| At the southern-most tip of the USA is | | | | has years to go before it can compete with |
| beautiful San Diego, California -- my home | | | | its older companions as a showpiece of |
| town and a playground for every water sport | | | | densely populated cover.The Ruby E, a |
| from skiing, sailing and surfing to fishing, | | | | 170-foot Coast Guard cutter resting in about |
| snorkeling and scuba diving.As a scuba diver | | | | 70 feet of water, was covered bow to stern |
| you'll find an exciting variety of marine | | | | with brilliantly colored Corynactis |
| life in Wreck Alley, in various kelp forests | | | | Californica anemones only a few years ago. |
| and in La Jolla's massive underwater park.The | | | | But being one of the most beautiful sights |
| park combines La Jolla Submarine Canyon and | | | | for scuba divers' eyes brought so much scuba |
| Scripps Canyon, an underwater treasure of | | | | diving traffic that some of the life has |
| marine life including some of the more | | | | disappeared. Yet you can still drift through |
| bizarre creatures among us.The valley of this | | | | the wheelhouse and be absolutely dazzled by |
| huge canyon system is about 1600 feet down. | | | | thick growths in a stunning array of colors. |
| Its steep walls rise into two branches just | | | | Be sure to bring a light.Then there's the |
| made for convenient scuba diving access from | | | | kelp cutter Del Rey and several smaller |
| the beach at either the La Jolla Cove or La | | | | wrecks, all with much more growth than the |
| Jolla Shores.At the La Jolla Shores side you | | | | others because of lighter scuba diving |
| can start at the foot of Valicitos Street and | | | | traffic.Now if you want to feel like you're |
| swim to the buoys that mark the canyon's | | | | on an underwater highway, be sure to visit |
| upper reaches. Better be pretty skilled at | | | | the Ingraham Street Bridge at about 60 feet |
| swimming in surf. Otherwise, take a scuba | | | | down. It was demolished and dumped here in |
| diving charter boat out of Mission Bay.By the | | | | the '50s or '60s to make way for a new bridge |
| time you've descended to about 30 feet you'll | | | | in Mission Bay Aquatic Park. Now with some 50 |
| be at the Scripps Canyon rim and its | | | | years of cover it has become more like a |
| precipitous, narrow walls that plunge ever | | | | natural reef with abundant growths of kelp, |
| deeper toward the abyss. Be very careful here | | | | fans and algae, great colonies of filter |
| because the dropoff is nearly vertical at | | | | feeders and all the marine life that comes to |
| some points, often involving overhanging | | | | nibble.Finally, there's NOSC Tower, thanks to |
| walls.Visibility is good but variable due to | | | | a 20-foot wave that dealt a fatal blow in the |
| upwellings and occasional strong currents. | | | | dark of one 1988 winter night. For three |
| Winter water temperature is in the 50s; | | | | decades the NOSC Tower had served as a |
| summer water gets up to the high 60s and | | | | research platform off Mission Beach for the |
| sometimes low 70s.Scuba divers and scientists | | | | Naval Electronics Lab and the Naval Ocean |
| alike have made the La Jolla and Scripps | | | | Systems Center. Now it's a twisted mass of |
| Canyons one of the most-studied undersea | | | | steel covered with anemones, mussels and star |
| environments in the world. You can see the | | | | for fabulous scuba diving in a world of |
| prestigious Scripps Institution of | | | | stunning color. Bring a light for the show |
| Oceanography and pier from any point along | | | | and a sharp knife for the fishing line and |
| the La Jolla coastline. La Jolla Canyon's fan | | | | rope that you're likely to find.Bring your |
| valley was the site of the world's first deep | | | | camera too, of course, for a great |
| oceanic drillings, where core samples were | | | | photography dive. Visibility averages 15-25 |
| retrieved from thousands of feet below the | | | | feet and by the way, hunting is not wanted |
| sea floor in 1961.15 minutes south of La | | | | here.You can reach this great scuba location |
| Jolla is Wreck Alley, about a mile off | | | | on such Mission Bay charter boats as Blue |
| Mission Beach. Here you can explore | | | | Escape (619-223-3483), Dive Connection |
| artificial reefs created by eight sunken | | | | (619-523-9282) and DiveQuest |
| ships and a couple of unlikely structures | | | | (800-303-3483).Copyright MBPCO 2006 and |
| that got there by both accident and | | | | Beyond. Elizabeth Miller is a professional |
| intent.The latest addition is the 366-foot | | | | freelance copywriter for Miller Direct, and a |
| Canadian destroyer Yukon, which was | | | | general partner in Miller Bridges Partners. |
| intentionally sunk here in about 100 feet of | | | | Here's where you'll see more about scuba |
| water during the year 2000. The Yukon still | | | | diving. |