QR code in the works for Bottom Scratchers plaque in La Jolla

A QR code might soon be added to the Bottom Scratchers plaque in La Jolla’s Scripps Park. When scanned, the code would take its users to a web page with more history and photos of the venerable diving club.

The La Jolla Parks & Beaches board informally gave its support to the proposal July 29.

“The QR code would offer a lot more information about the important history of Boomer Beach, Point La Jolla and the Bottom Scratchers,” including 15 images in a slideshow, local bodysurfer Larry Asakawa told the board.

“We want to make sure people recognize the contributions of La Jolla divers to the sport and to science,” Asakawa said.

The page also would include maps of where the Bottom Scratchers dove, the early technology they developed and more information about La Jolla.

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. The group had only 19 members, all of whom are deceased.

Asakawa said a schedule for adding the QR code to the plaque was not immediately available because the information was still in draft form and being finalized. A cost for the installation also was not immediately available.

The plaque, installed in May 2024, is embedded in a boulder next to a bench near a grove of trees overlooking Point La Jolla. The plaque was donated by San Diego Freedivers and installation was handled by the San Diego Parks & Recreation Department.

Previously, the only commemoration of the Bottom Scratchers consisted of rocks known as “tombstones” at the bottom of the sea off Point La Jolla. When a member of the group died, another member or a friend would carve the person’s name into a rock and free-dive to place the stone on the seafloor. Volunteers occasionally dive to clean the stones.

The Parks & Beaches board did not formally vote on the QR project, though members said it would benefit visitors to the site.

Other LJP&B news

Board election: Looking ahead to La Jolla Parks & Beaches’ January election, President Bob Evans reminded people who might be interested in seeking a seat that there is still time to meet the attendance requirement for board eligibility.

“It takes three meetings in a calendar year to be eligible to be a director in 2026,” Evans said.

Eight seats will be available in the election, he said.

Bike path: Local volunteer Debbie Adams reported that those who tend to the La Jolla Bike Path have been focusing on trimming trees and shrubs.

“We have had such a dry season … and are worried about fire and dry brush accumulating, so that has been our emphasis,” Adams said. “And it looks prettier, too.”

She added that some trees have split or broken because they are too heavy and that volunteers don’t have the equipment to address it. Thus, she said, more funding is needed to hire professional trimmers to reach the taller trees to relieve some of their weight.

Donations to that effort can be made through the La Jolla Parks & Beaches board, with contributions earmarked for the project. Learn more at lajollaparksbeaches.org.

Next meeting: The board next meets at 4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 26, at the La Jolla/Riford Library, 7555 Draper Ave.