Channel Islands Operator Recommendations

Hello 'all,

It looks like I'm going to be coming to California on the weekend before Labor Day with two dive buddies to dive the Channel Islands, and I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations on operators. We would be looking to get at least four dives in over the two days, and the three of us range from the high teens to 40ish in terms of number of logged dives. In particular, we were looking at Cal Boat Diving as a possible choice.

Thanks in advance.


Mike

Hi Mike, call Channel Islands Dive Adventures (CIDA) for the best diving locations you can get. This is a charter service that specializes in pin point accuracy in unique dive sites. Tell Ken "HardcoreDiveTeam" sent you! Channel Islands Dive Adventures Unique Scuba Dive Charters and Events

One possibility would be taking the ferry from San Pedro over to Catalina ... perhaps booking a couple of days at an island hotel or B&B ... and diving the Casino Point dive park. It's an easy walk from "downtown" Avalon, and the park is a great way to get introduced to Channel Islands diving. With your experience level, and depending on whether you've dived similar conditions or not, Channel Islands diving can be rather challenging ... and keep in mind that unless you specifically hire one you won't have a dive guide in the water with you. The dive park offers plenty to see and experience for two days worth of diving ... and one of the local shops does have a boat if you're inclined to want more than just the park to dive.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

Cal Boat Diving is a good outfit. I have been out with them numerous times. That said, there are numerous good dive boats and location is important. Cal Boat is out of Ventura, so you are mostly going to see Anacapa and the northern channel islands. Catalina and the southern islands are served by other boats, different diving, more fish and kelp.

If you want more advice, disclose where you are staying.

Thanks for the advice. We are pretty much open on where we are going to stay---one of us will be driving down from SF and the other two will be flying in to LA. We were planning to arrange lodging in light of where we end up diving.

Thanks for the lead on CIDA---I will check them out.

Without a doubt try to get on a Truth Aquatics boat (Truth Aquatics Schedule and Rates) or on the Peace (Peace Dive Boat Calendar). You will have the best chance of hitting some of the less visited spots, and they are both top notch operations. If CIDA has something on one of those boats then I would jump on it!

We have had 2 fabulous trips on the Truth Aquatics' Conception boat and will be going on our 3rd trip next month. Highly recommended! Plus, you don't need to book a hotel since you stay on the boat. If you have questions, PM me. the 3 night trips run about $500 with unlimited diving (usually 5 dives a day,) great food, and a comfy bunk.

As someone who flies in and dives, I can tell you that the Peace offers some of the best diving and best service of any boat I have been on, anywhere. They have comfortable accomodations (and the most lovely, soft, thick, Polarfleece blankets in the bunks!). The crew is EXTREMELY professional, as well as being very helpful. They know the sites intimately, and can put divers on places that are appropriate for their experience and comfort levels. The dive briefings are thorough and detailed. The crew is fabulous at helping divers into and out of the water.

A roll call system is used to verify diver return, and it is not optional, and the only time I've seen Eric visibly annoyed with the divers was when people weren't quiet and attentive during roll call.

Entry is via giant stride from the side rail, and return is easy -- let the water wash you up onto the swim deck, and then you get up on your hands and knees and the crew will remove your fins. You stand up and climb the ladder to the dive deck. No getting on a ladder in the water!

Food on the Peace is extraordinary. I mean, "I'd pay solid money for this in a fancy restaurant" extraordinary.

I've been on a couple of other SoCal boats. They were solid operations, and I have no complaints. But if I can possibly do it, you will find me on the Peace.

Lynne, Peace is booked up that weekend with a closed charter. I know because my husband is going to be away on a sailing race that weekend, so I was looking for a boat to spend the weekend on.

Mike, one of the boats through Cal Boat Diving, the Spectre, is doing two day trips that weekend, and I'm on the Sunday one. But here's the best part: you can spend Sat. night on the boat! It's a very comfortable boat, second only to the Peace (and only by a small margin). They also have an awesome hot tub, and while the dining isn't quite as gourmet on Spectre (Peace has Joe, THE most incredible dive-boat chef I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing), they still do a great job, better than many other local dive boats.

Saturday is a day trip to Anacapa with 4 dives, and Sunday is a day trip to Gull Island with 4 dives. I'm going on Sunday because Gull Island is a REAL treat - it's a long haul out past Santa Cruz Island (we depart at 5am, so you board the night before and sleep in a bunk) and we won't get back to the dock until 8:30 at night. But if you do those two days, you'll see the absolute BEST of SoCal diving, between Anacapa and Gull Island, and you'll be well taken care of.

I'm right there with Lynne that Peace is the BEST dive boat around, but Spectre comes in a very close second, and you'll have an amazing time!

Editing to add: I'm now considering doing both days, so if you do the whole weekend I might be right there with ya.

Just don't drink the coffee on the Spectre. They use it to clean boilers . . . BEFORE they serve it