San Diego · United States · Artificial reef
Ingraham Street Bridge
A demolished city bridge turned into reef, with eels and octopus
The old Ingraham Street Bridge across Mission Bay was demolished and its pieces sunk in Wreck Alley as an artificial reef. The cement pillars, railings and rubble lie at 17–20 m, covered in gorgonians, and hold eels, octopus and black and white seabass among the reef fish, a shallower stop beside the ships.
Also known as Ingraham Street Bridges.
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
The sections of the former Ingraham Street Bridge lie on the bottom of Wreck Alley between 17 m and 20 m (55–65 ft). The bridge was demolished and sunk here as an artificial reef, and the field of rubble spans the length of Mission Beach, so the dive is a slow tour of broken structure rather than a single hull, working from one piece of the old bridge to the next.
The cement pillars and railings are covered in gorgonians, and the gaps in the structure are where the life is. Eels and octopus are seen here often, and black and white seabass hang around the sections along with reef fish. At this depth there is more bottom time than on the deeper ships nearby, which leaves room to check the holes closely before heading back to the line.
Marine life and season
- Octopus & cuttlefish
| 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
Ingraham Street Bridge Dive · San Diego Life on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Ingraham Street Bridge dive?+
The sunken bridge sections lie at 17–20 m (55–65 ft) in Wreck Alley off San Diego, shallower than the ships around them.
Sources
- Ingraham Street Bridge | San Diego Dive Site — Marissa Charters
- Wreck Alley — Wikipedia
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