| At the southern-most tip of the USA is
| |
| | Canadian destroyer Yukon, which was
|
| beautiful San Diego, California -- my
| |
| | intentionally sunk here in about 100 feet
|
| home town and a playground for every
| |
| | of water during the year 2000. The Yukon
|
| water sport from skiing, sailing and
| |
| | still has years to go before it can
|
| surfing to fishing, snorkeling and scuba
| |
| | compete with its older companions as a
|
| diving.
| |
| | showpiece of densely populated cover.
|
| As a scuba diver you'll find an exciting
| |
| | The Ruby E, a 170-foot Coast Guard cutter
|
| variety of marine life in Wreck Alley, in
| |
| | resting in about 70 feet of water, was
|
| various kelp forests and in La Jolla's
| |
| | covered bow to stern with brilliantly
|
| massive underwater park.
| |
| | colored Corynactis Californica anemones
|
| The park combines La Jolla Submarine
| |
| | only a few years ago. But being one of
|
| Canyon and Scripps Canyon, an underwater
| |
| | the most beautiful sights for scuba
|
| treasure of marine life including some of
| |
| | divers' eyes brought so much scuba diving
|
| the more bizarre creatures among us.
| |
| | traffic that some of the life has
|
| The valley of this huge canyon system is
| |
| | disappeared. Yet you can still drift
|
| about 1600 feet down. Its steep walls
| |
| | through the wheelhouse and be absolutely
|
| rise into two branches just made for
| |
| | dazzled by thick growths in a stunning
|
| convenient scuba diving access from the
| |
| | array of colors. Be sure to bring a
|
| beach at either the La Jolla Cove or La
| |
| | light.
|
| Jolla Shores.
| |
| | Then there's the kelp cutter Del Rey and
|
| At the La Jolla Shores side you can start
| |
| | several smaller wrecks, all with much
|
| at the foot of Valicitos Street and swim
| |
| | more growth than the others because of
|
| to the buoys that mark the canyon's upper
| |
| | lighter scuba diving traffic.
|
| reaches. Better be pretty skilled at
| |
| | Now if you want to feel like you're on an
|
| swimming in surf. Otherwise, take a scuba
| |
| | underwater highway, be sure to visit the
|
| diving charter boat out of Mission Bay.
| |
| | Ingraham Street Bridge at about 60 feet
|
| By the time you've descended to about 30
| |
| | down. It was demolished and dumped here
|
| feet you'll be at the Scripps Canyon rim
| |
| | in the '50s or '60s to make way for a new
|
| and its precipitous, narrow walls that
| |
| | bridge in Mission Bay Aquatic Park. Now
|
| plunge ever deeper toward the abyss. Be
| |
| | with some 50 years of cover it has become
|
| very careful here because the dropoff is
| |
| | more like a natural reef with abundant
|
| nearly vertical at some points, often
| |
| | growths of kelp, fans and algae, great
|
| involving overhanging walls.
| |
| | colonies of filter feeders and all the
|
| Visibility is good but variable due to
| |
| | marine life that comes to nibble.
|
| upwellings and occasional strong
| |
| | Finally, there's NOSC Tower, thanks to a
|
| currents. Winter water temperature is in
| |
| | 20-foot wave that dealt a fatal blow in
|
| the 50s; summer water gets up to the high
| |
| | the dark of one 1988 winter night. For
|
| 60s and sometimes low 70s.
| |
| | three decades the NOSC Tower had served
|
| Scuba divers and scientists alike have
| |
| | as a research platform off Mission Beach
|
| made the La Jolla and Scripps Canyons one
| |
| | for the Naval Electronics Lab and the
|
| of the most-studied undersea environments
| |
| | Naval Ocean Systems Center. Now it's a
|
| in the world. You can see the prestigious
| |
| | twisted mass of steel covered with
|
| Scripps Institution of Oceanography and
| |
| | anemones, mussels and star for fabulous
|
| pier from any point along the La Jolla
| |
| | scuba diving in a world of stunning
|
| coastline. La Jolla Canyon's fan valley
| |
| | color. Bring a light for the show and a
|
| was the site of the world's first deep
| |
| | sharp knife for the fishing line and rope
|
| oceanic drillings, where core samples
| |
| | that you're likely to find.
|
| were retrieved from thousands of feet
| |
| | Bring your camera too, of course, for a
|
| below the sea floor in 1961.
| |
| | great photography dive. Visibility
|
| 15 minutes south of La Jolla is Wreck
| |
| | averages 15-25 feet and by the way,
|
| Alley, about a mile off Mission Beach.
| |
| | hunting is not wanted here.
|
| Here you can explore artificial reefs
| |
| | You can reach this great scuba location
|
| created by eight sunken ships and a
| |
| | on such Mission Bay charter boats as Blue
|
| couple of unlikely structures that got
| |
| | Escape (619-223-3483), Dive Connection
|
| there by both accident and intent.
| |
| | (619-523-9282) and DiveQuest
|
| The latest addition is the 366-foot
| |
| | (800-303-3483).
|