Yukon
Wreck
The sinking of the Canadian warship Yukon off San Diego was planned.
Make no mistake about that. But as often goes with men, ships and the
sea, the ship and sea often have other plans. Winds and seas shifted
and the Yukon, in place as planned, began to take on water much
sooner than anticipated. Hidden in the dark of night, without the
planned fanfare, the bow slipped below the waves and she rolled over
onto her port side and sank, hitting bottom 100 feet below.
I suppose because the sinking was now "accidental" this dive site now qualifies as a true "wreck" rather than just an "artificial reef." No matter what you call it, it turned out to be just as fantastic a dive as promised, many say even better.
It was planned for the Yukon to settle on the bottom upright, giving divers a more "realistic" perspective on the decks of the ship. Instead, she lies on her side, everything eschew 70°. Ceilings are now walls, floors are walls. Fish swim upside-down along walls in the confused world of a huge ship turned on its side. The Yukon is exciting and stimulating to explore. Half the fun of diving here is trying to overcome the head games this sideways world presents you. I saw one weightless diver penetrate the wreck and immediately orientate themselves with the ship rather than reality. Tilting my head in observation, everything seemed okay, but the diver's bubbles were going sideways.
As part of the ship's preparation for sinking, huge holes, some large enough to drive a small car through, were cut into its side. This was to allow for easy diver penetration of the ship with light penetration. Diver access is just as good as ever, but the light - WOW! With the openings pointing to the surface, light pours into the interior of the ship.
The bottom depth here is 100 feet, 102 if you find the dents on the bottom. Most divers find they can explore much of the wreck staying shallower than 80 feet. The four mooring buoys are attached to the starboard rail. Amidships, depth at these attachments is just short of 60 feet. There are parts of the ship's super structure, pointing out to sea, that are slightly shallower, but not by much.
The ship is still relatively clean, gleaming what seems like white underwater (it's actually gray). The darkest part of the dive (external portion) is the bow and what was once below the waterline. The sand bottom is dark absorbing much of the light. The bow points almost due north.
The forward guns point slightly to the surface but take a careful look at the barrels - they're fake! Stern gun barrels point to the bottom.
Word has it that the engine room is a fantastic site to explore but I've yet to see it. In two dives I was able to cover only about two-thirds of the 366-long wreck. Don't worry, I will be back. As for the stern section I did not see: there are no real props but rather massive "training props" (allowing former crew members to run the engine at full speed for training exercises). These are supposed to be another "must see." While there may not be any real props, there were reportedly some portholes left in place.
Oddly enough, unplanned position of the ship on the bottom did not leave many "dark alleys" as originally feared. Yukon project coordinators had planned to make the wreck very diver friendly so that diver penetrating the wreck would never be much more that a few fin kicks from an exit. With the ship landing on its side, many of the exit holes were now inaccessible. But with so many holes, over 100, much of the "swiss cheese" effect remained. One divemaster told me that in over a dozen dives, intently looking for dead ends, he was only able to fine one in the bow.
Diving the Yukon can be as easy or as challenging as you want. It's going to be a great training ground for wreck penetration and nitrox diving. For those wanting an easy cruise, a slate with a detailed diagram of the wreck, including numbered entrance and exit points, is available at many San Diego dive stores. On the ship, holes are marked by numbers corresponding to the diagram. In addition, just inside some of the holes are a matching diagram marked with, "You Are Here."
My first couple of dives on the Yukon were everything they were promised to be. But what sticks in my mind most is the first thing I saw landing on the starboard rail - a tiny brittle star. Algae and fish had also already moved in, this a mere 19 days after its sinking! Barred sand bass patrol various parts of the wreck and I spotted a scorpionfish taking up residence inside. The ocean has already begun her great and fantastic work.
Dive
Spot At - A - GlanceLocation: 1.8 miles off Mission Beach, San Diego. GPS N 32°46.811, W 117°16.992 (GPS for reference only, do not use as sole source of navigation).
Access: Boat only. Small boat launch ramps at nearby Mission Bay. Bow and stern marked with yellow-orange buoys (not for mooring). Four white and blue mooring buoys in between. Proceed with caution. Smaller boats south buoys.
Skill Level: All outside of ship in shallower portions, more experienced for deeper and moderate penetration. Special training for deep penetration.
Depths: 60 to 102 feet.
Visibility: Variable due to plankton blooms. 15 to 60 feet with about 25 average.
Photography: Fun wide-angle in the 90° world of a ship turned on its side.
Hunting: Discouraged.
Suggested Dive Charter Boats Serving This Area:
Lois Ann - (619) 450-4478
DiveQuest - (800) 303-3483
Blue Escape - (619) 223-DIVE
Dive Connection, Inc. - (888) 420-3047
or see the California Scuba Calendar section of this issue for trips to Wreck Alley.
Congratulations to the San Diego Oceans Foundations, its staff and all the volunteers that worked in this project to make it a terrific success.
Special thanks to the dive boat Lois Ann for help in creating this article.