Moving to SoCal. Should we bring our boat?

geoff w:

It's somewhat out of date, but California Dive Boats : The Official Page gives you some idea of typical dive boats here. If you're looking to offer something different from all the others, cater to small groups, start from various marinas' launch ramps and visit a lot of coastal spots the bigger dive boats don't service, you could have a market segment all to yourself. For weekend day 2 tank dive trips and be done by noon with the rest of the day for other activities (like the Hawaii dive boat model), I'd definitely be interested. From Long Beach, there are a lot of marinas with launch ramps and coastline you could cover in LA and Orange counties within a relatively short drive (as well as dive shops looking for more competitive pricing on classes). You can google "southern california marina launch ramp" to see your options. I've always been surprised nobody here has a trailerable 6 pack dive boat around here offering less expensive shorter duration morning dive trips (without having to deal with slip fees, maintenance from being in the water all the time, etc). When I dive in Hawaii, the boats always seem to get launched, loaded and under way within 15 minutes, and it's usually bigger boats than you've got

It would be worth it to me just to avoid the long surface swim out to dive the Pt Dume pinnances and not have to worry about currents for the swim back

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AAdiver69:

Looking for help/advice,

My wife and I are moving to Long Beach area in October. We both are avid divers (we both teach diving-as a side job). We currently live in Destin FL and we have a 27' six-pack dive boat. It's got a single, 330HP inboard motor, a great GPS/Depth finder and is a very comfortable dive boat...in the Gulf.

Our concern is we lack the dive experience in SoCal to know if this type boat will be more a hindrance than a help. We are not sure we should bring our boat (it's on a trailer) or look for something bigger with two motors. Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated. We will also be looking for new dive buddies and a FUN!!! dive club in the area (we are avid partiers too).

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

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MalibuJerry:

there are a number of trailered charter boats here in So. Cal. See e.g. goby diving (the yellow boat on fb) The issue with Pt. Dume Pinnacles is that the nearest launch ramp is Marina Del Rey and that is a long haul. Having said that there is always room for more, but you might want to consider duel motors rather than your single. However I would start out with the single and see what the demand is. From Long Beach there are lots of great wreck sites close to the Cabrillo Marina and your boat would work great for that.

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geoff w:

I thought the Goby was just a small inflatable, like a Zodiac. Their web site (thegoby.net) seems messed up, since everything comes up in Chinese!

Yes, Point Dume is a ways from Marina del Rey, as well as from Channel Islands marina. But there are other spots between Pt Dume and either marina for a second dive, or a third one, that aren't easily accessible as a beach dive

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