Toilet Reef in Marina Del Rey?

Sam posted this in anoter thread:

sam miller:

In the late 1960s they dumped a large qualities of used toilet bowls to developed a deep reef in the water off Marina del Rey. It was very productive and is to this day considered a very top secret location known only to a few.

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I've done a fair amount of diving in MDR in the past and don't ever remember seeing this "toilet reef". Anyone know anything about this?

I know someone that bug hunts there regularly, by boat. They say t is a gold mine, not only for bugs, but, the critters are everywhere. Only problem is, like you said, he says it is only known by a couple people. He won't say where it is


Rick

Teamcasa:

Sam posted this in anoter thread:



I've done a fair amount of diving in MDR in the past and don't ever remember seeing this "toilet reef". Anyone know anything about this?

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Hopefully the reason they are keeping its locxation secret is to prevent the rest of the world from picking it clean. We have sites here off Catalina that our divers won't tell anyone about, in part so they have a high quality bug hunting site... by keeping others from picking it clean.

Back before 1975 (when I stopped taking bugs) I had a few such sites myself and never told anyone about them. I only took what I needed (never even limited out). Fortunately now they are in marine reserves.

Heck, the first night of season this year two instructor friends of mine saw two divers with limits in each of their bags. They asked where they got them. The divers responded "in the dark park." No respect for what we have tried to prevent in the park.

Bill,

That brings up an interesting point - is it illegal to take lobsters from the Marine Park? I don't see it listed as a no-take zone in the DFG regulations. Does the City of Avalon have an ordinance? If it isn't illegal, it should be!

Jim

Jim, it is a somewhat well-kept secret (not any more) that the dive park is not a marine reserve sanctioned officially by CDF&G... yet. It is on the list of sites to be officially protected when the MLPA process finally reaches the political hotbed of southern California (despite being the region with greatest population, and therefore impact, the State is delaying implementation here until it guides the process through what might be less contentious waters).

Apparently the City cannot unilaterally declare a reserve of its own accord. It has to be officially sanctioned by CDF&G to be enforced.

Of course many of us divers, both local and mainland, have tried to keep the dive park as a de facto reserve for enjoyment by all divers.

A little more information;

As stated the Marina del Rey toilet reef was created by the Mistral brothers, Bob & Bill of Dive and Surf in about 1967.

It was a well keep secret until they published several pictures of the take from the reef and later a number of pictures of divers removing lobsters from the underwater toilets.

The the rush was on for scrap toilets and creating private lobster reefs.

It is rumored several well known OC divers created one in OC and the another in Catalina at a recognized training area. Both were in deep water, beyond what is today considered sport diving limits. They immediately became productive and because of depth and locations probably still are very productive and still a secret and will remain so.

One of the rumored OC participant divers passed on many years ago, one is very very ill and two have moved out of OC.

Billy Meister passed away about 2 years ago; Bobby has turned Dive and Surf over to son Robbie who one would assume knows the location of the artificial reef, but some how suspect he will not share it's location--would you?

sdm

I've heard about this for years, never met anyone who dove it firsthand. What I've always heard is they were army surplus toilets. I did get a bug out of a toilet tank once, off deer creek, but it was just the one tank, not a whole reef of them.

it would give you a chance to all laugh as your friends enjoyed your fresh caught lobster and say, "your all eating out of a toilet, bruhahahaha!". ok, time for me to go to bed.