In the early 1990s, Dave Finnern shared a map from 1873 with Steve, pointing to the words “Port Isabel.” “It’s an American port in Mexico at the mouth of the Colorado River, used after the gold rush but abandoned in 1877.” Intrigued, Steve, a fellow wreck diver and Adventurer, replied, “Well, we just have to go check it out.” And so began the quest for Port Isabel.
Established during the Civil War to support Army posts and transport people and cargo to the mines in what is now Arizona and lower Nevada, Port Isabel acted as an intermediary between San Francisco-bound ships and paddlewheel steamers on the Colorado River. The seaport featured a drydock and several small buildings. However, with the arrival of the railroad in Yuma that offered a more direct route, shipping ceased and Port Isabel was abandoned in 1879.
Despite six unsuccessful attempts over 13 years, Steve Lawson #1032, Dave Finnern #1065, and Peter Jensen #1101 eventually reached the site carrying a Club Expedition Flag. Steve and Peter will recount their journey to this long-forgotten and historic American seaport in Mexico.
Steve Lawson’s #1032 passion for shipwrecks began in High School, reading about tales and discoveries of sunken treasure. He joined the dive club California Wreck Divers shortly after obtaining his scuba certification at age 17 and has been wreck diving ever since. In 1986, he dived on Mel Fisher’s recently discovered treasure wreck, the La Nuestra Senora de la Atocha and recovered some of the legendary pieces of eight from the Spanish Main.
Over the years, Steve has explored wrecks and other sites in lakes, rivers, and reservoirs in California, as well as the Great Lakes. He has also dived the wrecks of Chuuk (formerly known as Truk), a 2,500-year-old wreck off Greece and a sunken Roman city off Italy. He’s a technical diver, owns a boat and works with a small group of researchers and divers to discover new local ship and plane wrecks.
Steve has also contributed historic maritime research to NOAA and participated in the 2017 NOAA expedition to locate the McCulloch, a Revenue Cutter that sank west of Santa Barbara. He is a published author and has been featured in various books, newspapers, and diving publications. Steve has appeared in Drain the Oceans and dived with Josh Gates for Expedition Unknown. Additionally, he has served as the past president of the California Wreck Divers and is currently Secretary at the Adventurers’ Club of Los Angeles.
Peter Jensen #1101 has always had a sense of Adventure. He’s crewed on a freighter across the Pacific, backpacked through Australia, parts Asia and biked across the United States (earning him the 2008 Adventurer of the Year). An avid wreck diver, he’s dived on many local wrecks but his main area of interest lies south of the border in Baja California, where he’s researched, dived or located hundreds of shipwrecks.