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Wreck Alley and the HMCS Yukon: San Diego's wreck dives, explained

5 min read Checked October 20, 2026 Report a correction

Wreck Alley is a cluster of deliberately sunk ships about 2 miles off Mission Beach, reached only by boat. The star is the 366-foot Canadian destroyer HMCS Yukon, sunk in 2000 and lying on its side in about 100 feet of water.

HMCS Yukon
366 ft long

Sunk July 14, 2000

Yukon depth
55–100 ft

Top to sand

Easier wreck
Ruby E

Upright, deck at about 65 ft

Access
Boat only

About 2 mi off Mission Beach

The short version

  • HMCS Yukon, a 366-foot Canadian destroyer escort, was sunk on July 14, 2000; it flooded early and landed on its port side.
  • The Yukon's top sits at about 55 feet and the sand at about 100 feet, so it's an advanced dive.
  • The Ruby E (sunk 1989) sits upright in about 85 feet with its deck at 65 feet, the friendlier wreck for newer divers.
  • Wreck Alley is about 2 miles west of Belmont Park; charters leave from Mission Bay, including Waterhorse and Marissa.
  • Bring a light: a May 2026 report put water at depth near 51°F and dark under the marine layer.

Off Mission Beach, in sand about 2 miles west of the Giant Dipper, sits a small fleet of ships that were sunk on purpose to make artificial reefs. Divers call it Wreck Alley. It's boat access only, and the wrecks range from an upright Coast Guard cutter a newer diver can enjoy to a 366-foot destroyer on its side that rewards real experience.

The wrecks

WreckSunkDepthWho it suits
HMCS Yukon (destroyer escort, 366 ft)July 14, 2000Top about 55 ft, sand about 100 ftAdvanced; nitrox and a light help
Ruby E (Coast Guard cutter, 165 ft)June 18, 1989Deck about 65 ft, sand about 85 ftAdvanced Open Water level
El Rey (kelp harvester, 100 ft)April 2, 1987Deck about 75 ft, sand about 85 ftAdvanced Open Water level
NOSC/NEL tower wreckageDestroyed in the January 1988 stormAbout 55 ftMostly lobster hunters

Dates and depths from Divebums' Wreck Alley guide and the Times of San Diego (May 7, 2026). Depths vary with tide and source.

Where the wrecks are
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Leaflet © OpenStreetMap contributors

Wrecks

Departures

Wreck positions converted from Divebums' published GPS; approximate, not for navigation. Harbor pins from OpenStreetMap.

See these on the full San Diego map

The Yukon, and why it's on its side

The Yukon was a Canadian destroyer escort built in 1959, 366 feet long with a 42-foot beam. It was prepared as an artificial reef, but the ship flooded in rough weather the night before its planned scuttling and sank on July 14, 2000, landing on its port side. Divebums puts the top (the starboard rail) at about 55 feet and the sand at about 100. The San Diego Tourism Authority classes it as an advanced dive.

Ruby E and El Rey: the friendlier wrecks

The 165-foot Ruby E, a former Coast Guard cutter sunk in 1989, sits upright in about 85 feet with its deck around 65 feet and is coated in strawberry anemones. The El Rey, a 100-foot kelp harvester sunk in 1987, sits nearby in about 85 feet and has a resident electric ray. Both are typical first wreck dives for divers with an Advanced Open Water card.

Getting there

There is no shore access. Local charters run from Mission Bay: the Times of San Diego named Waterhorse Charters (boat Humboldt, from Quivira Road) and Marissa Charters as active operators in 2026, and House of Scuba lists guided Yukon and Ruby E boat dives from $149 for certified divers. Charter prices change; check the operator's site before booking.

Want something from the beach instead? See San Diego's best shore dives.

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