San Diego Bay Sunrise

One of the notable advantages of being an early riser is the opportunity to capture moments like the one depicted in this photograph. Kathy and I were staying on Shelter Island, located on the San Diego Bay. We hold Shelter Island in high regard. It is a mere 10-minute drive from downtown San Diego yet offers a serene escape, free from the prevalent urban challenges encountered across the bay. Fortunately, Shelter Island boasts three hotels that cater to our preferences and are reasonably priced.

On this exceptionally early morning, I awoke just before 4:00 AM and endeavored to dress discreetly, refraining from illuminating the room to avoid disturbing Kathy, who was still asleep. Once dressed, I fumbled in the darkness, searching for my cameras and lenses. Once located, I made my way to the door and exited the room. The darkness persisted outside as I proceeded to the parking lot, passing my car on my way.

Crossing the street, I headed towards the water’s edge. A faint pink hue was already emanating from the eastern sky, a harbinger of an exceptional sunrise that morning. I was determined not to miss this celestial spectacle. At this early hour, the streets were sparsely populated. I observed a few fishermen at the pier, their fishing lines already cast into the water.

Selecting a suitable location, I set up my cameras and prepared to await the arrival of the sunrise. A harbor police car slowly passed by, its driver likely observing my activities. There was no indication of any illegal or nefarious conduct here; I was merely a photography enthusiast attempting to capture a memorable moment.

As time elapsed, the eastern sky intensified in brightness, transitioning into a mesmerizing blend of reddish-orange hues. I commenced capturing images. After a while, convinced that I had captured the desired composition, I moved closer to the pier and captured additional shots from that elevated vantage point. 

Spectacular Sunrise Worth Waiting for - Port of San Diego

Kathy and I spent a weekend in San Diego in late March. We stayed on Shelter Island which is only an island in name. It is actually a man-made peninsula built with material that was dredged up from the San Diego Bay in the 1940's. The dredging was needed to make the natural harbor deeper to accommodate, shelter, and protect big the warships transiting the Pacific during World War II. It is located quite close to Point Loma and the Cabrillo Point Monument. Today, Shelter Island is a world apart from San Diego. It is a quiet, serene place in the center of urban sprawl. There are several resort style hotels and nice unique restaurants nearby. We had stayed on the “island” a few times before and enjoyed it. As is normal for me lately, I went to sleep early every evening and was wide awake 2 hours before sunrise. On the morning after our arrival, freshly showered I walked out onto the balcony of our hotel room at just after 5:00am and saw that the morning light was violet in color and heavy clouds were moving slowly overhead. I had hoped I would be able to photograph a beautiful sunrise from the fishing pier. The chances of doing so didn’t initially look too promising. I took a few shots including the one below from the balcony.

After about an hour and a half, breaks in the clouds started turning very slightly orange so I packed up my cameras and headed downstairs, walking across the street and onto the fishing pier. From this vantage point, I could clearly see the San Diego Bay inlet channel and the US Navy North Island facility across the way. Some of the lights on the base were still on and the San Diego skyline loomed forebodingly under the dark clouds.

12 minutes later the rising sun began pouring light down onto the downtown buildings through a long, narrow tear in the clouds. It was a dramatic sight. The glass walls of the curved roof hangers at the Navy helicopter base were beautifully backlit. This unusual and stunningly beautiful scene only lasted about 3 minutes. I was shooting images the entire time with both of my cameras. So glad I got up early and didn’t miss this sight!