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JoelW

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Scuba Instructor
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Location
Minneapolis, Minnesota
I am going to be out in Anaheim over St. Pat's weekend, 3/17, for business and have the Sunday to burn. I am looking for suggestions for someplace to get into the water. One of the guys I work with who is from SoCal suggested Catalina Island for the day.

Any suggestions welcome. Also looking for a buddy if anyone is looking for an excuse to get out of the house for the day. Beer is on me.

JoelW
 
JoelW,

Catalina is an awesome choice!

All too often Catalina is overlooked and people think they have to go to some far off tropical resort. Catalina holds treasures all its own.

I happen to have one one of those HUGE coffee table books here that shows Catalina as being rated in the TOP 10 in the world many years running.

If you haven't been there then is is for sure a MUST!

=-)


 
:royal: is right! Catalina is excellent, some other choices would be a trip out to the other Channel Islands like San Clemente or even to the Farnsworth Banks. Most of the time the boats will visit a variety of different locations on a full day charter.

Another excellent choice would be to take a 90 minute drive down to San Diego and dive San Diego's famous Wreck Alley.

Check out this LINK for searchable database of dive boat schedules in the area.
 
Just got back from Catalina. Water was right about 63; visibility seemed to range from 20 to 50 feet. In addition to all the usual great marine life typically seen we came across several bat rays.

We went out on the Bottom Scratcher which leaves from Long Beach. It felt a bit crowded with small equipment stations, but the captain and crew were all very nice and helpful.
 
If you're staying close to Long Beach, I'd say Catalina is your best choice. There are 3 boats to choose from, one of 'em will have an opening. Barring that, you can still take the Catalina express out and dive at the underwater park; if you don't care about the cost, the boat dives are better than the park, but the park is pretty easy to do. If you're further north (i.e. North of the 101/405 interchange), consider going with a boat to the Channel Islands out of Ventura (The Peace has been my favorite SoCal boat to date). There are 3 boats out of Ventura, so, again, you're almost certain to be able to get on one. Or, if you're staying in the south, go for wreck alley. The thing is, you can wind up driving a looooong way to get to the boats, depending on where you're staying. If you're on vacation (even if its just one day), you don't want to waste it in So. Cal. traffic. You will have to waste your chance to sleep in, the boats all leave from 7 to 8 AM. I've been to Minneapolis, if you've never been here, you'll find that Southern California is a lot more spread out - nothing is very close to anything else by mid-west standards, although you do get the advantage of not having to screw around with ice on the roads. Given your time frame, expect the water to be around the mid-50s at depth pretty much anywhere you dive. It could be warmer, just don't expect it and you'll be okay. That'll be quite balmy for you...

BTW, while I'm not opposed to diving with you next March, its a bit early for me to plan on it. You might want to wait until the date's just a bit closer before looking for a buddy. You'll definitely get responses if you post that you're looking for a buddy next March.
 
Uh, guys, this thread is 3 years old.
 
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