Second
BoilersSan Clemente Island is one of three Channel Islands that is not under the watchful eye of the National Park Service and the National Marine Sanctuary Act. The U.S. Navy owns the island (along with San Nicolas) and sometimes restricts near shore access. However, for the most part, the rich, offshore waters belong to us divers.
San Clemente is some 18 nautical miles long, and the surrounding waters offer a great many dive sites. At the east end of the island, the kelp beds grow thick in the rich, Pacific waters. On the south side of the eastern end of the island is a huge cove, almost five miles wide. Pyramid Cove is a special place in that it has a great deal of marine life in relatively protected water. Although there are many "named" sites at Pyramid Cove, one anchorage is named "Second Boilers" by Kenny Hess of the Encore.
Second Boilers is the inner of two sets of wash rocks at the east end of Pyramid Cove. (You guessed it the other is called Outer Boilers.) A pair of large wash rocks and fringing reef protect the dive site from swell and creates an aquarium-like setting for divers.
The bottom in the lee of the fringing reef is rocky with ridges, rock piles and mini-pinnacles. If there were no marine life at all, this would be a great place to dive, simply due to the grand topography of the rock structure. In many places the rocks come to within 20 feet of the surface, and a few feet away the bottom may be 30 feet deeper. The rock mass creates a series of winding canyons and ridges to explore. At times there are passageways beneath the ridges that are big enough for divers to swim through. There are also several caves and a massive chimney - divers enter around 50 feet and exit around 30 feet.
Surrounded by all this reef structure, it is easy to pass by all of the site's marine life. One thing that is hard to miss is the thick bed of giant kelp. In summer the kelp bed gets very thick here and divers should allow enough air to swim beneath the kelp on their way back to the boat. The kelp is home to many colorful animals, including the Norris top snail and several species of nudibranch. The nooks-and-crannies of the reef are filled with lobsters. San Clemente Island is often called "the land of shorts" since the vast majority of these bugs are undersized. Yet, they make good photographic subjects.
I've never been particularly impressed with small creatures here, although there are enough for dedicated macro photographers. Look for nudibranchs among the rocks. Berthellas are particularly common here as are dorids. Catalina gobys are also quite common.
What this reef lacks in little critters it more than makes up for with big ones. Look for bat rays and California seal lions cruising through the kelp bed. There are horn sharks and swell sharks that hide among the rocks during the day, and actively feed in the open by night. There are schools of blacksmith and a great many sheephead here as well. And, if they are not big enough for you, check out the black sea bass in the kelp bed.
Location: Second Boilers is located at the east end of Pyramid Cove, San Clemente Island.
Access: Boat only. Commercial dive charter boats often dive here.
Skill
Level: Beginner or better.
Depths: 20 to 50 feet.
Visibility: Good, often 40 feet or better.
Hazards: Thick kelp, swell and surge.
Hunting: Poor spearfishing for sheephead and rockfish; fair hunt for smallish lobsters.
Photography: Fair macro photography for invertebrates; good for fish photography; great wide-angle opportunities for kelp/reef scenes and caves/swim throughs.
Suggested Dive Charter Boats Serving This Area:
Truth/Conception/Vision - (805) 962-1127
Horizon/Ocean Odyssey - (619) 277-7823
King/Prince Neptune - (800) 262-3483
Pacific
Dream - (562) 592-1154
Encore - (310) 541-1025
Great Escape - (714) 828-9157
Sundiver - (800) 555-9446
Peace - (805) 984-2025
Lois Ann - (619) 450-4478
Mr. C - (310) 521-9737
Scuba Cat - (310) 510-0330
DiveQuest - (800) 303-3483
Blue Escape - (619) 223-DIVE
Dive Connection - (888) 420-3047
or see the California Scuba Calendar section of this issue for trips to San Clemente Island.
