Children's Pool Beach is a beach in San Diego County, California.
Children's Pool Beach (also known as Casa Beach) is a small sandy beach in La Jolla, a community of San Diego, California. The Children's Pool earned its name after the construction of a concrete breakwater in 1931. The structure was gifted to the community of La Jolla by local philanthropist Ellen Browning Scripps, who paid for the construction of a breakwater project in order to create a place where children could play and swim that would be protected from waves. The gift was confirmed by an act, signed by California governor James Rolph Jr. in 1931. The Children's Pool has become the subject of a debate related to a growing colony of harbor seals which has inhabited the beach since the mid-1990s.From the Wikipedia article “Children's Pool Beach”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Children's Pool Beach the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 61° (ENE) at the June solstice and 118° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 299° (WNW) in June to 242° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 81° in summer but only 34° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 6:54 AM | 90° E | 7:01 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:42 AM | 61° ENE | 8:01 PM | 299° WNW | 81° | 14h 19m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:38 AM | 89° E | 6:47 PM | 271° W | 57° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 6:49 AM | 118° ESE | 4:47 PM | 242° WSW | 34° | 9h 59m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Beaches facing east suit sunrise and west-facing beaches suit sunset; wet sand mirrors the sky color during golden hour.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:26 AM | 6:52 AM | 7:29 AM | 4:29 PM | 5:06 PM | 5:33 PM | 10h 13m |
| February | 6:08 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:07 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:35 PM | 6:00 PM | 11h 02m |
| March | 6:36 AM | 7:00 AM | 7:33 AM | 6:25 PM | 6:58 PM | 7:22 PM | 11h 57m |
| April | 5:55 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:53 AM | 6:46 PM | 7:19 PM | 7:45 PM | 12h 59m |
| May | 5:24 AM | 5:51 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:07 PM | 7:42 PM | 8:09 PM | 13h 51m |
| June | 5:13 AM | 5:41 AM | 6:18 AM | 7:23 PM | 8:00 PM | 8:28 PM | 14h 18m |
| July | 5:24 AM | 5:52 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:23 PM | 7:59 PM | 8:27 PM | 14h 07m |
| August | 5:47 AM | 6:13 AM | 6:47 AM | 7:02 PM | 7:36 PM | 8:02 PM | 13h 22m |
| September | 6:09 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:06 AM | 6:24 PM | 6:57 PM | 7:22 PM | 12h 23m |
| October | 6:29 AM | 6:54 AM | 7:27 AM | 5:44 PM | 6:17 PM | 6:42 PM | 11h 23m |
| November | 5:54 AM | 6:20 AM | 6:56 AM | 4:13 PM | 4:49 PM | 5:15 PM | 10h 29m |
| December | 6:18 AM | 6:45 AM | 7:23 AM | 4:08 PM | 4:45 PM | 5:12 PM | 10h 00m |
Local time (America/Los Angeles), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Children's Pool Beach, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 6.2 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 28° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 7 (suburban / urban transition), so expect visible sky glow; drive away from towns for better results.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| February | 4:18 AM – 5:08 AM | 0.8 | 17° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:29 AM – 5:29 AM | 2.0 | 25° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:25 AM – 4:45 AM | 3.3 | 28° | SE → S |
| May | 11:26 PM – 4:06 AM | 4.7 | 28° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:41 PM – 3:51 AM | 6.2 | 28° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:37 PM – 2:27 AM | 4.8 | 28° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:05 PM – 12:25 AM | 3.3 | 28° | S → SW |
| September | 8:20 PM – 10:30 PM | 2.2 | 25° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:39 PM – 8:29 PM | 0.8 | 17° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 7 Bortle 7 — Suburban / urban transition. The whole sky has a grey-white glow; the Milky Way is invisible to the eye. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 18.54 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show January as the clearest month (about 50% average cloud cover) and June as the cloudiest (81%). September is the warmest month and February the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 74 | 77 | 81 | 78 | 81 | 78 | 83 | 83 | 86 | 89 | 82 | 73 |
| Low °F | 48 | 48 | 51 | 50 | 52 | 54 | 57 | 59 | 58 | 57 | 51 | 51 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.6 | 2.2 | 1.1 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 1.9 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this beach
- Slow shutter speeds (0.5–2 s) turn receding waves into streaks that lead toward the horizon.
- Watch for sneaker waves; never turn your back on the ocean on exposed coasts.
- Salt spray coats lenses quickly; wipe often and rinse gear afterward.
- Fog and marine layers can make minimalist images; don't give up on grey days.
- Tell someone where you're going in remote areas and carry the ten essentials.
Season: Winter storms bring dramatic surf on Pacific coasts; summer and autumn sunsets are popular on Atlantic and Gulf beaches.
Suggested gear: Tripod, ND filters, Rain cover, Lens cloths. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Tides
The nearest NOAA tide prediction station is La Jolla (Scripps Institution Wharf), 2.9 km (1.8 mi) away. Low tide often reveals tide pools, wet-sand reflections and sea stacks.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Children's Pool Beach, closest first.
Beach
Natural Arch
Beach
Canyon
Mountain Peak
Beach
Canyon
State Park
State ParkFAQ
When is the best time to photograph Children's Pool Beach?
What time is golden hour at Children's Pool Beach?
Where does the sun rise and set at Children's Pool Beach?
Can you see the Milky Way from Children's Pool Beach?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Children's Pool Beach?
How far is Children's Pool Beach from La Jolla?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.