It seems in recent months this plane has “resurfaced”. This plane was originally discovered in 1992 by the company in charge of Point Loma Outfall survey using side scan sonar and then documented the site with an ROV. One small group of civilian divers dived the wreck in the early 90s but to my knowledge they were the only ones to dive it for a number of years until it was relocated by Gary Fabian and Ray Arntz in 2007. In late 2006 Steve Lawson conducted research on the site and even set up a dive on the site but due to mechanical problems the team had to turn back. Little is known about this wreck and how it came to rest on the bottom of the ocean off Point Loma but from the ROV footage from 1992 and HD video footage captured by John Walker in 2007 it does seem to be a very cool dive site - check out the UB88 Avenger site for more information.

The wreck is in approx 265’ and should only be attempted by the most experienced divers. Visibility and currents in this area fluctuate and you never know what you will encounter. The wreck appears to be reasonably intact and has little growth (NAVY can still be read across the side of the fuselage). This is remarkable as wrecks in different areas (approx 10 miles away) in the same depth range are heavily overgrown. It will be interesting to gather more information on this topic. When I talked with the company that conducted the survey I was told several planes were located and this was just one of them. They were not keen on divulging coordinates to the general public but luckily it has been relocated.

To the right are pictures taken by John Walker from the January 31, 2007 dive. You can find more information and see the original pictures on the UB88 Avenger site. A video will also be available shortly, check with the UBB88.org website for updates and details.

Below is a photograph of two Grumman TBF Avenger