My long-term project to photograph California Sea Lions bodysurfing in La Jolla continued this past winter and was a lot of fun. We had quite a few mornings of great action, some of the best I have ever seen. I attribute that partly to the large numbers of adults on Point La Jolla this winter, drawn to the area by a squid run occurring at La Jolla Shores. If there are sea lions at Point La Jolla, it’s just a matter of time until they body surf. At certain times of the year when the waves and tides are just right, dozens of California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) can be seen body surfing the shallow break at Boomer Beach in La Jolla. The behavior is quite difficult to photograph: the waves must be glassy and the sun needs to be in the right place in a clear sky for the images to turn out well, and even then the keeper rate is very low. Below are some of my favorites from early 2023. If you like these, check out my sea lion bodysurfing images from 2022, or portraits of sea lions on Point La Jolla, or even my large collection of underwater sea lion photographs from California and Mexico. Cheers, and thanks for looking!
California sea lion bodysurfing in La Jolla, surfing huge waves close to shore at Boomer Beach.
Image ID: 38970
Species: California Sea Lion, Zalophus californianus
Location: La Jolla, California
California sea lions bodysurfing and leaping way out of the water, in La Jolla at Boomer Beach.
Image ID: 38989
Location: La Jolla, California
A California sea lions leaps high out of the water, jumping clear of a wave while bodysurfing at Boomer Beach in La Jolla.
Image ID: 38990
Location: La Jolla, California
California sea lion bodysurfing in La Jolla, surfing huge waves close to shore at Boomer Beach.
Image ID: 38972
Species: California Sea Lion, Zalophus californianus
Location: La Jolla, California
California sea lion bodysurfing in La Jolla, surfing huge waves close to shore at Boomer Beach.
Image ID: 38971
Species: California Sea Lion, Zalophus californianus
Location: La Jolla, California
California sea lion bodysurfing Boomer Beach in La Jolla.
Image ID: 38943
Species: California sea lion, Zalophus californianus
Location: La Jolla, California
California sea lions bodysurfing and leaping way out of the water, in La Jolla at Boomer Beach.
Image ID: 38988
Location: La Jolla, California
Three California sea lions bodysurf together, suspended in the face of a big wave, Boomer Beach, La Jolla.
Image ID: 38991
Location: La Jolla, California
California sea lions bodysurfing and leaping way out of the water, in La Jolla at Boomer Beach.
Image ID: 38998
Location: La Jolla, California
Mother and Pup Bodysurfing Sea Lions Side by Side. California sea lion (Zalophus californianus) is surfing extreme shorebreak at Boomer Beach, Point La Jolla.
Image ID: 38973
Species: California Sea Lion, Zalophus californianus
Location: La Jolla, California
California sea lions bodysurfing and leaping way out of the water, in La Jolla at Boomer Beach.
Image ID: 38992
Location: La Jolla, California
California sea lions gather on Point La Jolla with waves crashing around them.
Image ID: 38993
Location: La Jolla, California
