Do you need Advanced Open Water to dive the HMCS Yukon?

Why the Yukon is an advanced dive

Three things stack up on this wreck, and any one of them alone would be manageable.

The first is depth. The Yukon lies on her port side in about 102 feet of water. Her exposed starboard rail and bridge are the shallow part at 56 to 60 feet depending on tide, and the decks most divers swim sit around 65 to 75 feet. Open Water training stops at 60 feet. Almost nothing on this ship is above that line.

The second is cold. Water at depth runs about 50 to 52°F for most of the year and colder in late winter. That means a 7 mm suit with hood, gloves and boots or a drysuit, thick gloves that dull your hands, and buoyancy that behaves differently from anything you learned in warm water.

The third is the ship herself. She was prepared to sink upright and went down on her side, so passages that were designed to be swum horizontally now run up and down, and 116 numbered openings lead into a hull that turns people around. You do not have to go inside to be affected by it. Even outside, the structure is large enough that the Foundation's own mapper estimated 30 dives to see it all, and orientation on a low-visibility day is real work.

What "or the equivalent" means

Advanced Open Water is the PADI name. The equivalent from another agency is fine, provided it certifies you to dive past 60 feet and the card is current. Bring the card. The crew checks it at boarding, and a trip listing that says Advanced means Advanced.

Why we ask for 15 to 20 cold-water dives

A card says you were trained to a depth. A logbook says you have been diving. Fifteen to 20 dives in cold water is the point at which the suit, the gloves, the weighting and the visibility have stopped being a surprise, which frees your attention for the wreck. It does not have to be San Diego. Cold water anywhere counts.

If you have not dived cold water or low visibility off a California boat in a while, tell us before you book. That is not a disqualification. It is how we decide together whether the Yukon is the right first dive back or whether a kelp day should come first.

Not there yet? You have options

The Ruby E, a former Coast Guard cutter sitting upright in 65 to 85 feet about half a mile from the Yukon, is on many of the same Wreck Alley trips and is friendlier to a newer diver. Several Point Loma kelp sites are Open Water friendly, New Hope Rock at 20 to 30 feet, Donut Hole at 25 to 35 and Treefish Terrace at 55 to 75 among them. The trip listing states the certification requirement before you book, so you can pick a day that fits your card rather than hoping.

Going inside is a separate question

Penetration is not part of an Advanced Open Water card. She lies on her side, some openings drop 30 feet, eight planned openings were never cut, and the boiler room is sealed. Go inside only with wreck or overhead training, the right kit and a planned continuous guideline. An opening you can see is not permission to swim through it. There is a full ship to see from the outside.

Nitrox helps, and needs its own card

The Yukon is a repetitive deep dive, which is where nitrox earns its keep. We blend it onboard at 22 to 40 percent for nitrox-certified divers. If you hold that card too, it is worth using here.

How to book it

Wreck Alley trips board at 8:00 am at Mission Bay Sports Center, 1010 Santa Clara Place, San Diego. The Wreck Alley trip page has the price, what the ticket covers and the weather policy. Not sure a trip fits your card, text Capt Lora at (619) 757-3280 before you book.