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After a short boat trip, barely enough time to slip into a wetsuit, we approach four buoys floating in a line. The dive boat was loaded with nitrox tanks, extra dive lights, and reels of line to clip on to our BCDs. This wasnt just any ordinary dive, but an adventure into Southern Californias Wreck Alley.
Just off the coast of San Diego, within sight of Mission Beach, lie a number of shipwrecks, downed planes, and carcasses of mans engineering over the ocean. The crown jewel is the Canadian Destroyer, HMCS Yukon, which was sunk as an artificial reef at the turn of the most recent century. Shes not alone, as the bottom of this stretch of cold ocean water is littered with the Ruby E, a popular artificial reef sitting upright at 80 feet, or the P-38 vintage airplane that was ditched by its pilot. The NOSC Tower, the substructure of an old marine research facility, is the perfect introductory dive for the novice wreck diver. All are just minutes off the coast.
This day, we are wrapping up a weekend of wreck diving, including completing the PADI Wreck Diver specialty course, with our last dive on the Yukon. On previous dives we mapped the wreck, noting the entry points carved into the ships hull for easy penetration. We explored the guns at the bow of the ship and observed the white, fluffy metridium anemones clinging to its frame. On our last dive, we practiced laying penetration lines up and down the wreck to prevent getting disoriented and simulated a decompression stop from the hang bottle; the Yukon is a deep dive sitting on its side in 100 feet of water. But this dive is special; we are going into an overhead environment for the first time.
Trips to Wreck Alley are always a treat with Eco Dive Center. This wreck weekend included 2 days of diving with more than 50 feet of visibility! We all stayed together in downtown San Diego and had a group dinner and hit the dueling piano bar in the Gaslamp district for a scuba sing-a-long. We finished our classwork earlier in the week up in L.A., so this trip was about diving and experiencing San Diego above and below the water.
Under the water, the excitement outshone Saturday night by far. The overhead environment was an experience unlike any Id had before. My mind would flash to sailors patrolling the coast aboard this ship just a few decades ago. Today, its a playground for adventure-seeking scuba divers. Because the Yukon was sunk as an artificial reef, it is well-prepared for recreational scuba divers. There are cut-outs throughout the ship allowing in natural light even at the depths of 100 feet. The training of the PADI Wreck Diver course prepared us for the environment and our guide, a PADI Specialty Instructor, helped calm any nerves we mightve had on this new dive.
Eco Dive Center offers the Wreck Weekend Trips -- including 2 days of diving and a nights hotel stay -- and the PADI Wreck Diver specialty course several times a year.
Book your spot today and get started on your next new thrill on scuba!
Day One
12:00 pm show for 1:00 pm departure
Dive #1 Yukon Destroyer Wreck Info
Dive #2 Ruby E Shipwreck Wreck Info
6:00 pm
Motel 6 - San Diego Airport/Harbor #4280
2353 Pacific Highway
San Diego, CA 92101
Phone: (619) 232-8931
Directions To | From
This Motel 6 is minutes from the Historic Gaslamp Quarter, the Harbor, the convention center, Old Town San Diego and less than 5 miles from the San Diego Zoo, Sea World, and downtown. This location features free WIFI, an outdoor pool and coin laundry.
8pm Group Dinner in Gas Lamp District (optional)
Day Two
11:00 pm show for 12:00 pm departure
Dive #1 Yukon Destroyer Wreck Info
Dive #2 NOSC Observation Tower Wreck Info
5:00 pm back at the dock.
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