Year Round Sea Cave Kayaking!!

  Despite the Autumn month, we are still basking in sunshine down in La Jolla. Come paddle out with us on a sea caves kayaking tour to remember. At Hike Bike Kayak, we do not overpopulate our tours and prefer to take smaller groups. Why? Well, you can get an up close experience with sea life in their natural habitat. No bumping boats and competing for views of playful sea lions, diving sea birds, and colorful fish. No waiting in a long line of kayaks to enter the sea cave. No missing out on awesome information about our marine eco-systems and the sea creatures that call them home. 

  Our intimate guided kayak tours are not only a great way to get educated about our environment and sea life, but are a wonderful way to spend time with family and friends. 

  Many of our tour-goers enjoy taking in the peacefulness and beauty of the La Jolla Ecological Reserve. Which is La Jolla's infamous underwater park. 

  This is not a seasonal endeavor either. Hike Bike Kayak runs kayak tours all year round! T'is the season for kayaking in La Jolla with HBK!

 

These are great photos from our Trip-Advisor reviewers!!

California Sea Lions Vs. Harbor Seals

     The California Sea Lion and Harbor Seal can both be found inhabiting La Jolla's Ecological Reserve and Children's Pool of La Jolla. They are always a fun sight from our Sea Cave Kayak Tours, where they swim, play, and feed right near our kayaks. These local marine creatures are part of the Pinniped family, which means "fin-footed" or "feather-footed"...The Walrus is also a Pinniped, but they are found further north on the coasts of Alaska, Russia, Canada, and Greenland.
     It can be difficult to distinguish between the Sea Lion and Harbor Seal. As you can see in the photographs below, they appear to be very similar. One might easily mistake a sea lion for a seal from our Plunge Bike Tour, which bikes along the coast to observe the local marine life and catch the scenic views.
Both seals and sea lions are really cute, basking in the sunshine, but there are a few distinct physical differences to notice:

Sea Lion (top) Harbor Seal (Bottom)

Sea lions have small ear flaps, while seals have ear holes. 

Sea lions have longer and large foreflippers, which are hairless. 
Seals have short, hairy foreflippers with claws. 

Sea lions have long smooth whiskers, while seals have crimped or beaded whiskers.

Some of their unique features allow them to move around differently:

Sea lions rotate their hindflippers beneath them to help them walk on land.
Seals move on land by wiggling their bellies and keeping their hindflippers straight.

Sea lions swim underwater using foreflippers like the wings of a bird.
Seals swim by steering with their foreflippers and powering with their hindflippers.


All of this cool information and much more can be learned from any of Hike Bike Kayak's kayaking tours or bike tours.

Hike Bike Kayak's La Jolla Sea Caves Kayak Tour has top rating on Trip Advisor and Viator!

Hike Bike Kayak's sea caves kayak tour is top rated on the world's most popular travel booking sites. 

alison 

This was a wonderful experience. My husband was in heaven! So much to see and learn. This is a good trip for anyone who loves the ocean! The tour guides were amazing. Awesome!

Michelle R 

I decided to surprise my husband with a Kayak Tour for our anniversary. I was so glad I decided to to try this out! We had so much fun! I recommend to anyone who hasn't tried this and is interested to do so. Trust me you won't regret it!

Barbara S 

Great experience! Not only was the tour awesome, seeing the caves and watching sea lions, but Josh shared his knowledge of the sea and sea life. And he's such a professional! Definitely recommend this trip!

Book your sea caves kayak tour with Hike Bike Kayak, and you're sure to have an experience to remember!

Pay if Forward with Hike Bike Kayak!

   When you book a tour with Hike Bike Kayak, you are not only supporting environmental conservation efforts, but you are helping people who help people. "How so?" You might ask...well, Hike Bike Kayak works with these incredible non-profit organizations to give back to our community.

Team River Runner helps wounded war veterans and their families with health and healing through paddle sports such as sea kayaking, kayak fishing, and surf kayaking. They serve patients at the Balboa Naval Medical Center and the San Diego VA hospital. -Hike Bike Kayak donates kayaks to Team River Runner for any of these paddle sports.

WILDCOAST is an international conservation team that conserves coastal and marine ecosystems and wildlife. They also educate underprivileged youth with their education outreach and conservation programs, as well as girl scout troops, and conservation volunteers. -Hike Bike Kayak provides kayaks for these groups as well, so they can experience the ocean waters and local ecosystems first hand, while gaining an appreciation for our coastal environment and the importance of conservation.

The California Gray Whale Coalition has been created to ensure the remaining Gray Whale population is re-listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. They are unable to defend themselves from human activity and intense industrialization along their migration route. -Hike Bike Kayak donates proceeds from our Whale Watching Kayak Tours to help protect the California Gray Whales from extinction.

San Diego CoastKeeper is the region's go-to organization inspiring individuals and communities to make clean and thriving coastal and inland waters a reality. CoastKeeper protects and restores swimmable, fishable, and drinkable waters in San Diego County. -Hike Bike Kayak provides kayaks to SD Coastkeeper for beach and bay clean-ups. They also volunteer for SD Coastkeeper's watershed testing program. 

Ocean Discovery Institute (ODI), is an organization that educates underserved youth from City Heights about the importance of scientific research and environmental stewardship. Each year, ODI runs an after-school program wherein students learn about local waterways, from the Colorado River to the Pacific Ocean. At the end of the program, the students have an outing at the ocean during which they participate in activities such as surfing, boogie boarding and kayaking. -Hike Bike Kayak has donated the equipment and expertise for such outings for five years. 

Hike Bike Kayak also offers more than 500 free kayak tours yearly to causes such as the Rock the Blue Auction Gala at La Jolla Country Day School, and other local school fundraisers as well.

15% OFF Coupon for Hike Bike Kayak!!

Check out 101 Things To Do San Diego for a 15% OFF coupon on a Sea Caves Kayak Tour, Kayak Snorkel Tour, Plunge Bike Tour, Stand Up Paddle Board Rental, Kayak Rental, and more!!

http://101thingstodosw.com/san-diego/hike-bike-kayak/

Hike Bike Kayak Awarded By Team River Runner USA!

 

 

      Team River Runner USA presented this gorgeous award to Hike Bike Kayak for 6 years of supporting activities for United States Active Duty Military, Veterans, and Civilians.

 

       We feel so honored and proud to be a part of Team River Runner's efforts in providing health and healing to our wounded Veterans through paddle sports.

 

 

 

Winter Heat Wave At Hike Bike Kayak!

January is bringing some record high temperatures here on the coast at Hike Bike Kayak. During the daytime, the temp hasn't dropped below 70°, and this week it hit up to 80°! The heat wave is due to a high pressure ridge which causes air to sink towards earth's surface, trapping the warmer air in our atmosphere.
This is great news for us in La Jolla Shores because it is prime weather for the great tours we offer! The Sea Caves Kayak Tour and Kayak Whale Watching Tour are our most popular kayak tours right now. Not only will they provide you the chance to kayak with dolphin, sea lion, leopard sharks, and gray whales, they will help you beat the heat!
Come join us for some sun, fun, and adventure!

Photo by TourGuideTim 1/14

Once Upon a Trail Whale Sighting at Hike Bike Kayak...

It was another beautiful, clear day, here at Hike Bike kayak in La Jolla. One of our expert naturalist guides, Ezekiel, stood high upon a bluff edge of the Torrey Pines State Reserve with a charming, active couple from Houston, Texas. Astonished by the gorgeous stretch of pristine beaches, the couple inquired about whale sightings from up on the bluffs. Upon giving a reply, Ezekiel spotted a pod of gray whales spouting a mile off-shore. All three were ecstatic! The very first whale sighting of the season, and from a guided hike in the bluff's trails nonetheless!

"It is quite amazing that not only up close by kayak, but from a bike, and certainly a hike, you can spot the gray whales on their long migration from the waters of Alaska down to Baja, California."

The couple left La Jolla, with a memory for a lifetime. The tour guide, Ezekiel, always humbled by nature, was happy as ever that the whales have arrived for another year of memorable sightings.

Gray Whale spouting off the coast of San Diego

 

The Truth About Kayaing The Seven Sea Caves

Hi it's me, Big Wave Dave, co-owner of Hike Bike Kayak in La Jolla.  After nearly a decade of kayaking in La Jolla, there is probably no one better to give you the low down on the truth of kayaking the seven La Jolla sea caves.

Over time, kayaking in La Jolla has rightfully become a huge tourism draw.  It is truly amazing.  But so often people think kayaking inside the caves is the highlight, but in reality, the scenic coastline (including kayaking outside the caves) and the wildlife is far and away the best part! Many other companies won't tell the whole truth about the caves, but as a good, honest guy, I will.  Read on to learn more.

There Are Seven Sea Caves and Really Only One You Can Kayak In

While there are seven caves, the only one you can truly kayak in is #7 (called "The Clam"). 

It's an incredible experience when it's calm enough, but as you can see below it's a cave about the size of a school bus that creates a tunnel through the rocks.  Awesome, but not life changing.  The other caves are too shallow for a kayak to enter.  And it's also worth knowing that no company, including Hike Bike Kayak, can go in to the cave when the others can't.

 (See how Hike Bike Kayak tours are truly different)

The true problem lies in that the waves can get a little bit big, and the caves can be really dangerous to kayak into.  (This video is an kind of an extreme case, but you get the idea of how kayaking in and out of rocks can be bad news when there are waves).

 

The good news:  We still get into the cave about 80% of the time May-November and about 50% of the time the rest of the year, so you do indeed have a great chance of kayaking through the cave.

The better news:  If you can't get in to the cave,we'll pay for your ticket to go in the sea cave you can access safely by land.

The best news: The wildlife is the most fascinating part!  Despite the fact the caves themselves may be slightly overrated, we still have outstanding reviews on TripAdvisor.   And the wildlife and our friendly and highly knowledgeable guides are why!

We have a great opportunity to see harmless leopard sharks, three species of dolphins, hundreds of sea lions, seals, sea birds, dozens of types of fish, harbor seals, grey whales, and more! And it's all led by our very friendly biologist and naturalist tour guides.

In the end, kayaking in La Jolla is an incredible, must-do experience.  For more info about what to expect on your trip, or for your best chance to go in the cave, give us a call at (858) 551-9510.