California Dive Trip Information

[coldwaterlloyd]

I have been reading the forums , checking links , photos , videos etc
California diving looks real interesting to me .

I dive a few hundred miles north on Vancouver Island so am well familiar with cold water and dry suit diving .
Califorinia water temps seem to bottom out in the mid 50's which is balmy for me .

Is early March a good time to find charters , I would like to dive every day for 5-6 days , at least 3 dives daily .
The Casino Pt site on Catalina looks awesome , and I love shore diving , are there other good shore dives on island ?
Would a week on Catalina be too long , would I be able to find charters on weekdays ?

Is Catalina diving the best of California ? I know this can stir up a whole can of worms but here on Vancouver Island we all know the Port Hardy area is the best diving in our region .

What is best hotel in relation to dive shops etc ?

I have been reading the threads but some are old and things change fast nowadays .

The diving down there looks like where my local waters meet the tropics , I was looking for a tropical destination but Catalina looks like just as much fun , there are direct flights from here , it is the same time zone ,I do not think there are disease carrying mosqutos ? I have had a love for California since 1967 , I love drysuit diving , I cannot believe I have not checked this area out before ,

Your opinions and input are appreciated fellow SB'ers . coldwaterlloyd

[mathauck0814]

I have been reading the forums , checking links , photos , videos etc
California diving looks real interesting to me .

I dive a few hundred miles north on Vancouver Island so am well familiar with cold water and dry suit diving .
Califorinia water temps seem to bottom out in the mid 50's which is balmy for me .

Is early March a good time to find charters , I would like to dive every day for 5-6 days , at least 3 dives daily .
The Casino Pt site on Catalina looks awesome , and I love shore diving , are there other good shore dives on island ?
Would a week on Catalina be too long , would I be able to find charters on weekdays ?

Is Catalina diving the best of California ? I know this can stir up a whole can of worms but here on Vancouver Island we all know the Port Hardy area is the best diving in our region .

What is best hotel in relation to dive shops etc ?

I have been reading the threads but some are old and things change fast nowadays .

The diving down there looks like where my local waters meet the tropics , I was looking for a tropical destination but Catalina looks like just as much fun , there are direct flights from here , it is the same time zone ,I do not think there are disease carrying mosqutos ? I have had a love for California since 1967 , I love drysuit diving , I cannot believe I have not checked this area out before ,

Your opinions and input are appreciated fellow SB'ers . coldwaterlloyd

California is a big place and the diving is varied. Catalina has kelp forests and good visibility, there is more/bigger life at some of the farther out spots (Tanner/Cortez/Farnsworth banks or San Clemente island). Charters usually run on the weekends, but there are the occasional midweek boats that go out. Midweek you might look at shore diving as an option. Casino point is a popular place (that's out on the island and there are some logistical challenges to that). You can dive in OC at Veteran's Park and really all the way down the coast to La Jolla. The big wrecks in the area are in San Diego harbor. You can easily fill your dive every day, 3 dives per day agenda. You could even start in Monterey and just work your way down to San Diego and shore dive a week away. There's a lot of diving to be had around here, more than you're likely able to do in just one week.

Good luck!

[fisheater]

And all the above are just southern California. Central an northern California have much different (& colder) diving.




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