Completely new to Catalina Island diving

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jwwoo

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Hi, there you guys and ladies!

I've just moved to LA and want to dive in Catalina Island, which was one of my dreams.

Initially I put some questions about Catalina diving, but found enough answers from Catalina Info thread.
 
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Hi, there you guys and ladys!

I've just moved to LA and want to dive in Catalina Island, which was one of my dreams.

However, I need to find out answers to some basic questions that sounds a bit silly.

Firstly, how to take all my gears to Casino point. Is there a taxi in the island?

Do scuba shops rent weights? Where to leave my stuff when diving at Casino point?


Will be waiting for answers from you, guys.

Thanks.

The easiest way to dive Catalina is to take the Express across from Long Beach. Make reservations for the earliest crossing. You will need the time to get three dives in, or two with some sight seeing. When you get there follow the other divers. Most will be going to the gear/luggage truck to drop there gear off and have it trucked in the back of a pick up to the dive park for pretty cheap. They will also bring your gear back. You will walk the little walk around the harbor and sometimes find your gear at the dive park waiting for you or it will arrive in a few minutes. There is a storage container turned into a scuba shop at the point were you can rent anything you need. There isn't a theft problem in the dive park, so you can just leave your stuff out like we all do. There was lockers but I believe there still gone.:D
 
Thank you Keithbt!! :D
 
I've been diving Catalina most of my life. Given its appeal to SoCal divers, there are many options you can take. As suggested, coming over on the Catalina Express to dive the Casino Point Dive Park is one of them. Currently the dive park is open but there was a lot of damage due to the freak storm that hit us Dec 30th. The boundary buoys are not back in place so the area protected from boat traffic is currently much smaller than normal. Of course there is nowhere near as much boat traffic this time of year. The railings on our dive park stairs were damaged so getting in and out of the water can be a bit more problematic, especially given the extreme high and low tides this week.

There has also been a lot of damage to the marine life. The giant kelp is just beginning to recover from a long episode of warm water and low nutrients. Its recovery is greatly affected by the dense non-native seaweed (Sargassum horneri) that dominates the park's landscape. In addition the storm overturned quite a number of large rocks and boulders leaving barren surfaces devoid of much growth in the shallows.

A number of mainland dive boats out of the L. A. area come out and allow you to dive different locations on the island. Right now that may be a better option as some areas were not as significantly impacted by the storm as the Avalon area. You can find out what dive boats are heading here by picking up a copy of California Diving News or checking their website for boat trips: California Diving News - Dive Trips - Directory
 
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A few photos from yesterday's diving
 
https://www.flickr.com/photos/130052600@N08/sets/72157649946762870/


Here are some pictures of yesterday's Catalina diving.
Thanks for your advice, guys.

By the way, where can I take a picture of Kelp forest nearby LA and how can I get there(by boat or just walking into the water)?


Laguna Beach and Palos Verdes have kelp beds, but they won't be as extensive as those in Catalina. Laguna Beach has sandy beaches with stairs leading down. Palos Verdes has rocky beaches and some steep dirt paths leading down. Marineland (now known as the Terranea Resort) is the most common dive spot in Palos Verdes. You can walk down a well maintained path to dive in the cove. It's not too bad a walk. Entries and exits can be tricky. Shaws and Heisler in Laguna are the common dives spots there. There is more kelp off of Heisler than Shaws.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/swift/

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