Posted by tleemay on June 19, 2001 at 15:51:06:
In Reply to: Casino Point posted by CalAbDiver on June 19, 2001 at 14:26:59:
Not from around these parts, are ya?
It's a concrete stair-step dive over rocks, no
beach. You can dive it from a boat or kayak, but
there's no real reason to. The area is float-line
marked off to keep boaters out. But for some reason
though, yak pilots keep forgetting that.
Casino Point is a dive park, plain and simple.
It's there for all divers to visit while on the
island. There is no charge outside of air fills and
tank rental in needed. It is also a game refuge, no
hunting or taking of any kind. The air fill station
is located about 50 yards from the stair step entry
where they also rent you other gear, like weights
and tanks, if needed.
It's also one of the primary training grounds for
OW, Advanced, and Rescue students. Last weekend there
was even a photography class in session. But with
the students and instructors plowing up the bottom,
I bet macro was as good as they could get.
The park is full of BIG calico bass, sheeps, sweet-
lip perch, plus the usual schools of senoritas,
blacksmiths, garibaldi's, bat rays, black sea bass,
lobster, kelp crabs, bleenies and gobis, an occaisonal
small sheeps crab or two, tree fish, etc. You will
probably find more sea life in this buoyed off quadrant
in front of the Casino than most anywhere else on
the island.
Leave the yak and inflatable at home, take Catalina
Express from one of the three mainland ports, and
proceed to dive your face off, and relax... while
learning something new to boot.