Tuna Clipper

The Tuna Clipper (aka San Vito) is a Tuna boat that sank off the west end of Catalina Island after striking Johnson’s Rock in the middle of the night in 1985. 12 crew were aboard, and all were saved by Bay Watch. The wreck currently sits in approximately 170 feet of water and is entirely covered in ghost nets. Some of these nets were likely carried by the boat itself when it sunk, but it appears newer nets are present as well.

The sheer quantity of net will make this a multi year project but we are working to clean the wreck and remove the nets that pose a danger to local wildlife. We consistently see animals caught in the multitude of nets on this particular wreck. We created the photogrammetry model below before our cleanup efforts began in earnest to document the state of the wreck and intend on recreating this model when we are finished with our cleanup efforts.