San Diego · United States · Wreck
El Rey
A collapsed wooden kelp harvester grown over with strawberry anemones
El Rey was a Kelco kelp cutter, 30 metres long (100 feet), that cropped the top of the kelp canopy from Point Conception to Mexico. A U.S. Navy demolition team sank her off San Diego in 1987. Her wooden hull and superstructure have since collapsed, and the remains at 23–26 m carry anemones, gorgonians and nudibranchs.
Where it is and how deep
32.7667° N, 117.2867° WApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
El Rey came to rest upright on the bottom of Wreck Alley in 1987, but her wooden hull and superstructure have collapsed over the decades, so the dive is a tour of a broken-down working boat rather than an intact ship. She was 30 metres long and 10 metres wide (100 by 32 feet), and the dive stays between 23 m and 26 m (75–85 ft) the whole way.
The life is the reason to stay close to the remains, which now host dense marine growth. Strawberry anemones and metridiums grow on the structure along with gorgonians, and sea stars and nudibranchs work across the surfaces, with reef fish around the wreck. The whole dive is spent below 23 m, so no-stop time is short and the ascent is planned from the start.
The wreck
- Vessel
- El Rey
- Type
- Wooden-hulled kelp harvester
- Length
- 30 m (98 ft)
- Sunk
- 1987
- Cause
- Sunk with explosives by a U.S. Navy demolition team as an artificial reef
- Lies
- Came to rest upright at 23–26 m; the wooden hull has since collapsed
El Rey worked for Kelco as a kelp cutter, harvesting the top three feet of the kelp canopy along the coast from Point Conception to Mexico. On 2 April 1987 she was towed off San Diego, where a U.S. Navy demolition team used explosives to sink her. She came to rest upright on the bottom of Wreck Alley, and her wooden hull and superstructure have collapsed in the decades since.
Marine life and season
- Nudibranchs
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good |
Season follows San Diego: Visibility is best from late summer into autumn and poorest from late winter through spring; lobster season runs October to March.
Dive videos
Diving the El Rey Wreck San Diego California · Dave Smith on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the El Rey wreck in San Diego?+
El Rey is dived at 23–26 m (75–85 ft). Her wooden hull and superstructure have collapsed, so the dive is spent over the remains rather than along an intact deck.
Sources
- El Rey | San Diego Dive Site — Marissa Charters
- Wreck Alley — Wikipedia
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