Cove is a cove and a beach in La Jolla, San Diego, California. It is a very small beach within walking distance from the Children's Pool Beach and is considered one of the most beautiful beaches in Southern California. Scripps Park, a grassy area commonly used for picnicking, is located on the bluffs above the beach.

La Jolla Cove is popular for swimming, scuba diving and snorkelling. However, since La Jolla Cove is within the San Diego-La Jolla Underwater Park (a marine refuge area), swimming devices such as surfboards, boogie boards, and even inflatable mattresses are not permitted, and this rule is carefully enforced by the lifeguards, specifically in the part of the area defined as the Ecological Reserve.

Just a short swim away to the right on the coast is "Sunny Jim Cave," a popular destination for tourists. It is also accessible from a nearby store, which charges a nominal fee to go down a staircase leading to the cave.

The La Jolla Cove is home to the annual La Jolla Cove Rough Water swim. This is one of the oldest ocean swims in the world.

No fishing or collecting of marine invertebrates, (even taking dead specimens or seashells) is allowed. All sea animals in this area are protected by law.

The harbor (or harbour) seal (Phoca vitulina), also known as the common seal, is a true seal found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere. They are found in coastal waters of the northern Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, as well as those of the Baltic and North Seas, making them the most widely distributed of the pinnipeds (walruses, eared seals, and true seals).

Common seals are brown, tan, or gray, with distinctive V-shaped nostrils. An adult can attain a length of 1.85 meters (6.1 ft) and a mass of 132 kilograms (290 lb). Females outlive males (30–35 years versus 20–25 years). Common seals stick to familiar resting spots or haulout sites, generally rocky areas (although ice, sand and mud may also be used) where they are protected from adverse weather conditions and predation, near a foraging area. Males may fight over mates underwater and on land. Females are believed to mate with the strongest males and generally bear a single pup, which they care for alone. Pups are able to swim and dive within hours of birth, and they develop quickly on their mothers' fat-rich milk. A fatty tissue layer called blubber is present under their skins and helps to maintain body temperature.

Their global population is 5-6 million, but subspecies in certain habitats are threatened. Seal hunting or sealing, once a common practice, is now illegal in many nations within the animal's range.