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San Diego Stock Photos by Professional Photographer Phillip Colla. San Diego stock photography.
Two blue whales, a mother and her calf, swim through the open ocean in this aerial photograph. The calf is blowing (spouting, exhaling) with a powerful column of spray. The blue whale is the largest animal ever to live on Earth, Balaenoptera musculus, San Diego, California

Blue Whale Aerial Photo

 Breaking wave, Ponto, South Carlsbad

Ponto Surf, Carlsbad

 Breaking wave, early morning surf, Ponto, Carlsbad, California

Ponto Surf, Carlsbad

Brown pelican in flight. The wingspan of the brown pelican is over 7 feet wide. The California race of the brown pelican holds endangered species status. In winter months, breeding adults assume a dramatic plumage, Pelecanus occidentalis, Pelecanus occidentalis californicus, La Jolla

Brown Pelican, La Jolla

 Oceanside Pier at dusk, sunset, night. Oceanside

Oceanside Pier

 Broken Hill with the Pacific Ocean in the distance. Broken Hill is an ancient, compacted sand dune that was uplifted to its present location and is now eroding, Torrey Pines State Reserve, San Diego, California

Broken Hill, Torrey Pines, Torrey Pines State Reserve

San Diego city skyline at sunset, showing the buildings of downtown San Diego rising above San Diego Harbor, viewed from Harbor Island. A panoramic photograph, composite of four separate images

San Diego City Skyline Panorama

Torrey Pines seacliffs, rising up to 300 feet above the ocean, stretch from Del Mar to La Jolla. On the mesa atop the bluffs are found Torrey pine trees, one of the rare species of pines in the world, Torrey Pines State Reserve, San Diego, California

Torrey Pines Seacliffs, Torrey Pines State Reserve

 SIO Pier. The Scripps Institution of Oceanography research pier is 1090 feet long and was built of reinforced concrete in 1988, replacing the original wooden pier built in 1915. The Scripps Pier is home to a variety of sensing equipment above and below water that collects various oceanographic data. The Scripps research diving facility is located at the foot of the pier. Fresh seawater is pumped from the pier to the many tanks and facilities of SIO, including the Birch Aquarium. The Scripps Pier is named in honor of Ellen Browning Scripps, the most significant donor and benefactor of the Institution, La Jolla, California

Sio Pier, Scripps Institution Of Oceanography

 Hotel del Coronado, known affectionately as the Hotel Del. It was once the largest hotel in the world, and is one of the few remaining wooden Victorian beach resorts. It sits on the beach on Coronado Island, seen here with downtown San Diego in the distance. It is widely considered to be one of Americas most beautiful and classic hotels. Built in 1888, it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977

Hotel Del Coronado

San Diego Coronado Bridge, known locally as the Coronado Bridge, links San Diego with Coronado, California. The bridge was completed in 1969 and was a toll bridge until 2002. It is 2.1 miles long and reaches a height of 200 feet above San Diego Bay. Coronado Island is to the left, and downtown San Diego is to the right in this view looking north

San Diego Coronado Bridge

 Downtown San Diego and USS Midway. The USS Midway was a US Navy aircraft carrier, launched in 1945 and active through the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm, as of 2008 a museum along the downtown waterfront in San Diego

Downtown San Diego And Uss Midway

 San Diego Convention Center, located in the Marina District of downtown San Diego. Built in 1989, the San Diego Convention Center offers 525,700 square feet of exhibit space. It is noted for its distinctive sails made of Teflon-coated fiberglass suspended over the central exhibition hall, aptly named Sails Pavilion

San Diego Convention Center

Marriott Hotel towers, rising above the Embarcadero Marine Park and yacht marina, San Diego, California

Marriott Hotel Towers

 Crystal Pier, 872 feet long and built in 1925, extends out into the Pacific Ocean from the town of Pacific Beach. Mission Bay and downtown San Diego are seen in the distance

Crystal Pier

 New Point Loma Lighthouse, situated on the tip of Point Loma Peninsula, marks the entrance to San Diego Bay. The lighthouse rises 70' and was built in 1891 to replace the old Point Loma Lighthouse which was often shrouded in fog

New Point Loma Lighthouse

Downtown San Diego and Petco Park, viewed from the southeast

Downtown San Diego And Petco Park

 Torrey Pines State Beach, sandstone cliffs rise above the beach at Torrey Pines State Reserve, San Diego, California

Torrey Pines State Beach, Torrey Pines State Reserve

 Sea lion portrait, hauled out on rocks beside the ocean, Zalophus californianus, La Jolla, California

California Sea Lion, La Jolla

San Diego city skyline at night, showing the buildings of downtown San Diego reflected in the still waters of San Diego Harbor, viewed from Coronado Island. A panoramic photograph, composite of seven separate images

San Diego City Skyline Panorama

The Star of India is tied to her dock along the waterfront of San Diego harbor

Star Of India, San Diego

 San Diego downtown waterfront skyline, viewed across San Diego Bay from Coronado Island

San Diego City Skyline

 Sandstone cliffs rise above the beach at Torrey Pines State Reserve, San Diego, California

Torrey Pines Sandstone Cliffs, Torrey Pines State Reserve

Sandstone cliffs at Torrey Pines State Park, viewed from high above the Pacific Ocean near the Indian Trail, Torrey Pines State Reserve, San Diego, California

Torrey Pines Sandstone Cliffs, Torrey Pines State Reserve

 A Pacific harbor seal eyes the photographer while swimming in the shallows. This group of harbor seals, which has formed a breeding colony at a small but popular beach near San Diego, is at the center of considerable controversy. While harbor seals are protected from harassment by the Marine Mammal Protection Act and other legislation, local interests would like to see the seals leave so that people can resume using the beach, Phoca vitulina richardsi, La Jolla, California

Pacific Harbor Seal, La Jolla

 Pacific harbor seal, Phoca vitulina richardsi, La Jolla, California

Pacific Harbor Seal, La Jolla

La Jolla Cliffs overlook the ocean with thousands of cormorants, pelicans and gulls resting and preening on the sandstone cliffs. Sunrise with pink skies

La Jolla Cliffs

 A Pacific harbor seal swims over surf grass in the protected waters of Childrens Pool in La Jolla, California. This group of harbor seals, which has formed a breeding colony at a small but popular beach near San Diego, is at the center of considerable controversy. While harbor seals are protected from harassment by the Marine Mammal Protection Act and other legislation, local interests would like to see the seals leave so that people can resume using the beach, Phoca vitulina richardsi

Pacific Harbor Seal, La Jolla

 A parent and child admire the fascinating kelp forest tank at the Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, San Diego, California, Macrocystis pyrifera

Giant Kelp

California sea lions hauled out on rocks beside the ocean, Zalophus californianus, La Jolla

California Sea Lion, La Jolla

 California poppy plants viewed from the perspective of a bug walking below the bright orange blooms, Eschscholzia californica, Del Dios, San Diego

California Poppy, Del Dios

 The Children's Pool in La Jolla, also known as Casa Cove, is a small pocket cove protected by a curving seawall, with the rocky coastline and cottages and homes of La Jolla seen behind it

The Children's Pool In La Jolla

Point Loma peninsula, with scalloped sandstone cliffs edging the Pacific Ocean, looking south. Navy facilities are scattered along this section of Point Loma, San Diego, California

Point Loma Peninsula

 Coast Highway 101, looking south from Del Mar, with Los Penasquitos Marsh on the left and the cliffs of Torrey Pines State Reserve and La Jolla in the distance, San Diego, California

Coast Highway 101

 Bluff and trees overlooking the ocean near La Jolla Cove, sunrise

La Jolla Cliffs

A large natural sea cave lies below a sandstone bluff in La Jolla at sunrise with a pink sky, Black's Beach in the distant

La Jolla Cave

 La Jolla Cove meets the dawn with pink skies and a flat ocean

La Jolla Cove Sunrise

 California poppies cover the hillsides in bright orange, just months after the area was devastated by wildfires, Eschscholzia californica, Del Dios, San Diego

California Poppy, Del Dios

UCSD Library glows at sunset (Geisel Library, UCSD Central Library), University of California, San Diego, La Jolla

UCSD Library At Sunset, University Of California, San Diego

 Sunset, Batiquitos Lagoon, Carlsbad, California

Sunset, Batiquitos Lagoon

 San Diego city skyline at night, showing the buildings of downtown San Diego reflected in the still waters of San Diego Harbor, viewed from Coronado Island

San Diego City Skyline

Boulders and sandstone cliffs, Torrey Pines State Beach, Torrey Pines State Reserve, San Diego, California

Boulders And Sandstone Cliffs, Torrey Pines State Reserve

 Sun God is a strange artwork, the first in the Stuart Collection at University of California San Diego (UCSD). Commissioned in 1983 and produced by Niki de Sainte Phalle, Sun God has become a landmark on the UCSD campus, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla

Sun God, UCSD, University Of California, San Diego

 Stonehenge, or what is officially known as the La Jolla Project, was the third piece in the Stuart Collection at University of California San Diego (UCSD). Commissioned in 1984 and produced by Richard Fleishner, the granite blocks are spread on the lawn south of Galbraith Hall on Revelle College at UCSD, University of California, San Diego

Stonehenge, UCSD, University Of California, San Diego

San Diego city skyline at dusk, viewed from Harbor Island, a sailboat cruises by in the foreground, the Star of India at left

San Diego City Skyline

 Vices and Virtues, part of the Stuart Collection and University of California, San Diego (UCSD). Artist Bruce Naumann created Vices and Virtues in 1988 along the top of the Charles Lee Powell Structural Systems Laboratory at UCSD. Vices and virtues named in alternating neon light blink bizarrely around the building, lighting the night sky at UCSD. Very odd, La Jolla

Vices And Virtues, UCSD, University Of California, San Diego

 UCSD Library glows at sunset (Geisel Library, UCSD Central Library), University of California, San Diego, La Jolla

UCSD Library At Sunset, University Of California, San Diego

California sea lion hauled out on rocks beside the ocean, Zalophus californianus, La Jolla

California Sea Lion, La Jolla

 Bear is another of the odd outdoor art pieces of the UCSD Stuart Collection. Created by Tim Hawkinson in 2001 of eight large stones, it sits in the courtyard of the UCSD Jacobs School of Engineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla

Bear, UCSD, University Of California, San Diego

 Torrey Pines seacliffs, rising up to 300 feet above the ocean, stretch from Del Mar to La Jolla. On the mesa atop the bluffs are found Torrey pine trees, one of the rare species of pines in the world, Torrey Pines State Reserve, San Diego, California

Torrey Pines Seacliffs, Torrey Pines State Reserve

The Botanical Building in Balboa Park, San Diego. The Botanical Building, at 250 feet long by 75 feet wide and 60 feet tall, was the largest wood lath structure in the world when it was built in 1915 for the Panama-California Exposition. The Botanical Building, located on the Prado, west of the Museum of Art, contains about 2,100 permanent tropical plants along with changing seasonal flowers. The Lily Pond, just south of the Botanical Building, is an eloquent example of the use of reflecting pools to enhance architecture. The 193 by 43 foot pond and smaller companion pool were originally referred to as Las Lagunas de las Flores (The Lakes of the Flowers) and were designed as aquatic gardens. The pools contain exotic water lilies and lotus which bloom spring through fall. Balboa Park, San Diego

Botanical Building, Balboa Park

 Sandstone cliffs rise above the beach at Torrey Pines State Reserve, San Diego, California

Torrey Pines Sandstone Cliffs, Torrey Pines State Reserve

 The Scripps Institution of Oceanography research pier is 1090 feet long and was built of reinforced concrete in 1988, replacing the original wooden pier built in 1915. The Scripps Pier is home to a variety of sensing equipment above and below water that collects various oceanographic data. The Scripps research diving facility is located at the foot of the pier. Fresh seawater is pumped from the pier to the many tanks and facilities of SIO, including the Birch Aquarium. The Scripps Pier is named in honor of Ellen Browning Scripps, the most significant donor and benefactor of the Institution, La Jolla, California

Sio Pier, Scripps Institution Of Oceanography

UCSD Library glows at sunset (Geisel Library, UCSD Central Library), University of California, San Diego, La Jolla

UCSD Library At Sunset, University Of California, San Diego

 UCSD Library glows with light in this night time exposure (Geisel Library, UCSD Central Library), University of California, San Diego, La Jolla

UCSD Library At Night, University Of California, San Diego

 California poppies bloom in enormous fields cleared just a few months earlier by huge wildfires. Burnt dead bushes are seen surrounded by bright poppies, Eschscholzia californica, Del Dios, San Diego

California Poppy, Del Dios

Old Point Loma Lighthouse, sitting high atop the end of Point Loma peninsula, seen here with San Diego Bay and downtown San Diego in the distance. The old Point Loma lighthouse operated from 1855 to 1891 above the entrance to San Diego Bay. It is now a maintained by the National Park Service and is part of Cabrillo National Monument

Old Point Loma Lighthouse

 Point Loma lighthouse, San Diego, California

Point Loma Lighthouse

 Cabrillo Monument lighthouse at sunset, Point Loma, San Diego, California

Point Loma Lighthouse

Sunset, cobblestones, surf and sand, Torrey Pines State Beach, Torrey Pines State Reserve, San Diego, California

Sunset, Torrey Pines State Beach, Torrey Pines State Reserve

 The Botanical Building in Balboa Park, San Diego. The Botanical Building, at 250 feet long by 75 feet wide and 60 feet tall, was the largest wood lath structure in the world when it was built in 1915 for the Panama-California Exposition. The Botanical Building, located on the Prado, west of the Museum of Art, contains about 2,100 permanent tropical plants along with changing seasonal flowers. The Lily Pond, just south of the Botanical Building, is an eloquent example of the use of reflecting pools to enhance architecture. The 193 by 43 foot pond and smaller companion pool were originally referred to as Las Lagunas de las Flores (The Lakes of the Flowers) and were designed as aquatic gardens. The pools contain exotic water lilies and lotus which bloom spring through fall

The Botanical Building In Balboa Park

 Ocean water washes over a flat sand beach, sandstone bluffs rise in the background, sunset, Carlsbad, California

Carlsbad

Surf check. Three guys check the surf from atop a bluff overlooking the waves at the end of the day, at sunset, north of South Carlsbad State Beach

Carlsbad

 UCSD Library (Geisel Library, UCSD Central Library), University of California, San Diego, La Jolla

UCSD Library, University Of California, San Diego

 San Diego city skyline at sunset, showing the buildings of downtown San Diego rising above San Diego Harbor, viewed from Harbor Island

San Diego City Skyline

Downtown San Diego bayfront, Marina District, with the USS Midway Navy aircraft carrier (right), cruise ship terminal (left) and high rise office buildings towering over North Harbor Drive along San Diego Bay

Downtown San Diego Bayfront

 SIO Pier. The Scripps Institution of Oceanography research pier is 1090 feet long and was built of reinforced concrete in 1988, replacing the original wooden pier built in 1915. The Scripps Pier is home to a variety of sensing equipment above and below water that collects various oceanographic data. The Scripps research diving facility is located at the foot of the pier. Fresh seawater is pumped from the pier to the many tanks and facilities of SIO, including the Birch Aquarium. The Scripps Pier is named in honor of Ellen Browning Scripps, the most significant donor and benefactor of the Institution, La Jolla, California

Sio Pier, Scripps Institution Of Oceanography

 The La Jolla Coast, sometimes referred to as the Riviera of San Diego, is some of the most beautiful residental coastline in all of Southern California

The La Jolla Coast

Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant. Opened in 1963, the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant treats approximately 175 million gallons of wastewater per day, generated by 2.2 million residents of San Diego over a 450 square mile area. San Diego Bay, Coronado Island and downtown San Diego are seen in the distance

Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant

 Pacific Beach, Crystal Pier and Mission Bay, looking south. Downtown San Diego is seen in the distance

Pacific Beach

 San Diego Coronado Bridge, known locally as the Coronado Bridge, links San Diego with Coronado, California. The bridge was completed in 1969 and was a toll bridge until 2002. It is 2.1 miles long and reaches a height of 200 feet above San Diego Bay

San Diego Coronado Bridge

Coronado Shores, a group of 10 condominium buildings south of the Hotel Del, on the water on Coronado Island, San Diego, California

Coronado Shores

 San Diego Embarcadero Marina Park, with yacht basin, San Diego Convention Center (right), Marriott (center) and Grand Hyatt (left) hotels

San Diego Embarcadero Marina Park

 Downtown San Diego, at sunset

Downtown San Diego

Hotel del Coronado, known affectionately as the Hotel Del. It was once the largest hotel in the world, and is one of the few remaining wooden Victorian beach resorts. It sits on the beach on Coronado Island, seen here with downtown San Diego in the distance. It is widely considered to be one of Americas most beautiful and classic hotels. Built in 1888, it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1977

Hotel Del Coronado

 San Diego Country Administration Building, with downtown San Diego office buildings behind, sunset

San Diego Country Administration Building

 Grand Hyatt hotel towers along the downtown waterfront of San Diego

Grand Hyatt Hotel Towers Along The Downtown Waterfront Of San Diego

San Diego Skyline at sunset, North Harbor Drive running along the waterfront, high rise office buildings, with cruise ship terminal (right)

San Diego Skyline At Sunset

 San Diego Mormon Temple, is seen amid the office and apartment buildings and shopping malls of University City, La Jolla, California

San Diego Mormon Temple, La Jolla

 Torrey Pines Golf Course, the North course, with the Pacific Ocean in the distance, La Jolla, California

Torrey Pines Golf Course, La Jolla

Torrey Pines seacliffs, rising up to 300 feet above the ocean, stretch from Del Mar to La Jolla. On the mesa atop the bluffs are found Torrey pine trees, one of the rare species of pines in the world, Torrey Pines State Reserve, San Diego, California

Torrey Pines Seacliffs, Torrey Pines State Reserve

 Dawn breaks across the sagebrush and canyons of Torrey Pines State Reserve, with the championship Torrey Pines North golf course in the distance. San Diego

Torrey Pines State Reserve

 The Palomar Observatory, located in north San Diego County California, is owned and operated by the California Institute of Technology. The Observatory supports the research of the Caltech faculty, post-doctoral fellows and students, and the researchers at Caltechs collaborating institutions. Palomar Observatory is home to the historic Hale 200-inch telescope. Other facilities on the mountain include the 60-inch, 48-inch, 18-inch and the Snoop telescopes. Palomar Observatory is home to the historic Hale 200-inch telescope. Other facilities on the mountain include the 60-inch, 48-inch, 18-inch and the Snoop telescopes

Palomar Observatory

Sun God is a strange artwork, the first in the Stuart Collection at University of California San Diego (UCSD). Commissioned in 1983 and produced by Niki de Sainte Phalle, Sun God has become a landmark on the UCSD campus, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla

Sun God, UCSD, University Of California, San Diego

 Galbraith Hall, University of California San Diego (UCSD), University of California, San Diego, La Jolla

Galbraith Hall, University Of California, San Diego

 Child on the beach, Ponto, Carlsbad, California

Child On The Beach, Ponto

Wave washes ashore, Ponto, Carlsbad, California

Wave Washes Ashore, Ponto

 Warning, no lifeguard on duty, Ponto, Carlsbad, California

Warning, Ponto

 The old Point Loma lighthouse operated from 1855 to 1891 above the entrance to San Diego Bay. It is now a maintained by the National Park Service and is part of Cabrillo National Monument

Point Loma Lighthouse, Cabrillo National Monument

Visitors admire the enormous kelp forest tank in the Stephen Birch Aquarium at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The 70000 gallon tank is home to black seabass, broomtail grouper, garibaldi, moray eels and leopard sharks, La Jolla, California

Kelp Forest Tank, Birch Aquarium, Stephen Birch Aquarium

 The Botanical Building in Balboa Park, San Diego. The Botanical Building, at 250 feet long by 75 feet wide and 60 feet tall, was the largest wood lath structure in the world when it was built in 1915 for the Panama-California Exposition. The Botanical Building, located on the Prado, west of the Museum of Art, contains about 2,100 permanent tropical plants along with changing seasonal flowers. The Lily Pond, just south of the Botanical Building, is an eloquent example of the use of reflecting pools to enhance architecture. The 193 by 43 foot pond and smaller companion pool were originally referred to as Las Lagunas de las Flores (The Lakes of the Flowers) and were designed as aquatic gardens. The pools contain exotic water lilies and lotus which bloom spring through fall. Balboa Park, San Diego

Botanical Building, Balboa Park

 The Bea Evenson Foundation is the centerpiece of the Plaza de Balboa in Balboa Park, San Diego. The San Diego Natural History Museum is seen in the background

Balboa Park

The California Tower rises 200 feet above Balboa Park, San Diego

Balboa Park

 Detail of the facade of the San Diego Museum of Art depicting the 17th century Spanish Baroque painters Velazquez, Murillo and Zurbaran. Balboa Park

Balboa Park

 The Prado, or El Prado, the main east-west walkway through the heart of Balboa Park, is named for the Paseo del Prado in Madrid. Balboa Park, San Diego, California

Balboa Park

Columns and breezeway of the Spreckels Organ Pavilion in Balboa Park, San Diego. The Spreckels Organ is the largest musical instrument in the world. Built in 1915, it is played weekly during a free one-hour recital each Sunday

Balboa Park

 Casa del Prado, South Facade, Balboa Park, San Diego, California

Balboa Park

 San Diego downtown waterfront skyline, viewed across San Diego Bay from Coronado Island

San Diego City Skyline

Oceanside Pier at dusk, sunset, night. Oceanside

Oceanside Pier

 Sandstone cliffs at Torrey Pines State Park, viewed from high above the Pacific Ocean near the Indian Trail, Torrey Pines State Reserve, San Diego, California

Torrey Pines Sandstone Cliffs, Torrey Pines State Reserve

 Tic-tac-toe in the sand on the beach, Ponto, Carlsbad, California

Tic-tac-toe In The Sand On The Beach, Ponto

The Carlsbad Flower Fields, 50+ acres of flowering Tecolote Ranunculus flowers, bloom each spring from March through May

Carlsbad Flower Fields

 Courtyard, San Diego Natural History Museum, Balboa Park

Balboa Park

 Gray whale skeleton on display at the San Diego Natural History Museum, Balboa Park

Balboa Park

The San Diego Museum of Natural History, Balboa Park, San Diego. The San Diego Natural History Museum is the place to find dinosaur bones and get a close up look at insects, birds and organic matter that make our outside world so interesting. Renovated in 2001, a new wing has doubled the museums original 65,000 square feet of floor space to about 150,000 square feet

Balboa Park

 Empty beach after a session in the water, footprints in the sand, Ponto, Carlsbad, California

Ponto Surf, Carlsbad

 Ponto, South Carlsbad, morning surf

Ponto Surf, Carlsbad

Jetties, Carlsbad, morning surf, Warm Water Jetties

Warm Water Jetties Surf

 Sea cliffs at Torrey Pines State Reserve, San Diego, California

Torrey Pines Sandstone Cliffs, Torrey Pines State Reserve

 Cool Globes San Diego, an exhibit outside of the Natural History Museum at Balboa Park, San Diego. Cool Globes is an educational exhibit that features 40 sculpted globes, each custom-designed by artists to showcase solutions to reduce global warming

Cool Globes San Diego, Balboa Park

Cobblestones fall to the sand beach from the sandstone cliffs in which they are embedded, Carlsbad, California

Carlsbad

Updated: November 7, 2009