| Objective: SCUBA diving in Catalina Location: Casino Point Dive Park, Avalon, Catalina Island Explore: Kelp forests, coral reefs Duration: 2 hours |
Would you scuba dive in an underwater forest? Come to Catalina Island and see how giant kelp blades resemble towering trees in a dense forest. Rising to 100 feet high, the kelp forests provide a sanctuary to an impressive variety of marine life. At the junction of warm and cold currents, the nutrient-rich water offers food to thousands of species. Garibaldi (California’s state fish), moray eels, sheephead, and kelp bass hunt for prey hiding among the kelp fronds.
| Take the Ferry | Casino Point Dive Park | Secrets of the Kelp Forest | Garibaldi | Catalina Air Show | Plan Your Visit |
Take the Ferry
From Newport Beach, the ferry takes 75 minutes to reach Avalon in Catalina Island. While crossing the Santa Barbara Channel, you will have a good chance of seeing dolphins. On the top deck of the ferry, enjoy the spray of water and sway of 26 miles of ocean.
Casino Point Dive Park
From Avalon Harbor’s dock, it’s less than a mile to Catalina Casino. The city’s restaurants and shops line the streets across from the Avalon Pleasure Pier. After a brief walk past the red-tiled Art Deco Catalina Casino, you arrive at the Casino Point Dive Park.
The dive guides are waiting by a low wall by the jetty. My guide, Dave, has my gear ready to go. Since the water is cold, I put on a 7 mm wetsuit in addition to the BCD, tank, and flippers. I walk down the steps to the underwater dive park and submerge into the water by climbing down a rope.
Secrets of the Kelp Forest
After a loud exhale of bubbles, you swim by swaying blades of the giant kelp forest. This abundant habitat supports a diverse array of kelp bass, perch, and sheephead.
While drifting past rocky reefs, a toothy moray eel pokes its head out of a hole. The underwater sunbeams dot the Pacific floor. When you look above, schools of fish block the light from reaching the depths.
Garibaldi
The Garibaldi is the star of the show. Garibaldis are extremely territorial and will defend their turf among the kelp forest and rocky reefs. This bold two-foot-long fish has a hard to miss reddish-orange glow and heart-shaped tail. While approaching a coral cliff, a golden orange garibaldi gracefully glides from behind a kelp frond.
Catalina Air Show
The sound is deafening. The sky has split apart. From the mountainside overlooking Avalon, a jet screeches by and swivels on its side. You can almost see the pilot in the cockpit, before the jet blasts off toward Avalon Bay.
On this day, I travel from the water to the mountain and back to terra firma. After crossing the ocean on my birthday, I meet another force of nature – my newborn niece Eleanor Jade.
Plan Your Visit
Ferry:
Dive:
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Keep Diving!
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