Waterhorse Charters
From Wreck Alley's sunken navy ships to sea lion encounters at the Coronado Islands, Waterhorse Charters brings warm-crew, creature-comfort boat diving to San Diego's cold-water reefs—hot soup and a heated shower waiting when you surface.
Waterhorse Charters operates out of Mission Bay—the closest commercial dock to the open ocean in San Diego—running weekly public dive trips and private charters aboard two Newton dive boats. The Humboldt (46 ft, up to 21 divers) and the Orion (38 ft, up to 12 divers) cover four main dive regions: Wreck Alley's iconic wrecks including the HMCS Yukon and Ruby E., the Point Loma giant kelp forest (prime for sevengill sharks and lobster), La Jolla's pinnacles and reefs, and the Coronado Islands in Mexico for world-class sea lion diving. Every trip includes tanks, weights, hot soup, snacks, beverages, and seasickness help, along with a hot shower and full marine bathroom aboard. Beyond standard reef and wreck dives, the operation offers seasonal Shark Safaris hunting sevengill, swell, and tope sharks in kelp-forest breeding grounds, lobster diving from October through March, a whale migration combo trip pairing a kelp dive and wreck dive with whale watching, night dives, and freediving charters. Prices for public dive trips range from $165 (Wreck Alley) to $315 (Coronado Islands), with private charter rates starting lower per diver. An annual Local Diver membership ($299/year) gives 25% off all trips, and an Enriched Diver membership ($259/year) covers unlimited free Nitrox tanks. The crew emphasizes a people-first, no-nickel-and-diming approach backed by over 389 five-star Google reviews. Self-guided dives are the norm, with optional tour guides available as an add-on at checkout. Gear rentals, 7mm wetsuits, and GoPro rentals are also available, and the boats accommodate personal tanks, CCRs, doubles, scooters, and camera gear.
Dive details
Dive trips
Boat charters
from $88 · departs Mission BayCourses
from $259Dive sites
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