Wreck Diving Beyond Arizona: From Lake Mohave to San Diego and San Carlos
Amanda Krugen Aug 14, 2026
Wreck Diving Beyond Arizona: From Lake Mohave to San Diego and San Carlos
Arizona doesn't have a shipwreck. What it has is a sunken school bus at Lake Mohave, the right place to start. From there, three of the best wreck-diving destinations in the Southwest sit within a weekend's reach: a Canadian destroyer and a Coast Guard cutter off San Diego, and a growing artificial reef in San Carlos, Mexico.
Lake Mohave: Where Arizona Divers Learn Wreck Skills First
Lake Mohave, near Bullhead City, has a sunken school bus, a couple of small boats, a van, and an old payphone in a dedicated buoyancy park. None of it is a real ship, but all of it teaches what a real wreck demands: controlling buoyancy around structure, managing a light, and staying oriented when the shapes around you stop looking like open water.
The lake runs 80 to 100 feet deep with visibility a steady 40 to 60 feet year-round, cold enough that a 7mm wetsuit or drysuit is standard. It's the place to get comfortable before you're circling something with a name and a sinking date.
Wreck Alley, San Diego: The Real Ships
Two miles off Mission Beach sits the HMCS Yukon, a 366-foot Canadian destroyer sunk to build an artificial reef. It rests in about 100 feet of water, with the parts most divers explore between 60 and 80 feet, and it still has an intact bridge and twin gun turrets. Crews cut access holes throughout the hull so divers are never more than 30 feet from an exit, the controlled entry point a limited-penetration dive is built around.
About a mile offshore, the Ruby E, a 166-foot former Coast Guard cutter, sits upright in 85 feet of water, thick with marine life after years underwater. Its exterior makes a clean non-penetration dive: swim the deck and hull, chart what you see. El Rey and the NOSC Tower round out the area.
Book it yourself through Marissa Charters, the boat operator that runs Wreck Alley, or dive it with us on our Southern California trip.
San Carlos, Mexico: Wrecks You're Probably Already Driving To
If a Dive Arizona trip to San Carlos is already on your radar, add wrecks to it instead of planning a separate trip. The Santos, Suchiate, and Corrientes sit in the 40 to 65 foot range, a shallow reef that's good for building confidence. Book it through our upcoming trips calendar.
Train Locally, Dive Any of These
The SDI Wreck Diver course turns any of this from sightseeing into something you're qualified to do. Non-penetration is two dives on the exterior of a wreck. Limited-penetration is three dives that add running a reel and entering only as far as the natural light from the entry point reaches. Either way you'll cover site charting, backup lighting, buddy lines, and keeping silt from becoming a problem.
A certified Open Water card gets you enrolled. You'll need your own primary and backup dive lights, a reel or lifeline, and a cutting device, since rental gear doesn't include them. Past 60 feet, like the working half of the Yukon, you'll also need Deep Diver certification. The course counts as one specialty toward SDI Advanced Diver.
Book the Wreck Diver Course
Start at Lake Mohave to get comfortable, then decide whether San Diego or San Carlos is next.
Call (480) 881-4013Or visit us to get started.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The closest thing is Lake Mohave, where a sunken school bus, a couple of boats, a van, and an old payphone sit in a buoyancy park. It's a training ground for wreck skills, not an actual ship.
Not for a certified diver. It runs 80 to 100 feet deep with 40 to 60 feet of visibility year-round, built for skill-building rather than difficulty.
It isn't legally required if you're already certified, but the skills it teaches, light discipline, reel handling, managing silt, are what make a wreck dive safe.
Non-penetration is two dives on the exterior of a wreck. Limited-penetration adds a third dive using a reel and lifeline to enter, staying within the entry point's natural light.
It rests in about 100 feet, though most divers explore between 60 and 80 feet. Past 60 feet requires Deep Diver certification in addition to Wreck Diver.
Yes. The Santos, Suchiate, and Corrientes sit in the 40 to 65 foot range, shallower and more forgiving than most of Wreck Alley.
Yes, it counts as one specialty toward the SDI Advanced Diver rating.
Written by Amanda Krugen, SDI Instructor Trainer and TDI Instructor at Dive Arizona.
