Leopard sharks season begins along La Jolla coast

SAN DIEGO — It's that time of year when everyone heads down to the beach. It is also the time of year when leopard sharks start their spawning season.

It's August at La Jolla Shores which means it is prime time for leopard sharks and La Jolla Kayak is showing us where they can be found.

Josh Thomas is a guide for La Jolla Kayak.

"I got there and there were fins everywhere, there were 60 or 70 sharks there," Josh said about a previous tour.

He said the fun is just starting. 

"Right now we're seeing a couple but pretty soon they're going to all over the coast in a little bit," he said.

The reason the leopard sharks come to La Jolla Shores for the summer is location, location, location.

"Well, we're at the La Jolla Ecological Reserve. It's like a national park except with water," Josh explains.

The leopard sharks are normally found in front of the Marine Room in La Jolla but Jeff said this year they're in the waiting room.

"Recently we've seen them over the reef system which is right past Devil's Slide. It's a secluded beach without any access," Jeff explained.

The number one question Josh gets: are they dangerous?

Jeff shared his standard response. "Listen, guys, these are leopard sharks, they're harmless. The reason they're harmless is their mouths is the size of a quarter and their teeth is like a row of sandpaper."

And while we've seen scattered numbers early this season, that's about to change. 

"Now that we're closer [to the season] the adults are coming in, they're 4 to 5 feet. I've seen them up to 7' sharks out there," Jeff explained.

Snorkeling in my opinion is the best way to see the leopard sharks. 

"Right down there in front of the Marine Room in head high water you'll see plenty of leopard sharks as well as bat rays, stingrays, a whole bunch of stuff," Jeff said.