Posted by Elaine on November 11, 2003 at 14:15:28:
In Reply to: Catalina island posted by Gary on November 11, 2003 at 11:14:19:
How to "do" Catalina
1. Take the Catalina Express (www.catalinaexpress.com) to the Island. Dive equipment can be rented from several places on the island. Most shore diving is in the Casino Point Park, a protected area where nothing may be taken or disturbed. Bring a c card and your wallet. At an island dive shop, such as "Scuba Luv" you can rent all equipment, get on a one day dive charter, arrange for an underwater guide if you want, and even have a video made. Just make reservations ahead of time.
2. Take a dive boat from the mainland. See californiadiveboats.com for complete boat listings and schedules. Dive boats from the mainland do most of their trips on weekends. Most dive boats require that you arrive at the boat with either your own equipment or rented equipment, including weights and tanks. Once again, advanced reservation is needed.
How to get fresh seafood - A fish and game liscence is required. Some areas at Catalina are protected no take zones, some aren't. The boat captains can usually tell you what is legal and where.
Wrecks -
1. In the Casino Point underwater park on Catalina there is a sunken sailboat that moves around. There is a more secure wreck of a scooner called the "Sunjac" but it is mostly deteriorated.
2. Just outside the Casino Point underwater park boundary there is the wreck of the Valient. This is in a boating area so you need permission of the Harbor Master to go there. The Harbor Master is located on the "Green Pier" on Catalina Island. He can also give you a map to the Valient. It is a perfectly good wreck dive.
3. Off LA there are several good wreck dives. The Olympic, the Palowan, the Moody, etc. There is not a daily boat schedule going to these wrecks. See schedules in www.californiadiveboats.com. Our wrecks can be beautiful in the right conditions. See http://diver.net/elaine/2003.05.31 for photos of the Olympic Wreck.
4. San Diego has "Wreck Alley" for daily trips to their wrecks - Lois Ann and The Yukon being the most popular. Once again, you need to bring your own dive equipment to the dive boat. See www.californiadiveboats.com for San Diego Schedules.
Hope that this helped.
Elaine