OP
robint
Contributor
At some point I will have to come south and try the Channel Islands - have not been so not sure how close they are.
The trip was truly amazing. I have been three times and each time was excellent, but this trip was something special. Even the weather cooperated. Sunshine and calm for all but the last day. Weather is always a crapshoot on these trips however. Have driven all the way up there to turn around and drive back with hurricane force winds preventing us from getting out to the pass.
I am going to have to try Gods Pocket or the Nautilus Swell next time. Getting too old for camping and diving.They all dive the same sites. The Swell is an old tugboat completely renovated and looks really comfortable, if you want to do this trip as a liveaboard this is how I would do it. Gods Pocket looks to be a great resort. Liked TSandM's trip report on that resort a real step up from the resort I stayed at.
haha... yes, please do try the Channel Islands. We try to get out there every year, its a 12 hour drive from our house. Here's a video showing a 4-day weekend trip for us.
https://vimeo.com/1032963
I love the Calif dive boats, too. They have a bunk room to crash in, but also plenty of HOT food between dives. And they do NOT put a DM in the water, you do your own profile and may not see any other divers the whole dive. Dive briefings go something like "here we are at ____ dive site, depth under boat is ____, be back on the boat at _____, have a nice dive". My kind of dive briefing!
We are heading back out again this summer. We might do land-based on Catalina for 3-4 days, then boat dive and shore dive. Let me know if you are interested. I think the Channel Islands is some of the best diving in this hemisphere.
my other Calif videos are here: https://vimeo.com/album/18779
robin
