Dominator Wreck (Palos Verde)

[In_it_Deep]

Hi all... Just discovered this site... A couple friends and I have been exploring some of the locations here in So Cal - hailing from Chicago and the murky mud puddles of the midwest, I'm really enjoying this....

I was wondering if anyone has any information on the Dominator Wreck near Rocky Point Palos Verde.

http://www.cawreckdivers.org/Wrecks/Dominator.htm

It looks liek an easy beach dive... Anyone have any info on it - compass bearings, coordinates, etc... Even a finger in the right direction, I'll find it....

And anyone is welcome to join us...

 

[MaxBottomtime]

Hi all... Just discovered this site... A couple friends and I have been exploring some of the locations here in So Cal - hailing from Chicago and the murky mud puddles of the midwest, I'm really enjoying this....

I was wondering if anyone has any information on the Dominator Wreck near Rocky Point Palos Verde.

http://www.cawreckdivers.org/Wrecks/Dominator.htm

It looks liek an easy beach dive... Anyone have any info on it - compass bearings, coordinates, etc... Even a finger in the right direction, I'll find it....

And anyone is welcome to join us...

It is one of the most difficult beach dives you could make. The closest access is the surfer trail at Lunada Bay. There are spots on the trail where carrying scuba gear would be next to impossible. If you made it to the beach, there is a lot of shallow rocky ledges to cross in the surf. From late Fall to Spring the kelp around the wreck can get so thick that even boat access is impossible. The easiest wreck to dive from the beach is the Cleo Street barge in Laguna Beach.

http://www.lagunaseasports.com/divesite/cleo/cleo.asp

If you would like to explore the Dominator from the beach, you can hike down the trail and explore the remaining bow section that is on the beach.

 

[scottfiji]

A simple search on google turned up all the info you need...

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=dominator+palos+verdes

btw, you should fill in some of your profile information (location, dive history, interests, etc.)

 

[jlyle]

You won't need coordinates as part of the wreck is still on the beach at PV Point. The wreck is all broken up and pretty shallow. The point gets hammered by the surf, so you will have to wait until a really calm day to dive the Dominator. It's not that easy to get to, down a steep cliff, dirt trail, but doable. IMHO, booking a wreck trip on one of the local dive boats would be a better bet.

You will find some images and reports on the wrecks of the Avalon and the Star of Scotland on my webpage (link below).

Jim (jlyle)

 

[In_it_Deep]

Thanks for the help...

 

[Propnuts]

I was a kid living in Palos Verdes in the early 60's when the Dominator went aground and got to watch it being hammered up onto the rocks until there was no hope for her. I was certified in 1969 but didn't try to reach the Dominator until probably 1975. At the age of 26 and probably in the best shape of my life, my buddy and I went down the cliff. We swam to within 100 yards of the wreckage that was still visible when my buddy said he was sick and we had to call it off. It took 45 minutes to climb back up that cliff and both legs went into severe cramps upon reaching the top. Water was still pouring out of my wetsuit when we got to the top and after all that time, I don't think it was sea water....I took a few shots of that trip.

Rats! I just tried to reach these pics from the links and Tripod won't let you access it from within this forum. If you copy and past the links into a browser, that should work. My apologies.

http://r_c_pilot.tripod.com/pics/1CLIFFCLM.jpg

This shot is from the point where we turned around - as close as I got.
http://r_c_pilot.tripod.com/pics/1DOMINATR.jpg

Here are a couple of pictures of how to find the Dominator. In the first picture the red arrow points to a scrap of the Dominator still visible on the beach.
http://r_c_pilot.tripod.com/pics/PV_Point_Dominator.jpg
The next shot shows the overview of the surrounding area with street names and the red line shows where we climbed down and the course you would have to swim to get over the wreck. The red box I drew on the beach is where the scrap is up on the rocks.
http://r_c_pilot.tripod.com/pics/PV_Point_overview.jpg

The below link is a picture of what was left of a 20 oz foam dixie cup that my cousin, who was an officer on the Trieste (a deep diving Navy submersible) tied to the outside in a mesh bag and they then descended to 17,000'. It is now slightly over an inch tall.

http://r_c_pilot.tripod.com/pics/17000.jpg

 

[pasley]

Hi all... Just discovered this site... A couple friends and I have been exploring some of the locations here in So Cal - hailing from Chicago and the murky mud puddles of the midwest, I'm really enjoying this.......

Welcome to the board.

http://www.sandeaters.org divesites will provide you with a good list of dive sites to explore. The SANDEATERS forum will provide a calendar of dives every week to do if you want to come out. Sandeaters is not a club, just a website with a calendar of dives scheduled once a week. visit SANDEATERS forum on SCUBABOARD

 

[pasley]

Hi all... Just discovered this site... A couple friends and I have been exploring some of the locations here in So Cal - hailing from Chicago and the murky mud puddles of the midwest, I'm really enjoying this.......

Welcome to the board.
Here is a photo of the Dominator area http://www.californiacoastline.org/...e=200406275&mode=sequential&flags=0&year=2004

http://www.sandeaters.org divesites will provide you with a good list of dive sites to explore. The SANDEATERS forum will provide a calendar of dives every week to do if you want to come out. Sandeaters is not a club, just a website with a calendar of dives scheduled once a week. visit SANDEATERS forum on SCUBABOARD