Catalina Island, An Unbelievable Experience
As posted by Keith Glaser, PADI Dive Master.
Photos by Keith Glaser and John Milburn
The island of Catalina lies some 23 miles off the coast of Los Angeles. Getting to the island we departed Long Beach on the Catalina Express. It takes about 45 minutes on this high speed cat ride to Avalon. Catalina, once owned by the Wrigley family (yes the Wrigley’s of Chicago). The island’s main (1 of 2) cities hosts a multitude of rental homes and hotels for vacationers and divers alike. Everything was within walking distance of our hotel (the Catalina Boathouse Hotel). This included Catalina Scuba Luv Dive Shop who arranged our awesome weekend of diving.
Catalina Island Diving
Catalina Island was the destination Toucan Dive chose to visit this past August, 2015. Diving the green waters of the Pacific Ocean off Catalina Island was incredible. Turtles, garibaldi (State fish of California), octopus, moray eels and nudibranchs were common in the kelp beds. We were in awe of the abundance of fishes found off Catalina Island. There were critters living in every crevice. We were expecting cold California waters. Due to El Nino, it didn’t happen this August. Our water temps were in the 72-77 Fahrenheit range on all our dives. This was almost tropical! The pier and our dive boat (the Scuba Cat) were right at the center of town. The dive sites along the continental side of the island made for some fantastic diving Clear green waters and minimal swell, provided us with comfortable surface conditions. The mountains of Catalina provided a beautiful backdrop during our surface intervals. While diving, an abundance of spiny lobster would peer out from the crevices. Also, these crevices hid octopus, waiting for an opportunity to strike their prey. Bright colored orange and fluorescent blue blennies sometimes covered rocks. The blennies mingled with the abundant, purple sea urchins in these waters. Combing through the rocks, one could find bright red and white Hopkins Nudibranch. You were never alone as the bright orange garibaldi was both curious and territorial. These guys would nip at fingers and ears from time to time. An occasional bat ray or turtle could also be seen cruising through the rock reefs and kelp beds.
Catalina Island – Surviving In Avalon
After a day of diving, the island provided a variety of choices for having the occasional “beverage”. Also, there is awesome dining on local fare in the town of Avalon. The local Lobster Trap restaurant, is right next door to Scuba Luv. This is a locals establishment. It has some the freshest caught seafood we have ever tasted. The restaurant has an unending selection of craft beers for pairing with your entrée. Every day, Jack’s Restaurant on the opposite side of Scuba Luv, provided a hearty breakfast to start the day of diving. All these places to dine and imbibe, were located near the pier. This is where we would start the day of diving on the Scuba Cat. The weekend on Catalina Island proved to be filled with terrific diving, comradery, and memories of great diving.. We can’t wait to return to this wonderful place! Check out how much fun we had in the gallery below!
