[1] Scripps Canyon is a popular site for scientific and recreational diving due to its vertical walls and high density of marine life.

[3] Scripps Canyon was first extensively explored by Frank Haymaker in October of 1946 using a helmet-and-airhose setup to collect samples for Shepard.

Focusing on the sand plain between the heads of the La Jolla and Scripps canyons, SIO's Dr. Edward Fager continued to collect samples at depths of 5–10 fathoms (9.1–18.3 m) from 1956 to 1973.

[3] Scripps Canyon was the site of the SEALAB II project in 1965, where divers dwelled in a submersible habitat at 205 ft (62 m) for 15 days at a time.

[2] Gorgonia corals, bivalve pholad borings, kelp, eel grass, blacksmith, sea cucumbers, sand dollars, and California rockfish were photographed within the canyon.