From: schutz@rand.ORG (Karl Schutz)
Newsgroups: rec.scuba
Subject: Re: Catalina: information wanted
Date: 3 Sep 92 16:16:45 GMT
Organization: The RAND Corporation, Santa Monica, California

In article <1992Sep2.210955.4311@leland.Stanford.EDU>, cjb@canopus.Stanford.EDU (Cecil Bloch) writes:
> I was thinking of spending a few days on Catalina (off Southern  
> California) in October. Any suggestions about where to stay and which  
> outfit to dive with?  Is it worth diving at all?

It seems like I have dove Catalina at least a gazillion times ... mostly helping
with classes.  And, I'm not alone here.  Catalina is one of the most heavily
dived islands in SoCal, consisting mainly of open water checkout dives and
continuing education dives.  Catalina's popularity is partially tied to its
relative closeness (as compared to the other Channel Islands) to the mainland. 
The result of all this diving is that some of the sites that used to be great 20
years ago (when I started diving) are pretty much trashed.  However, there are
still some really good sites left.  They are the ones beyond the skills of most
beginning divers.  So, if you want to hit those spots, don't ride a boat with a
lot of students (or better yet, any students) on it.

For general information, you can call the Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce and
Visitor's Bureau at (310) 510-1520 ... ask for their current Visitor's Guide. 
There's also an Accommodations Hot-line at (310) 510-3000.

As to where to stay on the island, Avalon provides the most amenities.  It's a
really quaint little town with lots to do (eat, drink, walk, shop, etc.).  All
that stuff that one does on vacation when not diving.  Also good if some of your
party are non-divers.  The "diver friendly" hotels are the Bayview Hotel, the 
LaPaloma Cottages, and the Seaport Village Inn.  These places cater to the 
specific needs of divers.  There are two dives shops in Avalon and 3 or 4 charter 
boats venture out from Avalon.  Two of the boats are 6-packs which offer your 
best chance to choose your dive sites.  Exactly where to stay or with whom to 
dive, I can't really give you the latest news.  Living in SoCal, I usually motor 
over to the island from the mainland.

Where to dive ... ah, there I can help.  

On the frontside (the side facing the mainland) there are several spots.  As long
as you're staying in Avalon, you should dive the underwater park at Casino Point 
(the rock jetty at mouth of Avalon harbor).  There are a few wrecks there (some 
really deteriorated) ... mainly sunken pleasure craft.  Because it's a protected 
area the marine live is fairly abundant.  There's also a dive shop on wheels (a 
van) which parks on site for airfills and minor equipment needs.  The drawback is 
that several classes are  present there on weekends.  It may get crowded. 
West by north-west of Avalon, an area known as the Isthmus has two spots that I 
like; both are deep, multi-level profiles.  The first, Ship Rock, is a pinnacle 
emerging from the sea.  The second is Bird Rock; however, dive the wall on the 
side opposite the island.  I also like Starlight and Parson's Landing which are
further north by north-west; however, they're becoming more popular with classes.

On the backside, there are two many sites to name here.  The most well known is
Farnsworth Bank (a deep dive).  These sites are in good condition because the
conditions seldom allow one to dive them.  Late fall and winter are the best
times.  Visibility is the best and the seas are the calmest.  Your best bet with
the backside is to talk with the skipper of one of the 6-packs out of Avalon and
asked about current conditions.  Hope that they are good because the backside is
the best side. 

Hope this helps.  After writing it, it sounds like I'm a charter member of the
chamber of commerce :-) .  I assure you that I'm not.  I'm just someone who's
been there a gazillion times :-) .


-- 
Karl F. Schutz
PADI DM-50321
Newsgroups: rec.scuba