Wreck Alley (San Diego)
Off Mission Beach, San Diego · near San Diego (Mission Beach) · San Diego
Scuba & Snorkel
At a glance
- Difficulty
- advanced
- Depth
- 100
- Water temperature
- 58–70°F · 7mm wetsuit
- Best season
- Summer/fall calmest & clearest
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- No permit. Boat-access only — dive charters from Mission Bay / San Diego. An artificial-reef complex of sunk ships (the HMCS Yukon, a Canadian destroyer; the Ruby E cutter; the El Rey; plus a research tower and reef balls) in ~60–100 ft. Advanced due to depth, current, and wreck penetration hazards. Yukon has claimed lives — do NOT penetrate without training.
What is here
- Marine life
- Ships encrusted in anemones · Giant black sea bass on the Yukon · Metridium fields, lingcod, rockfish · Nudibranchs & lobster in the wreckage
- Features
- Sunk warships & artificial reef · The 366-ft HMCS Yukon destroyer · Encrusted, life-covered structures · San Diego's signature wreck diving
Worth knowing
- Certification required
- Yes
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- No
Scuba & Snorkel detail
- Dive type
- scuba
- Entry
- boat
- Viz
- 15–40 ft
- Intl tip
- Boat-only — charter from Mission Bay / San Diego dive operators. Advanced: depth, current, and wreck hazards. Do NOT penetrate the Yukon without wreck-penetration training and gear — it has been fatal. Summer/fall brings the calmest, clearest conditions. Combine with La Jolla for a full San Diego dive weekend. The Yukon is the star; the whole complex is rich.
The guide
Wreck Alley off Mission Beach is San Diego's signature wreck-diving site — a cluster of intentionally sunk ships and structures…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Wreck Alley (San Diego) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 32.783, -117.281