San Diego · United States · Artificial reef
NOSC Tower
A storm-felled research tower, a maze without a true overhead
Photo: U.S. Navy · Public domain
The NOSC Tower was a weather and laboratory station built in 1959 that stood until a storm knocked it over in January 1988. The fallen structure lies in Wreck Alley at 18–20 m, a maze of fallen structure littered with invertebrates, where lobsters, horn sharks, sheephead and sea bass are seen.
Also known as NOSC Platform.
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 tower lies where it fell, and the dive stays between 18 m and 20 m (60–65 ft) in Wreck Alley. The fallen structure forms a maze that divers can weave in and out of, yet there is no true overhead environment anywhere in it. That makes it a good place to practise the trim, buoyancy and awareness that wreck penetration needs before trying it on a ship.
The structure is littered with invertebrates, which cover most of the surfaces. Lobsters and horn sharks are found in and around it, sheephead patrol the site, and black sea bass and white sea bass are among the larger fish that come through. At this depth the bottom time is longer than on the deeper ships nearby, so there is time to work slowly through the maze.
Background
The NOSC Tower was a weather and laboratory station, built in 1959 off San Diego. It lasted until a storm in January 1988 knocked it over, and the fallen structure has since become one of the artificial-reef dives of Wreck Alley, visited on the same trips as the sunken ships.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| 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
NOSC Tower, San Diego - Dec 2022 · Tom Phillipp on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the NOSC Tower dive?+
The fallen tower lies at 18–20 m (60–65 ft), shallower than the ships of Wreck Alley, and the dive is spent weaving through the structure near the bottom.
Sources
- NOSC Tower | San Diego Dive Site — Marissa Charters
- Wreck Alley — Wikipedia
Photo credits
- Black and white photo of a steel research tower with a crane boom standing in the open sea by U.S. Navy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
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