A diver peers through a hole in the wreck.

Wreck of the SueJac

Thousands of divers visit the Avalon Underwater Park each year, rightfully so. The kelp forest is beautiful, waters clear, reefs colorful, fish friendly, and access is easy. A few steps and you are totally immersed. There are diving services just a few more steps away. You don’t even need to lug heavy gear (rentals available), and a full day of diving is possible. And with the quaint town of Avalon nearby, you can make it an extended stay with hotels, shopping, restaurants and more.

Male sheephead

Unfortunately the underwater park is a relatively small area. Even so, most divers only see a small percentage of the underwater park, even with multiple dives. Many divers fail to explore some of the more distant corners of the park. As far from the stairway entry as you can get is the wreck of the SueJac, a 54-foot ferrocement schooner that crashed on the rocks during a storm and quickly sank in 1980.

The SueJac lies in the outer corner of the park on the east side. The Avalon Underwater Park is marked off on the surface by large spherical buoys with floating lines between. No boats are allowed inside the park, but since the wreck straddles the boundary, small boats or kayaks can dive the wreck from just outside the park boundaries. This also means that those diving the wreck from shore need to use caution, avoiding boat traffic by staying inside the park.

You may find colorful nudibranchs crawling on the wreck.

Finding the wreck depends on the state of repair of the buoys marking the park boundary. If the buoys are fully intact, you will find it almost directly under the outer corner buoy to the east. Recently, however, this buoy was missing. Ask at the air fill van on the point as to the repair status of the buoys. Perhaps an easier and more fun way to find the wreck is to surface, swim most of the way to the east, descend to 75 feet, then continue east and you will run right into it.

The SueJac lies on her starboard side, bow down with the bow in 90 feet and the upper port stern at 65 feet. The bow leads off onto a moderately sloping sand bottom and deeper depths. Approaching the wreck from the west, you will first visit the keel. Under the stern is a tumble of rocks that hold dark spaces that lobster frequent. Moray eels have been seen here from time to time. Up along the port side you will come across the huge hole in the hull that probably sank the sailboat.

Inside the hull the once elegant wood superstructure has long since rotted away. Debris remains on the bottom (inside of the starboard side) in which rockfish, gobies, snails, and nudibranchs reside. The steep horizontal profile of the wreck on its side, along with the holes in the hull, make for good wide- angle photography.

Off the stern is an excellent kelp forest on a steeply sloping rock bottom. Anywhere around the wreck or nearby kelp you are likely to encounter especially friendly fish, just as it is around most of the park. But one fish in particular seems to hang out in the area around the wreck that is worth the trip alone. A long time ago a very friendly and large male sheephead earned the nickname “Oscar” from local divers. While it is unlikely that this is the same fish, a large male sheephead will literally get in your face in the vicinity of the wreck. His actions are very “un-sheephead like.” Most large male sheephead are somewhat wary of divers, keeping their distance. Not this guy. This fish will approach to within inches of your mask, periodically looking down at your hands. Clearly he is looking for a handout of food. If you stick out your fingers and wiggle, he will move in with sharp teeth at the ready, so beware. His antics, along with those of other friendly fish, can keep you entertained for an entire dive.

Water clarity at the site is not as good here as other areas of the park. This is due to the proximity to the entrance of the Avalon Harbor and the fact that the site is down current from the rest of the heavily dived park. Silt drifts down from other divers kicking up the bottom while diving just off the stairs.

The fact that the wreck is down current from the stairs can be problematic in planning a dive. Currents are common but rarely strong in the park, but you will have to break a rule of current diving by starting your dive down current. Also, further down current from the wreck is the entrance to Avalon Harbor. You certainly don’t want to end up there. All of these problems, however, can be easily avoided. In returning to the stairs, rise up the rock slope to the shallower section of the reef where the currents are less and head west to the stairs underwater. Make sure to leave enough air in your tank for an underwater return to the stair area.

Dive Spot At - A - Glance
Location: Avalon Underwater Park at Casino Point on the west side of Avalon Harbor, Catalina Island.
Access and Entry: Easy shore entry down stairs with handrails and a 100- yard swim to the wreck site. Can also be accessed by small boats and kayaks outside the harbor.
Skill Level: Intermediate due to depths.
Depths: 65 to 90 feet.
Visibility: Very good, but generally not as good as the rest of the park.
Photography: Excellent wide angle with big holes in the wreck and kelp vistas nearby. Fish photography excellent. Macro good but best on the rocks and reefs.
Hunting: None—prohibited in park.
Restrictions: Take and disturb nothing in park.
Hazards: Boat traffic outside of park boundaries.
Facilities: Lockers and restrooms at Casino. Van offers air fills, full rentals and repairs, snacks and drinks. Accepts credit cards. 310-510-0330. Public showers (fee) about half way to town on Casino Way.

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Dale Sheckler is Editor and Publisher of California Diving News and co-author of the book A Diver's Guide to Southern California's Best Beach Dives, 3rd Edition.