Dive Into The Tiles
From the iconic surfboard to the lovely leopard shark, we chose each of our tile designs for its importance to La Jolla's history or its quintessential presence in Southern California. Read on for the story behind the tiles.
Soap (White Dragon)
One of the most iconic sites in La Jolla, the WindanSea Surf Shack was first built as a shade structure in the 1940s by a group of returning WWII vets. The shack catapulted to fame after being featured in the 1960s surf film Endless Summer, which highlighted the beach’s legendary surfing conditions and shore break. Made of four rustic posts and a thatched roof of palm fronds, the shack has been lovingly rebuilt and maintained by dedicated locals throughout the years, notably Friends of WindanSea. The City of San Diego designated the shack as a historical landmark in 1998, noting it as the “oldest continuously used shelter of its kind on the West Coast.”
Learn more at Friends of WindanSea
Green and Red Dragons
Our green and red dragon tiles are an ode to some favorite marine creatures that can be found at La Jolla Shores each summer: leopard sharks that return by the thousands to lay their live young in the Shores' warm shallow waters. Snorkelers, kayakers, and swimmers can easily spot the sharks at low tide from June to September. The harmless sharks are recognized by their large leopard-like spots and multiple fins. The vast majority of 4-5-foot sharks are females that give birth to numerous live young in La Jolla’s warm waters. The beautiful creatures are considered docile, shy, and harmless to humans.
Learn more at Scripps Birch Aquarium
Dots – Sand Dollars
You’d never know if from the surface, but the seabed just south of La Jolla’s famous Scripps Pier is home to one of the most abundant collections of sand dollars on the West Coast. Here, thousands of purple sand dollars stand vertically on the sandy seabed to optimize their access to nutrients flowing past. These unique marine animals are members of the sea urchin family and are protected from removal from the ocean floor. If one washes up on the sand, how do you tell if it’s alive? Color, explains Scripps Institute of Oceanography researcher Charlotte Seid: Smooth, white sand dollars are the dead exoskeletons of the living creatures.
Learn more at CBS News San Diego
Bams – Sea Kelp
San Diego divers consider the area one of the best secrets in the United States of America. About 200 yards off La Jolla’s shoreline, the ocean floor drops suddenly into a deep, protected sea canyon teeming with ocean life. It’s also home to the second largest kelp forest in California. We chose this ocean staple as our “bamboo” because of the important role it plays in the underwater ecosystem as a food source and habitat for marine life, ranging from barnacles to the California state fish, the orange garibaldi, as well as leopard sharks, eels, sea lions, seals and more.
Dive into the Kelp Forest with Skookum Living
Bird Bam – Seagull
A word about our bird bam: the ubiquitous, cheeky seagull. If you look closely, you’ll see the gull has a French fry in its mouth. If you’ve spent enough time at the beach, you’ll know these birds are opportunistic thieves, swooping down onto an unwatched beach towel, dive bombing a picnic bench filled with lunch. Our bird bam is an homage to the daily delights of life at the beach, summed up by the slogan, “Happier than a seagull with a French fry!”
