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Tanner Bank
The
Tanner Bank, located 105 miles west of San Diego and 35 miles west southwest of
San Clemente Island, is an undersea mountain ridge or seamount that
rises to within 80 feet of the surface.
The Tanner Bank is a truly wild spot best dived by advanced
divers. It is a far cry from the Caribbean! The Bank is far from
land and is often swept by strong open ocean currents and large
swells -- considerable surge can be encountered even at depths
approaching 100 feet!
Then why dive the Tanner Bank? Because you'll be diving a wild and
stunningly beautifully open ocean seamount that acts as a giant sealife magnet!
Vertebrates and invertebrates call the Bank home. Since the seamount
is a truly an open place, sightings of pelagic animals are common.
Tuna, huge numbers of yellowtail (jack family), large schools of
baitfish, large rafts of sea lions and occasional sharks are seen
here.
The water is typically very clear here with visibility approaching
100 feet due to the open ocean currents that sweep the Bank. Giant kelp
does not grow here, but endless swaying
carpets of short, tough palm kelp cover most of the seamount. Below
the kelp are found crevices and cracks, loaded with bottom fish, huge tufts of purple hydrocoral.
Diving at the Tanner Bank can be exciting, challenging and
beautiful! Diving is deep with the shallowest site at 80 feet and
most are in excess of 90 feet. Make sure that you are thoroughly
familiar with your dive gauges and computers, and that you are
comfortable with these depths.
Since no islands exist at the Tanner Bank to offer
protection from wind and swell, the boat may roll while at anchor.
The crew is expert at conducting dive operations in these conditions
and will help you on and off with your tank and with your entry into
and exit from the water. On multiple day trips more than one day
could be spent on the Bank. But if weather conditions are not favorable we'll take you to either San Clemente Island or San
Nicholas Island.
If you are comfortable with open ocean diving conditions, the Tanner
Bank should be high on your diving priority list. Perhaps nowhere
else while diving in California will you feel so "out there". Tanner
Bank is a remote, exciting and pristine dive spot that is abundant
in both game and scenic beauty!
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Click to view interactive range map
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