One of my bucket list items was to dive kelp forests in California (I’m from Michigan) so I’m happy to finally contribute to this thread.
Dive Site: Casino Point, Catalina Island
Date: 8/15/25
Conditions: Calm, cloudy
Water Temp: 63 F
Visibility: 40-50 ft
Dive Buddys: Guided dive,Susie from Catalina Diver Supply, 4 other divers, 2 experienced, 2 newer divers
Comments: I only had time for one dive as I was with family visiting Anaheim for the International Pokemon Championships (who knew there was such a thing), and took the 815 am Catalina Express there and the 355 pm back, going out of Long Beach. My non diving spouse came as well so she went to the spa and we had lunch and walked around Avalon afterwards.
I brought my mask, computer, dive light, compass, and line cutter, with CDS providing everything else. The setup was pretty relaxed, the briefing about the dive, including the entry and exit of the stairs using the correct side and technique, dive signals for air and animals, descent, dive time, safety stop, and ascent was very detailed and complete.
There was a lot to take in, especially just going through the kelp, which was an experience all by itself. We went by the Cousteau plaque, found abalone, garibaldi, large parrot fish, no sea bass, but still a great dive for me.
The water temperature estimate was a bit high, so the shop put me in a new 5mm wetsuit. I asked about a hood, but the other divers said it wasn’t needed. In retrospect, I should have taken a 7mm with hood. It was a bit cold at the end, and the CDS warm showers were very appreciated. Next time I’m back I plan to stay longer to dive a bit more and bring my drysuit.
There was a bit of post dive excitement when we got to the top of the stairs. A father was quite distressed as he had taken his newly certified nineteen year old son for a dive, but himself unable to maintain buoyancy as he was underweighted, having not been diving for sometime himself. He had to surface, lost track of his son, who must have kept on going without him. It had been fifteen minutes, and he kept on asking everybody who returned if anybody had seen his son. Our guide wisely called 911, and the other two experienced divers went out on the surface trying to track down bubbles. The Avalon Fire department was on scene within just a couple of minutes, by which time the son had popped up on the south side of the park, wondering why everybody was shouting for him. Once he made it back to the stairs, one of the firefighters went to talk to him, and we left to go back to return our gear at the shop. A happy ending to what could have been a sad occasion.
