The ocean is always mesmerizing—its hues of blue and depths of the unknown. Some are terrified by what lurks in the dangers below, but I’ve come to admire it.

The day began with another excursion booked months in advance: exploring the cold Pacific by kayak. We booked with a company called Everyday California, and after our safety debrief, we strapped on our life jackets and helmets and paddled over the crashing waves to meet the rest of our tour group.

La Jolla Cove was on the agenda today—and we would soon learn from our energetic and passionate guides that these majestic sea caves were formed in sandstone through years of erosion. But what we weren’t expecting was the incredible wildlife that calls La Jolla home.

Sea lions perched delicately on the cliffs, and sea lion pups were scattered throughout. They swam beside our tiny vessels, swiftly and beautifully—too quick to capture on our phones, and our GoPro couldn’t safely stick to the boat.

We entered one of the caves, where more sea lions graced the small ledges and swam through the openings. We paddled toward a magnificent archway that framed palm trees and sandy cliff sides, the sun illuminating its beauty.

On the way back, we learned about the Garibaldi fish, whose defense mechanism is to headbutt any threat. They’ve even been known to go after divers unprovoked. We were also told that if we had time, we should grab our snorkel gear—pregnant female leopard sharks had made their way to the beach to give birth to live young. Docile and elegant, they posed no threat. Chris and I looked at each other, and without a word, we both knew our plans to shop and explore the city had just been vetoed.

Dropping off our gear at Everyday California, we slipped into wetsuits for the first time, grabbed snorkel equipment, and dove into the water. Within moments, we saw schools of fish and stingrays before glimpsing our first shark. We spent hours in the ocean, and it wasn’t until the lack of oxygen and creeping dehydration set in that we decided to take a break.

Lying on the beach, wetsuits pulled down to our waists, dizzy from breathing through a small tube, we made the unanimous decision to head back to town and grab some much-needed grub and water.

As we ate seafood along the boardwalk, we giggled and chatted about the unexpectedness of the wild—and the mesmerizing beauty of California.