Winfield Scott

The Winfield Scott was a steamship that ran aground on Anacapa Island in 1853 while running a Gold Rush era route between Panama and San Francisco, and its remains now lie scattered in the shallows off the island's coast within Channel Islands National Park waters. Debris and machinery are visible amid the rocky reef in relatively shallow depths, making the site accessible to a range of divers, though surge and surface conditions around Anacapa can change quickly, so conditions on a given day matter more than the depth itself. Divers here have reported California spiny lobster, kelp bass, purple and red sea urchins, and warty sea cucumbers among the rocks and kelp holdfasts around the wreckage. The surrounding kelp forest is also generally known for sea lions, garibaldi, and rockfish sharing the area with the wreck's remains.

Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.

• California Spiny LobsterPanulirus interruptusReported here · unconfirmed
• Pacific Purple Sea UrchinStrongylocentrotus purpuratusReported here · unconfirmed
• Red Sea UrchinMesocentrotus franciscanusReported here · unconfirmed
• Warty sea cucumberApostichopus parvimensisReported here · unconfirmed
• Kelp BassParalabrax clathratusReported here · unconfirmed