# Marissa Charters

> Marissa Charters is a USCG-inspected scuba diving charter in San Diego, running the HMCS Yukon, Wreck Alley, Point Loma kelp forests and the Coronado Islands on a custom 40-foot Delta capped at ten divers. Owner-operated by Captain Lora since 2009, and the only San Diego dive boat that blends nitrox onboard.

Boarding: Mission Bay Sports Center, 1010 Santa Clara Place, San Diego, CA 92109. Local trips board at 8:00 am, the Coronado Islands at 7:30 am. Boarding time is not departure time.
Contact: Captain Lora, (619) 757-3280, CaptLora@MarissaCharters.com.
Reviews: 5.0 from 310 Google reviews.
Prices: per seat, all taxes and fees included, on every trip card. Nitrox $16 single, $28 doubles. Rental gear through House of Scuba.

## Trip types

- [3-Tank Wreck Alley](https://marissacharters.com/trip-types/3-tank-wreck-alley): $229 per diver. Full-day 3-tank trip covering multiple Wreck Alley sites off Mission Beach.
- [Coronado Islands](https://marissacharters.com/trip-types/coronado-islands): $375 per diver. Full-day 3-tank trip to the Coronado Islands (Mexico) — typically 8–10 hours depending on conditions and border crossing.
- [La Jolla Kelp/Reef](https://marissacharters.com/trip-types/la-jolla-kelp-reef): $209 per diver. 2-tank kelp/reef diving in the La Jolla area — local San Diego reef + kelp conditions.
- [Point Loma Kelp/Reef](https://marissacharters.com/trip-types/point-loma-kelp-reef): $209 per diver. 2-tank local kelp/reef diving off Point Loma — typically a 5.5-hour trip (generally within ~7 miles).
- [Private Charters](https://marissacharters.com/trip-types/private-charters): By quote. Book the whole boat for your group and itinerary (by quote).
- [Technical Diving](https://marissacharters.com/trip-types/technical-diving): $249 per diver. Technical 2-tank day with real deco profiles on deeper wrecks/sites (typically 8–9 hours; site selection is conditions-dependent).
- [Wreck Alley](https://marissacharters.com/trip-types/wreck-alley): $199 per diver. 2-tank dive on San Diego’s Wreck Alley wrecks — typically a 5-hour trip on our 10-diver boat.

## Cornerstone

- [HMCS Yukon: complete history and how to dive it](https://marissacharters.com/sites/hmcs-yukon): the 366-foot Canadian destroyer sunk off Mission Beach on 14 July 2000, on her port side in 102 feet of water.
- [The Point Loma kelp forest: history and how to dive it](https://marissacharters.com/point-loma-kelp-forest): the largest giant kelp forest on the U.S. West Coast, its 1961 collapse and 1960s recovery, the 2014 to 2016 heatwave, and the twenty reefs we dive in it from 20 to 114 feet.

## Questions divers ask

- [Do You Need Advanced Open Water to Dive the HMCS Yukon?](https://marissacharters.com/answers/do-you-need-advanced-open-water-for-the-yukon): Yes. The Yukon needs a current Advanced Open Water card or the equivalent, plus 15 to 20 cold-water dives. Why, and what to dive if you are not there yet.
- [Drysuit or 7 mm Wetsuit for Diving San Diego?](https://marissacharters.com/answers/drysuit-or-7mm-wetsuit-for-san-diego): A 7 mm with hood, gloves and boots is the minimum for San Diego's 50 to 52°F water. A drysuit wins if you dive here often, in winter, or get cold on dive two.
- [Is Nitrox Worth It on the HMCS Yukon?](https://marissacharters.com/answers/is-nitrox-worth-it-on-the-yukon): Yes for most nitrox-certified divers. The Yukon is a repetitive dive between 60 and 100 feet, and we blend nitrox onboard. What it changes, and when to skip it.
- [Wreck Alley or Point Loma Kelp: Which Should You Dive First?](https://marissacharters.com/answers/wreck-alley-or-point-loma-kelp): Kelp first if you are Open Water certified or new to cold water. Wreck Alley and the Yukon first with Advanced Open Water and cold-water dives in your log.

## Pages

- [Upcoming trips and booking](https://marissacharters.com/)
- [Dive sites](https://marissacharters.com/sites)
- [Trip types](https://marissacharters.com/trip-types)
- [Technical diving](https://marissacharters.com/tech-diving-san-diego)
- [Our boat](https://marissacharters.com/our-boat)
- [Our crew](https://marissacharters.com/our-crew)
- [Government, research and media charters](https://marissacharters.com/government-research-charters)
- [Our philosophy](https://marissacharters.com/our-philosophy)
- [FAQ](https://marissacharters.com/faq)
- [Contact](https://marissacharters.com/contact-us)

## Dive sites (63)

- [3 Fingers Reef](https://marissacharters.com/sites/3-fingers-reef): 50 to 65 ft. Three near-parallel rocky reefs running east to west with sand channels between them, so you get both sand-dwellers and reef life.
- [Airplane Junkyard](https://marissacharters.com/sites/airplane-junkyard): 200 to 230 ft. A Point Loma area where numerous WWII aircraft (Corsairs, TBM/TBF Avengers, SBD Dauntless) were dumped post-war - over a dozen documented across multipl…
- [Anchor Management](https://marissacharters.com/sites/anchor-management): 75 to 100 ft. A rarely visited Point Loma wall site with funky rock structure, nudibranchs, and large sheephead.
- [Ancient Caverns](https://marissacharters.com/sites/ancient-caverns): 55 to 65 ft. A Point Loma kelp-forest site with cavern-like reef structure.
- [Ancient Sea Cliffs](https://marissacharters.com/sites/ancient-sea-cliffs): 75 to 100 ft. The Ancient Sea Cliffs are believed to be the ancient shoreline of Point Loma.
- [Barge #1](https://marissacharters.com/sites/barge-1): 70 ft. One of the six vessels intentionally sunk to create Wreck Alley off Mission Beach; essentially undocumented beyond the bare name.
- [Bird Rock](https://marissacharters.com/sites/bird-rock): 40 to 65 ft. In beautiful La Jolla Kelp marine reserve, this rocky reef is teeming with life!
- [Bowsprits](https://marissacharters.com/sites/bowsprits):
- [Brewster SB2A Buccaneer](https://marissacharters.com/sites/brewster-sb2a-buccaneer): 280 ft. A deep WWII Brewster Buccaneer aircraft wreck off Point Loma, located and identified through extensive research by the local tech team.
- [Briariana's Rock](https://marissacharters.com/sites/briariana-s-rock): 50 to 65 ft. A beginner-level kelp dive with varied topography, a 15' overhang full of nooks, and a small swim-through leading back to the top of the structure.
- [Cape Charles](https://marissacharters.com/sites/cape-charles): 160 to 165 ft. Also called the workboat, a 125' steel-hulled Coast Guard cutter sitting upright and intact.
- [Captain's Mast](https://marissacharters.com/sites/captain-s-mast): 75 to 100 ft. A rocky reef with newly sprouted kelp, medium caves, crevices, shelves, and vertical cliffs up to about 30' tall.
- [Cessna 414 N414BA](https://marissacharters.com/sites/cessna-414-n414ba): 200 to 210 ft. The wreck of a Cessna 414 that crashed off Point Loma in June 2025, located and positively identified by the local tech team in coordination with the US…
- [Chelsea Lee](https://marissacharters.com/sites/chelsea-lee): 75 to 90 ft. Chelsea Lee was a fiberglass hulled sailboat.
- [Chris's Rock](https://marissacharters.com/sites/chris-s-rock): 50 to 70 ft. Chris's Rock often sports some zippy surface currents, along with the potential depth, making it an advanced-level dive.
- [Connor's Canyon](https://marissacharters.com/sites/connor-s-canyon): 45 to 75 ft. A large 45' rocky reef pinnacle nestled in about 75' of water in the Point Loma kelp forests.
- [Coronado Islands](https://marissacharters.com/sites/coronado-islands): 20 to 70 ft. A full-day trip across the border to the Coronado Islands, Baja California - a sea-lion destination with clearer water and a wild-water feel, plus terra…
- [Corsair Plane](https://marissacharters.com/sites/corsair-plane): 120 ft. The Corsair Plane is a recently discovered dive site, and research into its history is still ongoing.
- [Divers Disneyland](https://marissacharters.com/sites/divers-disneyland): 55 to 65 ft. A newer site that's been a hit every visit - a bit of everything: sandy bottom, giant rocky crevices, giant kelp, and tons of life.
- [Donut Hole](https://marissacharters.com/sites/donut-hole): 25 to 35 ft. A shallow site with a diverse layout, easy to get around even without a guide.
- [Douglas AD-4L Skyraider](https://marissacharters.com/sites/douglas-ad-4l-skyraider): 150 to 210 ft. A WWII-era Douglas Skyraider aircraft wreck documented off San Diego via photogrammetry.
- [El Rey](https://marissacharters.com/sites/el-rey): 75 to 85 ft. A 100' x 32' kelp-harvesting vessel turned artificial reef.
- [F-4 Phantom](https://marissacharters.com/sites/f-4-phantom): 145 to 155 ft. The F-4 sits around 150' off Torrey Pines, very close to the P-38.
- [F4U Corsair](https://marissacharters.com/sites/f4u-corsair): 130 ft. Downed in about 120' of water, the plane is in recognizable pieces.
- [F8F Bearcat](https://marissacharters.com/sites/f8f-bearcat): 60 to 230 ft. Two separate, nearly complete single-engine WWII fighter wrecks off San Diego, different variants of the same aircraft type.
- [God's Rock & Quast Rock](https://marissacharters.com/sites/god-s-rock-quast-rock): 55 to 75 ft. Two rocky reefs in the La Jolla Kelp Marine Reserve, set near the transition between rocky reef and sand.
- [Green Tank](https://marissacharters.com/sites/green-tank): 60 to 75 ft. A unique Point Loma kelp site where natural erosion has carved tables into the reef, with crevices and channels above and below holding abundant life.
- [HMCS Yukon](https://marissacharters.com/sites/hmcs-yukon): 65 to 105 ft. A 366' Canadian Mackenzie-class destroyer in Wreck Alley off Mission Beach, and San Diego's signature wreck dive.
- [High Seas](https://marissacharters.com/sites/high-seas): 100 to 110 ft. A 128' wood-hulled Yard Patrol craft (YP-621) turned tuna seiner, now significantly deteriorated.
- [High Spot Pinnacle](https://marissacharters.com/sites/high-spot-pinnacle): 45 to 65 ft. A large 45' pinnacle nestled in about 65' of water in Point Loma.
- [Horse Head Reef](https://marissacharters.com/sites/horse-head-reef): 40 to 55 ft. A shallow favorite, named for its shape: a long rocky structure that looks like a horse's head.
- [Ingraham Street Bridge](https://marissacharters.com/sites/ingraham-street-bridge): 55 to 65 ft. The former Ingraham Street Bridge was demolished and sunk in wreck alley in the 1990s as an artificial reef.
- [Lazy Daze](https://marissacharters.com/sites/lazy-daze): 75 to 85 ft. While only remnants of the massive ship remain, she is a spectacular dive.
- [Lost City](https://marissacharters.com/sites/lost-city): 45 to 55 ft. This rocky reef resembles a miniature city.
- [Missile Tower](https://marissacharters.com/sites/missile-tower): 160 to 165 ft. It looks a little bit like a miniature castle: it's about 60' high and 25' square on the sides, with a catwalk circling the perimeter.
- [Murray Head](https://marissacharters.com/sites/murray-head): 190 to 300 ft. A deep ocean mound near Scripps Canyon, Murray Head will not disappoint.
- [NOSC Tower](https://marissacharters.com/sites/nosc-tower): 60 to 65 ft. The pilings that supported the structure have been underwater since 1959 and are covered in life.
- [NROD Kelp](https://marissacharters.com/sites/nrod-kelp): 55 to 65 ft. A unique reef structure in relatively shallow water set in a clearing ringed on three sides by large kelp forest, with cracks and crevices full of life.
- [New Hope Rock](https://marissacharters.com/sites/new-hope-rock): 20 to 30 ft. One of the shallowest sites in the Point Loma kelp forests, and ideal for beginners and open water training.
- [P-38 Lightning](https://marissacharters.com/sites/p-38-lightning): 130 to 180 ft. Two P-38s get dived locally: the well known one off Torrey Pines at about 130', and a deeper, more intact one off Solana Beach at about 180'.
- [PBM Mariner](https://marissacharters.com/sites/pbm-mariner): 130 to 160 ft. A WWII PBM Mariner flying-boat wreck off Point Loma, documented in detail via photogrammetry and featured in upcoming SoCal aviation-wreck work.
- [PC-815](https://marissacharters.com/sites/pc-815): 90 ft. A WWII submarine chaser sunk after a collision, resting at about 90' off Point Loma near the mouth of San Diego Bay.
- [Point Loma Barge](https://marissacharters.com/sites/point-loma-barge): 130 ft. A sunken barge off Point Loma, dived and modeled by the local tech team.
- [Pontoon Causeway](https://marissacharters.com/sites/pontoon-causeway): 130 ft.
- [Puzzle Piece Wall](https://marissacharters.com/sites/puzzle-piece-wall): 88 to 110 ft. Also called Jigsaw Wall, a newly discovered wall-style reef site with dramatic structure and a more secretive feel.
- [Rods Reef](https://marissacharters.com/sites/rods-reef):
- [Ruby E](https://marissacharters.com/sites/ruby-e): 65 to 85 ft. A 166' US Coast Guard cutter, the second ship sunk in Wreck Alley.
- [S-3 Viking (Search Targets)](https://marissacharters.com/sites/s-3-viking-search-targets): 190 to 280 ft. An ongoing deep-water search off Point Loma for the Ables' S-3 Viking, with multiple dived targets (wing sections, debris fields, mystery aircraft) at 1…
- [S-37 Submarine](https://marissacharters.com/sites/s-37-submarine): 20 to 25 ft.
- [SBD Dauntless](https://marissacharters.com/sites/sbd-dauntless): 150 to 210 ft. WWII SBD Dauntless dive-bomber wreckage off Point Loma, part of the documented airplane junkyard of dumped aircraft.
- [Scout's Out](https://marissacharters.com/sites/scout-s-out): 75 to 100 ft. A structure-focused rocky reef site with crevices, crags, caves, cliffs, and newly sprouted kelp.
- [Scripps Canyon](https://marissacharters.com/sites/scripps-canyon): 90 to 250 ft. Scripps Canyon is a deep canyon and wall near Scripps Pier.
- [Shooter's Fantasy](https://marissacharters.com/sites/shooter-s-fantasy): 70 to 80 ft. A steel-hulled vessel intentionally sunk as one of Wreck Alley's artificial reefs off Mission Beach.
- [Steel Hull Working Boat](https://marissacharters.com/sites/steel-hull-working-boat): 120 ft. A steel-hulled working boat wreck off Point Loma found via sonar and documented with photogrammetry.
- [Strawberry Ledges](https://marissacharters.com/sites/strawberry-ledges): 60 to 110 ft. A Point Loma macro site with ledges, reef structure, and kelp-forest life.
- [Strider](https://marissacharters.com/sites/strider): 70 ft. One of the six vessels intentionally sunk to create Wreck Alley off Mission Beach; essentially undocumented beyond the bare name.
- [Submarine Seamount](https://marissacharters.com/sites/submarine-seamount): 55 to 75 ft. A rocky reef atop another rocky reef, shaped like a submarine both underwater and on the boat's sonar.
- [TBF-1C Avenger ("Full Stall Landing")](https://marissacharters.com/sites/tbf-1c-avenger-full-stall-landing): 150 ft. A distinct Avenger wreck off Point Loma, separate from both the deep (~250') TBM-3S2 and the shallower (~170') "upside-down" Avenger already in our TBM…
- [TBM Avenger](https://marissacharters.com/sites/tbm-avenger): 170 to 270 ft. WWII Avenger torpedo bombers lost off Point Loma.
- [The Ridge](https://marissacharters.com/sites/the-ridge): 60 to 80 ft. An intriguing rock formation that grows from a 1' wall at its south end to 30' tall heading north, with 20' cutouts, a crevice, and a castle-top profile.
- [Train Wheels](https://marissacharters.com/sites/train-wheels): 60 to 100 ft. The Train Wheels dive site is named for its token namesake, a set of train wheels.
- [Treefish Terrace](https://marissacharters.com/sites/treefish-terrace): 55 to 75 ft. A rocky reef with pinnacles jutting up here and there; anchor in ~55' along a ridgeline that runs north, sloping to ~70'.
- [USS Hogan](https://marissacharters.com/sites/uss-hogan): 110 to 130 ft. Located south of the Point Loma peninsula on the US-Mexican border, the Hogan wreck rests just far enough from the San Diego dive boats to make it a rea…