Kelp Forests & Wreck Alley: Your San Diego Dive Guide

Ben Lair   Aug 22, 2025

Exploring the Kelp Forests and Wrecks of San Diego

When you think of a forest, you imagine towering trees, dappled sunlight, and hidden creatures. Now, picture that entire experience underwater. This is the magic of diving in San Diego’s giant kelp forests. It’s a surreal, three-dimensional world where you can glide weightlessly between "trees" that stretch from the seafloor to the sunlit surface, moving with the gentle rhythm of the ocean.

For our 72 Aquatics family, San Diego is the perfect, accessible ocean playground. It offers a dramatic change of scenery from our warm-water travels and a chance to experience one of the planet's most productive and beautiful ecosystems. Combined with a collection of world-class shipwrecks, it’s a destination that every diver should experience.

Soaring Through an Underwater Forest

The kelp forests of Point Loma and La Jolla are the crown jewels of San Diego diving. Giant kelp, a type of algae, can grow up to two feet a day, creating dense, towering canopies. As you descend, the feeling is truly like entering an enchanted forest. Sunbeams pierce through the canopy, creating ethereal shafts of light that dance in the water.

This incredible habitat is a bustling city of marine life. Look for the bright orange Garibaldi, California's state marine fish, flitting between the kelp stalks. Playful and curious California sea lions often zip through the forest, stopping to investigate divers. In the rocky reefs below, you can find horn sharks, moray eels, and vibrant nudibranchs. The kelp itself provides shelter for hundreds of species, from tiny invertebrates to the majestic and endangered Giant Sea Bass.

Wreck Alley: Where Giants Rest

Just a few miles off the coast of Mission Beach lies "Wreck Alley," a collection of vessels intentionally sunk to create artificial reefs. This is a playground for advanced divers, offering a chance to explore history and witness how nature reclaims man-made structures. The two most famous residents are the HMCS Yukon and the Ruby E.

HMCS Yukon: The Canadian Colossus

The undisputed king of Wreck Alley is the HMCS Yukon, a 366-foot Canadian Mackenzie-class destroyer. Sunk in 2000, this massive vessel now rests on its port side in about 100 feet of water. Its sheer size is awe-inspiring. You can spend an entire dive just exploring its massive gun turrets, the bridge, and the sprawling superstructure.

Because the Yukon was prepared for divers with numerous access holes, it offers many opportunities for exploration. The hull is now draped in a thick blanket of white Metridium anemones, making it a ghostly and beautiful sight. This is a deep, square-profile dive that requires good buoyancy and awareness, but it is one of the most rewarding wreck dives in North America.

Ruby E: The Colorful Coast Guard Cutter

Lying not far from the Yukon is the Ruby E, a 166-foot Coast Guard cutter with a storied past. Built in 1934, she served her country, was later used for commercial fishing, and was even confiscated as a drug-running vessel before being sunk in 1989. She now sits perfectly upright in about 85 feet of water.

The Ruby E is a fantastic counterpoint to the Yukon. Being shallower and smaller, she is often dived as the second tank of the day. The wreck is completely encrusted with life. Colorful anemones, nudibranchs, and shellfish cover every surface. The wheelhouse and open cargo holds are home to schools of blacksmith and perch, rockfish, and reclusive crabs. It’s a phenomenal site for photography and a thoroughly enjoyable exploration of a vessel with a rich history.

 

Planning Your San Diego Dive Trip

Diving in San Diego is a cool-water experience. Water temperatures range from the low 50s (∘F) in winter to the high 60s, maybe low 70s, in late summer and fall. A 7mm wetsuit with a hood and gloves, or a drysuit, is essential for comfort and warmth.

Because the best sites are offshore, diving with a professional charter boat is the way to go. 72 Aquatics frequently runs weekend trips to San Diego, handling all the logistics of booking the boat and guiding the dives. It’s the easiest and most enjoyable way to experience this incredible destination with your local dive community.

Ready to trade desert landscapes for underwater forests? Keep an eye on our travel calendar for the next San Diego trip, or stop by the shop to chat about what it takes to get certified for these amazing advanced dives. The coast is calling!