Catalina Island - Diving Holiday Destination

Catalina Island (United States)

In California you'll find many great places to dive and explore the waters for spectacular marine life. Beaches and coves have a wealth of marine life. California has some of the richest kelp beds in the world. For high altitude dives and deep dives with the visibility of the Caribbean, California also gives you Lake Tahoe in the middle of the high Sierras.

Santa Catalina Island, often called Catalina Island, or just Catalina, is a rocky island off the coast of the U.S. State of California. The island is located about 22 miles (35 km) south-southwest of Los Angeles, California and is 22 miles (35 km) long and 8 miles (13 km) across.

Catalina is one of the most popular dive destinations in California. In addition to excellent visibility, the Island offers sheltered coves, underwater cliffs and caves, kelp forests, a variety of ship wrecks, and a vibrant variety of marine life, fish-filled reefs, and some good shark diving. You can spot the mako shark here, which is one of the fastest sharks in the world. Also expect to see horn sharks, soupfin sharks, sunfish, lobsters, barracudas, bat rays, electric torpedo rays, and the common octopus. Often time while diving here you'll be joined by curious sealions, who are always fun to watch. Diving at Catalina Island is definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity that you'll never forget

Climate

Catalina boasts a year-round Mediterranean climate, with warm, sunny days and cool evening breezes. In the summer, the average temperature is 75 degrees, while the mild winter average temperature is 65 degrees. The sun shines an average of 267 days a year, and the average rainfall is 14 inches per year.

Dive Facts

Water temperatures ranges from 57-61 degrees in the winter to 70-74 degrees in summer, with August to mid September being the warmest.

Dive Attractions

Located at the edge of the Catalina Casino building, is Southern California 's first city-designated underwater park. Established in 1965 by the City of Avalon as a reserve, The Casino Point Marine Park is less than a ten minute walk from the center of Avalon on Catalina Island. First established in 1964, this park is the first nonprofit underwater park in the country (and maybe the world), and offers some of the best shore diving in California! This site has become a Mecca to divers worldwide. Casino Point Marine Park has an abundance of marine life, giant kelp forests and several shipwrecks to explore. Several artificial reefs have been established to provide additional habitats.

It offers clean, clear waters and abundant sea life, free of mainland pollution and surf. The depth ranges from the rocky shore to 95 feet deep. Primarly the park consists of the fastest growing plant in the world, giant kelp (Macrocystis). The park's bottom contour reveals rock walls, pinnacles and a sandy plane on its outer edges, which is truly representative of Catalina Island's different characteristics.

Because of strict local laws prohibiting taking of game or salvaging artifacts, the park has become a home for a large variety of marine life. Plant life of all colors abounds, from the giant kelp to the smallest algae. Living within the rocky reef are lobsters, abalone, octopus, small fish and moray eels, including our friendly "Fang." Numerous mollusks and nudibranches also make their homes on the reef.

Swimming freely in the kelp forest are calico bass, senorita fish, sheephead, opaleye, blacksmith and garibaldi. Where the rocky reef ends and sandy bottom begins one may find angel sharks, bat rays, banded guitar fish and halibut. Numerous wrecks are also found in the sandy areas, which have become home to many types of marine life.

Other Dive Sites Include:
Bird Rock
Privately owned. Once proposed as a site for a gambling casino. Currents and surge. Heavy boat traffic. White seabass, yellowtail, halibut, calicos, sheephead, lobster and some scallops.
Blue Cavern Point
Lava formations, caves and currents. Boat traffic. Difficult to anchor due to depth and preserve.

Other

Language: English

Currency: Dollar : USD

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