Beach erosion and high tides knocked out the 110th La Jolla Cove Swim, ending months of preparation four days before the race.

Race director Aaron Brennan canceled the event Wednesday, Sept. 9, after a site inspection the day before found no safe way for swimmers to get in or out of the water, according to lajolla.ca. The race had been set for Sunday, Sept. 13.

Brennan wrote in an email to the 1,107 registered swimmers that significant erosion left effectively no rock-free beach available at race time. San Diego lifeguards agreed the anticipated conditions would not support a safe start and finish, according to Brennan.

"It's heartbreaking to spend nine months preparing for this and have it not be feasible. … But it's not safe for people to be in waist-deep water at risk of pushing into the rocks," Brennan told lajolla.ca.

The dangerous surf followed high-surf and coastal flood advisories the National Weather Service issued for La Jolla over Labor Day weekend, Saturday, Sept. 5, through Tuesday, Sept. 8. Those advisories cited indirect effects of Hurricane Marie.

The cancellation is rare for a race that dates to 1916, when it debuted as the La Jolla Rough Water Swim during San Diego's Panama-California Exposition. Organizers say it is the second-oldest open-water swim in the United States. Past cancellations include one for high bacteria levels, one after a shark attack and shutdowns during COVID restrictions.

The Kiwanis Club of La Jolla operates the swim, which offered three distances this year: a 250-meter kids' race, a one-mile swim and a three-mile swim, plus a combined option called the "Whole Enchilada."

Registered swimmers have two options for their non-refundable fees: defer entry to the 2027 La Jolla Cove Swim or donate the fees to the Prevent Drowning Foundation of San Diego County. The foundation is the race's longtime beneficiary and has received $100,000 in proceeds for youth swim lessons, according to lajolla.ca.

No 2027 date has been set.

Upcoming La Jolla events

  • Afro-Cuban jazz quintet, free concert at the Athenaeum, Monday, Sept. 14
  • La Jolla Shores Permit Review Board meeting, Wednesday, Sept. 16