Catalina Island Diving

Catalina Island has a lot to offer for divers of all skill levels. It is located about 20 miles off the coast of Southern California and includes 100s of great dive sites to explore with many kelp forests. I have done a majority of my 80 dives around this island since I have been certified.

The front side, which is the leeward side of the island, is great for new divers and photographers. It is also good for divers who want to hunt for lobster and scallops during season. There are a variety of dive sites that are perfect for open water or advance training as well as sites suited for night dive training. My favorite dive site on the front side is Ship Rock which is a small rock just off the island. This dive sight is perfect for both beginning and advanced divers and can go as deep as 300 feet at some spots so make sure you can see the bottom before descending and watch your dept gauge. This site also has Angel Sharks which can grow up to 6' in length.

The back side of the island offers diving for the more advanced diver. The most popular dive site on the backside is Farnsworth Banks which has a pinnacle system that averages 100 feet deep and is home to Allopora Californica or Purple Hydro coral which is very rare in cold waters. When diving, please look at but do not touch the coral since it is protected. It is a great site for taking pictures as well as deep diver training.

Dive boats from both Catalina and the mainland offer both 1-day and multi-day/Island dive trips. If you are looking for dive boats from the Island, then King Neptune and Scuba Cat would be your two choices. There are also dive boats from the mainland including the Magician , Great Escape, Bottom Scratcher, and Sand Dollar which are the ones I would recommend.

For those who want to beach dive around Catalina, the best beach diving is done at Casino Point in Avalon. Casino Point is named after the big round building in Avalon which used to be a casino. You can get to Avalon from the mainland by taking the Catalina Express from Long Beach or San Pedro. At casino point everything is very diver friendly since there is an Air Fill Truck next to the Casino which is open on most weekends. There are also restrooms and lockers there as well. Access to the dive site is very easy since there are stairs that take you to the water. The surf is usually calm with visibility ranging between 15-100 Feet. Sea life is very abundant and there are a few wrecks around the bottom of the dive site. You should bring your camera since there are many pictures to be taken.

Diving Catalina Island is a must for divers visiting Southern California.