Wreck Alley Dive Charter, San Diego

The trip

Two dives on San Diego's Wreck Alley, about two miles off Mission Beach. Most trips run the Yukon and the Ruby E, some run the Yukon and the El Rey, and the listing names the sites before you book. The crew makes the final call on the water.

The Yukon is a 366 foot Canadian Mackenzie-class destroyer, sunk in July 2000 and lying on her port side. She sits in about 102 feet of water and her shallowest point, the exposed starboard side, is around 56 feet. The Ruby E is a former Coast Guard cutter, shallower and sitting upright.

The full history of the wreck, from the Royal Canadian Navy to the reef she is today, is on the HMCS Yukon page. The Ruby E and El Rey have pages of their own.

What you need

The Yukon is an advanced dive. Current Advanced Open Water certification or the equivalent, and we recommend 15 to 20 logged cold water dives before you dive her. Why, and what to dive if you are not there yet.

Haven't dived cold water or low visibility off a California boat in a while, tell us before you book and we'll talk it through. Several Wreck Alley and kelp sites are Open Water friendly, the Ruby E included, so there's usually a way to get you in the water at the right level.

Penetration is a different conversation. She was prepped with big cutouts before she went down, but she lies on her side, so vertical passages run horizontal and the inside turns people around. 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.

Not sure a trip fits your card, text Capt Lora at (619) 757-3280 before you book.

Buddies and solo divers

Solo certified, dive solo. That call is yours.

Everyone else dives the buddy system and we do our best to pair people up before we're on the water. We won't force a pairing. Putting a diver with a buddy they're uneasy about is how accidents happen.

Booking on your own, tell us when you book and we'll sort the pairing out ahead of time instead of on the swim step.

What the ticket covers

• Transit to and from the sites
• Core crew, a Master Captain and a Dive Master
• AL80 tanks in DIN or yoke, and air fills
• Hard and soft weights with belts
• Your own dry bin and wet bin
• Enclosed head with an electric toilet and hot shower
• Snacks and goody bags, with vegan, vegetarian and gluten free options
• Water, hot cocoa, coffee, tea and warm packs
• A Marissa swag bag

Per seat, taxes and fees included. Pay in full, or use Affirm or Klarna at checkout.

What it doesn't cover

• Nitrox fills. $16 single, $28 doubles, for nitrox certified divers
• Rental gear. Through House of Scuba, roughly $57 to $89, plus $20 for pickup and drop off
• An in-water guide. Per USCG order our Dive Master stays aboard. We'll connect you with a trusted independent guide if you want one
• Crew tips. Customary 15 to 20%. Card, cash, Venmo, PayPal, Cash App or Zelle
• Certification for the profile and gear you dive that day

Nitrox on the Yukon

The Yukon is a repetitive deep dive, which is where nitrox earns its keep.

We blend onboard at 22 to 40% and we're the only San Diego dive boat that blends on the water, so there's no fill run between trips and no drive to a shop the night before. $16 for a single, $28 for doubles.

Nitrox extends your no-decompression limit. It does not change your depth limit. You still plan the dive, watch your MOD and dive the plan. Is nitrox worth it on the Yukon? goes through when it pays and when it does not.

Where and when

Mission Bay Sports Center, 1010 Santa Clara Place, San Diego, CA 92109. Parking is free.

Boarding is 8:00 am, and boarding is not departure.

We don't publish a departure time, on purpose. We leave once everyone is aboard, most kit is assembled and the briefings are done, because a rushed diver makes preventable mistakes and we'd rather you had room to gear up at your own pace.

Which is why boarding time matters. Come at 8:00 and nobody is hurried. Come late and the whole boat is waiting on you.

Conditions and kit

Water runs 50 to 52°F. Bring a 7mm with hood, gloves and boots, or a drysuit if you're trained in one. Choosing between the two is answered at Drysuit or 7 mm wetsuit for diving San Diego? Visibility on the Yukon swings from excellent to almost nothing and changes week to week.

Bring your regulator, BCD, computer, fins, mask and your card. A primary light is worth carrying even with no penetration planned, because the Metridium anemones on the hull only show their colour under light. A DSMB and spool, a cutting tool for fishing line and a compass all earn their place on this site.

Any history of seasickness, take your medication the night before and again about two hours out. Dramamine or Bonine both work, and ginger helps.

If the weather turns

We run every trip we safely can. The Captain works from the NOAA forecast and a few local microclimate models, and usually makes the call 12 to 24 hours out by email, so check your inbox the night before. If we cancel for weather or sea state, you get a full refund or a free reschedule.

Coming in from out of town, email Capt Lora three to five days ahead and we'll flag anything early.

Why ten divers

The Coast Guard rates the Marissa for 24 and we run 10.

Ten is the number where your gear gets its own dry bin and its own wet bin, the swim step isn't a queue, and the crew knows your name. On a wreck like the Yukon, where the descent line matters and the structure turns people around, fewer divers in the water at once is a safety decision before it's a comfort one.

We've been running this boat since 2009. Lora since 2009, Chris since 2015, Rod since 2018, and Robin Jacoway running tech since 2009.