South Casa Beach

Located in the community of La Jolla, South Casa Beach is a triangular-shaped beach with light brown sand. This beach is located below steep oceanfront bluffs. South Casa Beach is named so because it is located to the immediate south of another popular beach called Children’s Pool Beach, which is also known as Casa Beach. 

The blufftop area above South Casa Beach has many amenities including a lifeguard tower, benches, showers, and restrooms. The beach allows dogs on a leash before 9 am and after 6 pm between April and October. Between November and March, the beach allows dogs before 9 am and after 4 pm. However, we recommend being careful while walking your pet on South Casa Beach as this beach is known to be frequented by seals and sea lions - these animals are easily scared by pets and can attack you or your pet at the slightest provocation.

South Casa Beach offers many fun activities including beachcombing, sunbathing, wildlife watching, tide-pooling, scuba diving, and snorkeling. The water near this beach is unsafe for recreational aquatic activities including surfing and swimming as the water here has dangerous currents and extremely strong waves. In addition, the rocky shoreline along this beach can also inflict grievous injuries. However, despite these dangerous water conditions, scuba divers and snorkelers occasionally go into the water near South Casa Beach to explore the vibrant underwater biodiversity present here. The water near this beach is home to many kinds of marine mammals including seals, sea lions, and migrating grey whales (between December and April). In addition, the water near South Casa Beach also has reefs and kelp beds which are home to many kinds of fish. However, if you are planning to dive or snorkel in the water near South Casa Beach, we recommend strictly doing so when the water is relatively calmer, as diving or snorkeling in the rough water conditions here can be highly unsafe. The San Diego Council of Divers also organizes a safety and education program near this beach known as Rocks, Rips, & Reefs Program, which seeks to sensitize divers and snorkelers about ways to safely enter and exit the water near South Casa Beach and other La Jolla beaches. You can visit the San Diego Council of Divers’ website for additional information regarding this program. South Casa Beach is not only popular with humans but also with seals and sea lions, who can often be found resting on this beach. While this offers a great opportunity to watch these wonderful animals from an up-and-close perspective, we recommend being careful while observing seals and sea lions in South Casa Beach as they can get afraid of humans very easily and are often known to attack in self-defense. If you like tide-pooling, you can explore interesting tidepools present on the beach during low tides which are home to a variety of creatures including sea stars, mussels, chiton, limpets, crabs, and sea anemones. 

Getting to South Casa Beach is easy - the access stairway to the beach is located near 849 Coast Boulevard, where street parking is also available.

There are many attractions near South Casa Beach. If you like stand-up comedy, The Comedy Store La Jolla offers hilarious performances by some of the finest comedians in the country and has also hosted eminent actors including Michael Keaton and Robin Williams. La Jolla Hermosa Park (also known locally as Rock Park) is an oceanfront grassy park that has benches and picnic tables. This park offers magnificent Instagram-worthy views of the South California shoreline. If you are looking for another attraction near South Casa Beach, the Salk Institute of Biological Studies is frequently visited by architecture aficionados due to its impressive architecture, which was designed by renowned architect Louis I. Kahn. This institute offers guided and self-guided tours of its beautiful premises. However, you need to make a prior reservation for a tour. If you want to visit the Salk Institute of Biological Studies, you can visit its website for more information about reserving a tour.

If you get hungry, there are many great restaurants near South Casa Beach. The Marine Room is an upscale restaurant that offers a memorable oceanfront dining experience and serves amazing seafood. This restaurant has been praised by many prestigious publications including the MICHELIN Guide and AFAR.  Duke’s La Jolla offers a pleasant oceanfront dining experience and serves fantastic fusion dishes with Hawaiian and Southern Californian influences. If you are looking for another good and affordable restaurant near South Casa Beach, the modestly priced The Taco Stand is an extremely popular Mexican restaurant that offers great tacos and burritos. This restaurant has also been praised by the MICHELIN Guide.

If you are looking for a hotel near South Casa Beach, there are many great nearby options. The 5-Star The Lodge at Torrey Pines offers many amenities including two restaurants, a pool, a hot tub, a spa, and a golf course. As another upscale option, the 4-Star Pantai Inn offers many amenities including complimentary breakfast, barbecue grills, and laundry facilities. A more affordable hotel is the 3-Star La Jolla Cove Hotel & Suites which offers many amenities including a pool with sundeck, firepits, barbecue spots, and pool tables. The hotel also has a hot tub and a rooftop bar that offers incredible views. If you are looking for another good and affordable hotel near South Casa Beach, the 2-Star Casa De La Playa is located conveniently close to some of the major landmarks in La Jolla. In addition, this hotel also has a spa and a barbecue.