Last week this thin-blooded Florida/Caribbean diver got her first taste of diving Catalina-style. Catalina Island rivals anything Ive seen in Florida or the Caribbean! Catalina is an underwater paradise full of enchanted cathedrals of 40-50 foot tall kelp forests with colorful Garabaldis flitting from one kelp stand to the next. Diving there is a magical experience. For one brief captivating moment I was even nose-to-nose with an inquisitive sea lion. Sure the water is a bit chilly (61 64 F), but the clarity, the topography and abundance of flora and fauna are stunningly beautiful. The seas were nearly flat and if we encountered any current, it was very mild. I did 5 dives in the few days I was there (2 shore, 3 boat), each dive averaging about 40 minutes. My 7mil Henderson hyperstretch didnt quite keep me warm enough to be really comfortable until I borrowed a sleeveless 3mil shorty and wore it under my full suit. The Henderson suit stretched comfortably over it and I didnt feel restricted at all. I was so nice and toasty then, the chilly California waters felt like the warm Caribbean.
We had wonderful accommodations at the Pavilion Hotel and dove with SCUBA Luv, right around the corner from the hotel, for our boat excursion. The dive boat and all the shore diving is an easy walk from the hotel. Avalon is only a mile square and everything is within walking distance. SCUBA Luv did a good job for us: a big, full-kitchen boat with continental breakfast in the morning, snacks between dives #1 and #2 in the morning, a lunch buffet after dive #2 and cookies and sodas after dive #3. The ride to the dive sites was under an hour. The dive briefings were thorough and informative. The DM, Chris, didnt set any time limit on our dives. He just turned us loose and stayed on the boat with Bob Kennedy, the captain, as surface support. The boat has a compressor onboard so we didnt have to change out our tanks, the crew just refilled them before each dive. There are lots of wonderful places to eat in Avalon, shopping, a movie theater and miniature golf course. There are all sizes of boats for rent, kayaks and bicycles, too. Plus enough hiking trails on the island to satisfy a month of surface intervals.
I'm already planning a return trip! See you there!!
We had wonderful accommodations at the Pavilion Hotel and dove with SCUBA Luv, right around the corner from the hotel, for our boat excursion. The dive boat and all the shore diving is an easy walk from the hotel. Avalon is only a mile square and everything is within walking distance. SCUBA Luv did a good job for us: a big, full-kitchen boat with continental breakfast in the morning, snacks between dives #1 and #2 in the morning, a lunch buffet after dive #2 and cookies and sodas after dive #3. The ride to the dive sites was under an hour. The dive briefings were thorough and informative. The DM, Chris, didnt set any time limit on our dives. He just turned us loose and stayed on the boat with Bob Kennedy, the captain, as surface support. The boat has a compressor onboard so we didnt have to change out our tanks, the crew just refilled them before each dive. There are lots of wonderful places to eat in Avalon, shopping, a movie theater and miniature golf course. There are all sizes of boats for rent, kayaks and bicycles, too. Plus enough hiking trails on the island to satisfy a month of surface intervals.
I'm already planning a return trip! See you there!!
