La Jolla Shores wave height - Sat forecast
 

Looking at weather reports for a Sat 29th launch from LJ Shores. Supposed to be sunny before the rain on Sunday comes in. Wave heights are forecasted for 4' in LJ.

What is too big to get a paddle kayak through the surf?
I'd say under waist high to play it safe.
I know this may be a tough question to answer based on many factors, ie. kayaker strength, length between waves, rolling waves or dumping waves, etc....but just looking for a general gauge. I surf so I am familiar with breaking waves and general wave knowledge.

From noaa.gov:

• Saturday Mostly sunny, with a high near 59.
• Saturday Night A 30 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 43

From wetsand.com (surf forecast now changed to http://forecasts.surfingmagazine.com..._none_Sat_-1):

• Saturday the 29th should start out at chest high at most west facing breaks, then bigger by evening.

Anyone heading out to one of the bays instead? I am looking to get out and got a pass.

The bummer isn't so much the surf right now, it's the tides. Unless you are heading out at 3 am you are going to have to deal with a high tide and the sloppy,choppy surf that goes along with it. Check the cam right now - it sucks for those of us that pedal because it takes so damn long to get into deep enough water.
For the LJ launch, you are most concerned with the swell direction, not the height. The launch is protected from all but a north or north west swell.