Catalina Island
is located off the coast of Los Angeles, California. Please don't
confuse it with the other Catalina Island I mention in Costa
Rica. In Costa Rica, Catalina is basically a small chunk of rock
sticking out of the ocean. Catalina, in California, is a sizable
island. Much of the land around the island is a protected park-as
is the water surrounding the island. I was only in Catalina for a
couple of days, so I didn't get to see much of the Island other
than Avalon (I've included a picture of the beautiful harbour)
and it's immediate surroundings.
To get to Catalina you take the ferry from Long Beach. The
trip itself is over an hour. The island is beautiful and great
for a romantic getaway. As I have already mentioned, the area
surrounding the island is a protected marine sanctuary. The
waters are alive with a variety of 
fish and morays and you will be sure to
bump into the ever present state fish of California-the orange
Garibaldi. You can dive in a number of areas around the island,
and in Avalon itself there is excellent diving right off the
shore at the town Casino (pictured right). Here, dive operators
set vans and you can rent the equipment on the spot. Since I was
lacking a dive buddy on this trip, I decided boat diving would be
more convenient.
The diving in
Catalina was surprisingly good and different from anything I had
experienced in the past. For the first time since Ontario I was
once again in cold water and a full suit was necessary-despite
the warm August temperatures. I did however forgo a hood and
gloves and was still pretty comfortable. Where I went diving I
encountered a sizable school of small barracuda, a rather large
moray and a small sand shark in addition to dozens of Garibaldi
in all stages of development. The visibility was fair and the
rock formations pretty ordinary. However, what really impressed
me was the 
kelp. The kelp off the coast of
California grows up to a foot a day, and the kelp where I went
diving was well over 50 feet in length. It was a very different.
The kelp is pretty thick, but not thick enough to really
interfere with the diver. It was like swimming through an
underwater forest. It may not be for everyone, but then again I
didn't think I would be comfortable with this type of diving and
I had a blast. If you get a chance, and you want something
different from Caribbean diving-give Catalina a try. For
more detalined information on scuba diving in Catalina Island
click HERE.
Any Comments? E-Mail Me At: divers_log@hotmail.com
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