San Diego Sights for Scuba Divers' Eyes

At the southern-most tip of the USA is beautiful Sancompanions as a showpiece of densely populated
Diego, California -- my home town and a playgroundcover.The Ruby E, a 170-foot Coast Guard cutter
for every water sport from skiing, sailing and surfingresting in about 70 feet of water, was covered bow
to fishing, snorkeling and scuba diving.As a scubato stern with brilliantly colored Corynactis Californica
diver you'll find an exciting variety of marine life inanemones only a few years ago. But being one of
Wreck Alley, in various kelp forests and in La Jolla'sthe most beautiful sights for scuba divers' eyes
massive underwater park.The park combines La Jollabrought so much scuba diving traffic that some of
Submarine Canyon and Scripps Canyon, anthe life has disappeared. Yet you can still drift through
underwater treasure of marine life including some ofthe wheelhouse and be absolutely dazzled by thick
the more bizarre creatures among us.The valley ofgrowths in a stunning array of colors. Be sure to bring
this huge canyon system is about 1600 feet down.a light.Then there's the kelp cutter Del Rey and
Its steep walls rise into two branches just made forseveral smaller wrecks, all with much more growth
convenient scuba diving access from the beach atthan the others because of lighter scuba diving
either the La Jolla Cove or La Jolla Shores.At the Latraffic.Now if you want to feel like you're on an
Jolla Shores side you can start at the foot ofunderwater highway, be sure to visit the Ingraham
Valicitos Street and swim to the buoys that markStreet Bridge at about 60 feet down. It was
the canyon's upper reaches. Better be pretty skilleddemolished and dumped here in the '50s or '60s to
at swimming in surf. Otherwise, take a scuba divingmake way for a new bridge in Mission Bay Aquatic
charter boat out of Mission Bay.By the time you'vePark. Now with some 50 years of cover it has
descended to about 30 feet you'll be at the Scrippsbecome more like a natural reef with abundant
Canyon rim and its precipitous, narrow walls thatgrowths of kelp, fans and algae, great colonies of
plunge ever deeper toward the abyss. Be veryfilter feeders and all the marine life that comes to
careful here because the dropoff is nearly vertical atnibble.Finally, there's NOSC Tower, thanks to a
some points, often involving overhanging walls.Visibility20-foot wave that dealt a fatal blow in the dark of
is good but variable due to upwellings and occasionalone 1988 winter night. For three decades the NOSC
strong currents. Winter water temperature is in theTower had served as a research platform off Mission
50s; summer water gets up to the high 60s andBeach for the Naval Electronics Lab and the Naval
sometimes low 70s.Scuba divers and scientists alikeOcean Systems Center. Now it's a twisted mass of
have made the La Jolla and Scripps Canyons one ofsteel covered with anemones, mussels and star for
the most-studied undersea environments in the world.fabulous scuba diving in a world of stunning color.
You can see the prestigious Scripps Institution ofBring a light for the show and a sharp knife for the
Oceanography and pier from any point along the Lafishing line and rope that you're likely to find.Bring
Jolla coastline. La Jolla Canyon's fan valley was theyour camera too, of course, for a great photography
site of the world's first deep oceanic drillings, wheredive. Visibility averages 15-25 feet and by the way,
core samples were retrieved from thousands of feethunting is not wanted here.You can reach this great
below the sea floor in 1961.15 minutes south of Lascuba location on such Mission Bay charter boats as
Jolla is Wreck Alley, about a mile off Mission Beach.Blue Escape (619-223-3483), Dive Connection
Here you can explore artificial reefs created by eight(619-523-9282) and DiveQuest
sunken ships and a couple of unlikely structures that(800-303-3483).Copyright MBPCO 2006 and Beyond.
got there by both accident and intent.The latestElizabeth Miller is a professional freelance copywriter
addition is the 366-foot Canadian destroyer Yukon,for Miller Direct, and a general partner in Miller Bridges
which was intentionally sunk here in about 100 feetPartners. Here's where you'll see more about scuba
of water during the year 2000. The Yukon still hasdiving.
years to go before it can compete with its older