There are a lot of swimming critters in Mission Bay, but I've found they're a little more skittish/cautious than their open-ocean pals. I think it's the constant motor noise/activity in a relatively shallow environment.
There are spotted bass everywhere, halibut around the grass perimeters, bat rays, and an occasional nurse shark. My friend and I even caught some juvenile (about 2') Barracuda under the Northern Ingraham Street bridge. It was the weirdest thing to find a pelagic species hiding under a bridge like a bass. We were throwing plastics and rattle traps.
If you want open ocean, it's about a 30-45 minute peddle out depending on how fast you-are and how much high-speed traffic you need to dodge while passing through the "unlimited speed" zone.
Once you get outside, there are kelp beds to the north and to the south. I would recommend going south.
Good Luck!
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