Photo: Dave Bunnell, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.The place
A sea cave you reach through a tunnel from a gift shop.
Sunny Jim's Sea Cave is in the La Jolla community of San Diego. It takes its name from its resemblance to Sunny Jim, a British cereal mascot, and it is described as the only underwater cave in California that can be reached through land.
Access is through the Cave Store, a gift shop above the cave that charges a fee for the visit. Group tours of 15 to 20 minutes go down a 145-step staircase to a viewing platform at the end. California sea lions can sometimes be heard from the cave.
What happened here
A tunnel dug by hand to sell tickets.
In 1902 a German entrepreneur, Gustav Schultz, hired two Chinese laborers to dig a tunnel from his home, now the gift shop, down to the caves below. With only a shovel and a pickaxe the job took two years. He expected tourists would pay to use it, and tours began in 1905. Visitors first went down by rope; a staircase came not long after. L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, is said to have given the cave its name.
Rumor has it that the cave was used to bring whiskey into San Diego during Prohibition, that bootleggers also moved opium through the area, and that it may have been used to smuggle immigrants into the country. A new owner bought the store in 1994, when it earned money mostly from selling seashells. Today about 90 percent of its revenue comes from cave entrance fees.
Photos
The cave and the coast around it.
View from inside Sunny Jim Cave through its opening to the sea and the coastline. Jarek Tuszyński, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.The same view from inside the cave, with a kayaker and swimmers on the water. Jarek Tuszyński, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Entry is by paid group tour. Hours, prices and conditions change, so check the Cave Store’s official site before you go.
The tour goes down a 145-step staircase to a viewing platform. The store does not allow anyone to enter the ocean from that platform.
The cave can also be reached from the sea. If you want to see La Jolla’s sea caves from the water, look into kayak tours there and check whether they visit this cave.
Sold by Viator. Prices and review counts checked on 09/09/2026. These tours explore La Jolla's sea caves from the water; check each tour page to see whether it visits this specific cave.
Questions people ask
Before you go.
Why is it called Sunny Jim Cave?
It resembles Sunny Jim, a British cereal mascot. L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, is said to have given the cave its name.
How do you get into the cave?
Through the Cave Store, a gift shop above it, which sells access for a fee. A tunnel dug by hand, starting in 1902, leads down to the cave.
How long is the tour?
Group tours last 15 to 20 minutes and go down a 145-step staircase to a viewing platform.
Was the cave used by smugglers?
According to rumor, yes: whiskey during Prohibition, opium by bootleggers, and possibly immigrants. These are rumors rather than documented facts.
More to see
Around La Jolla
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Walking tours, day trips and experiences around this area, on GetYourGuide.
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