La Jolla in San Diego in San Diego County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

San Diego Bottom Scratchers Dive Club

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, July 7, 2025

1. San Diego Bottom Scratchers Dive Club Marker

Inscription. Since 1933, offshore from this beach access, the seafloor bears memorial markers to name and honor San Diego’s most heralded underwater pioneers. The San Diego Bottom Scratchers Dive Club.

The Bottom Scratchers dedicated every dive to preventing the waste of sea life and to helping others appreciate the wonders of the sea. All who enter here fall under the oath to do the same.

Erected by San Diego Freedivers.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Environment • Sports • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1933.

Location. 32° 51.058′ N, 117° 16.409′ W. Marker is in San Diego, California, in San Diego County. It is in La Jolla. It can be reached from Coast Boulevard. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1160 Coast Boulevard, La Jolla CA 92037, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s Peninsular Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: San Diego-La Jolla Underwater Park (within shouting distance of this marker); St. James-By-The-Sea Episcopal Church Fountain (approx. half a mile away); Ellen Browning Scripps (approx. half a mile away); La Jolla Woman’s Club Building (approx. half a mile away); Mt. Soledad National Veterans Memorial

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(approx. 1.8 miles away); John “Manila John” Basilone (approx. 1.8 miles away); Conserving California's Coastal Treasures (approx. 2.2 miles away); Washington to Baltimore 1844 Telegraph Message (approx. 2.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Diego.

Also see . . .
1. Bottom Scratchers are Honored.

After more than a year of planning and nearly a century of history, a new plaque at Boomer Beach in La Jolla’s Scripps Park honors the Bottom Scratchers diving club. The Bottom Scratchers, considered one of the earliest free-diving associations in the United States, formed in San Diego in the 1930s with a focus on catching local seafood to feed members’ families. The participants didn’t use snorkels or fins but instead held their breath while diving deep into the ocean, often off La Jolla.

(Submitted on July 30, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon.)

2. The Bottom Scratchers Diving Club Upcoming Documentary Film. Some great footage of the pioneers of freediving. A documentary film is in the works.<blockquote>In 1933, Glenn Orr, Jack Prodanovich and Ben Stone formed the Bottom Scratchers Diving Club. Soon, others

Photographed by Douglass Halvorsen, July 7, 2025

2. San Diego Bottom Scratchers Dive Club Marker

joined them exploring under the ocean’s surface in La Jolla, California and inspired millions other to brace the underwater world of their coastlines. (Submitted on July 30, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon.)

Credits. This page was last revised on August 2, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 30, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. This page has been viewed 112 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 30, 2025, by Douglass Halvorsen of Klamath Falls, Oregon. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.