Visiting LA and diving from Long Beach

[IanK]

I am going to a conference in San Diego in December and have a chance to do some diving out of Long Beach on the weekend of 9 and 10th of December. I am a Monterey dry suit diver (plus Caribbean, GBR, Fiji, Hawaii, etc) and UW photographer (some pictures at http://web.mac.com/kennedyim and http://homepage.mac.com/kennedyim/PhotoAlbum27.html). I have been checkingn your sticky thread on Catalina info. I have been diving at Catalina, at the Casino and off a boat, a couple of times in the past. But this time it seems that it would be better to stay in long beach and avoid the Avalon hotel prices etc. Plus see some new territory. I have looked at the Great Escape that is going to Santa Barbara island on that Saturday. And I have also looked into the Bottom Scratcher (great name), possibly for a day trip to Catalina on Sat or sunday.

Does anyone have an opinion about good boats to go out on (SB island on the GReat Escape is overnight - is it reasonably comfortable?). Would any of you be willing to have a Norcal diver tag along with you if you are going out on these boats?

 

[Kevrumbo]

Great Escape is the bigger and more comfortable of the two --(they're both berthed at the same Landing in Long Beach):
http://www.diveboat.com/getting_to_the_great_escape.html

I've done that Santa Barbara itinerary before on the GE . . .real nice, good diving, fun with Sea Lions!

 

[RJP]

Appreciate any input here as well if you wouldn't mind a NJ "Wreck Valley" guy joining in on the fun!

I'll be in LA for a meeting starting on Monday Dec 11th, so would be interested in some diving on 12/9 and 12/10 as well.

Ray

 

[jeffrey-c]

You might check out this thread regarding the Great Escape - not all have been happy with their experience.

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=162383

 

[IanK]

Ray: I would happy to join you for a dive if you need a buddy. Stay in touch and lets see where the locals suggest. The Great Escape sounds like a nice idea but it leaves Friday night and gets back late Saturday afternoon. Or over to Catalina for the day is another possibility.

Ian

 

[IanK]

You might check out this thread regarding the Great Escape - not all have been happy with their experience.

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?t=162383

That does not sound very encouraging - in fact downright awful. Did they change owners recently?

 

[RJP]

Ray: I would happy to join you for a dive if you need a buddy. Stay in touch and lets see where the locals suggest. The Great Escape sounds like a nice idea but it leaves Friday night and gets back late Saturday afternoon. Or over to Catalina for the day is another possibility.

Ian

I can get in early enough on Friday night as needed, so that's not a concern.

See this thread for more info on what I'm looking to get into...

http://www.scubaboard.com/showthread.php?p=2356093#post2356093

PS - the thread on the Great Escape doesn't necessarily throw me off the trail. Many folks have posted good stuff about them. Besides, I'm used to diving on boats in NJ - we pay EXTRA for tatoos, armpit hair, and urine running down the decks!

 

[jeffrey-c]

LOL.... If you're used to paying more for those wonderful extras, then you'll LOVE the value you'll find here in California!

 

[MissyP]

I am going to a conference in San Diego in December and have a chance to do some diving out of Long Beach on the weekend of 9 and 10th of December.
I have looked at the Great Escape that is going to Santa Barbara island on that Saturday. And I have also looked into the Bottom Scratcher (great name), possibly for a day trip to Catalina on Sat or sunday.

Just curious, if you'll be in SD, why not dive in SD? Wreck Alley, La Jolla canyon, Scripps Canyon, LJ cove etc... beach dives &/or boat dives.

Dunno anything about the Great Escape.. but I wasn't too impressed with the Bottom Scratcher (although the crew & food were good).

 

[IanK]

I went out on a boat in SD last year. Not the Lois Ann, the other one whose name I forget. We had a engine break down and barely made it to the Coronado Island. The diving there was good. The next day we did wreck alley, not the Yukon but the communications tower and Ruby. See pictures at http://homepage.mac.com/kennedyim/PhotoAlbum26.html
I thought a trip out of Long Beach to the Channel islands would be a nice change since I can fly into Long Beach directly from Sacramento and hop the boat from there.

How is the diving in La Jolla Cove?