Avalon Harbor Cleanup, Catalina Island, California

[Jax]

For 2016, it was 20 Feb

Avalon Harbor Underwater Cleanup | Facebook & USC Wrigley Institute | WIES–Catalina Conservation Divers > Wrigley > USC Dana and David Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences

This is otherwise known as the 1st Dive Party of the Year . . . oops, I mean, “one of the largest annual dive events in Southern California.” If one doesn’t live on Catalina Island, one jumps the ferry to there – some come and leave on the same day, others come and stay for the weekend. I was a “stay for the weekend” one.

The purpose of this event is two-fold – to clean up our environment underwater, and to have raffles and sales to benefit University of Southern California’s Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber and Wrigley Institute Scientific Diving Program. This is one diver’s story for this year.

 

[Jax]

I live in Arizona, so the first issue is to pack wisely and drive 8 hours plus stops. That wisely part . . . yeah, it’s a long way to pick up something you forget. Fortunately, So Cal has many dive shops who are willing to help! J So, shout out to the Deep Blue Scuba and Swim Center at 11 39th Street in Long Beach. Swimming Lessons for infants, toddlers, and kids – Long Beach (CA) I stopped because I forgot my weights. . . . I told them I needed some weights and they pointed to the location. I was considering them and said, “dang it, I wish mine weren’t so far away”. The gentleman (yes, I forgot the name

) says, “how far is that?” I said “Arizona”, and then mentioned I was here for the Avalon Harbor clean up. Such a sweetheart, he gave me a discount and said thanks for helping out.
Side note: Avalon is on an island. There are limited resources. Many people have already placed reservations for tanks, dive gear, and – I am sure – weights. I was not sure weights would be available and besides, you can never have too many weights. . . . . Yes, I had a couple of offers to borrow weights but I was in a time schedule crunch to catch the 7pm ferry. Thank you, all of you.

All gear procured, my BFF looked for a place to eat and we navigated to Pier 76. Erm, yeah . . . of all the places I’ve eaten, it is one of them. The house Chardonnay was good, though. We made our way to the Long Beach ferry terminal. There are several ferries and you don’t have to go out of this one. Schedule & Fares Basically, figure on $75 per person per round trip.

Divers have a lot of gear. Thank God my BFF could take my suitcase. I had the tank, drysuit bag, and dive gear bag. Man, was that heavy. And the drysuit bag wouldn’t stay on top of the tank. So, after you park at $17 per day at the terminal, you schlep your gear to the stairs or elevator, then across the terminal street, up the stairs or ramp, and go get your reserved tickets. Registered divers for the cleanup received a coupon for $7.50 off your ticket – nice. You’re issued both to and from tickets, so DON’T LOSE THEM. Not refundable. They are very adamant about that, so you have to imagine they have to have been defrauded a lot. You must check in an hour early or lose your reservation. About ½ hour early, you get in line to load. Scuba gear and tanks go one way, luggage another. Once on the ferry, you are stuck in uncomfortable seats for the hour trip.

 

[Jax]

Arrival in Avalon

First, let’s get the not-so-pleasantries out of the way. Avalon is on an island. Everything has to be shipped in. Therefore, there is an island “premium” – expect your food to be double. The other part is that Catalina Island is experience a severe drought. You will not be given tap water at restaurants; you will pay for bottled water. This bothered me, because of all the garbage. The residents and businesses are being monitored and beat-up for water usage. Please plan ahead.

We arrived at 8-pm, and did the cattle mob to get off the boat. There are golf cart taxis awaiting if you wish. We schlepped our stuff over to La Paloma. Via hotel reservations websites, you can find $100 a night hotels. There are also very expensive hotels. Reserve in advance, always. By this point, after the long day’s drive and such, I just fell into bed. Others hit the party circuit, and you could tell the next morning.

The next morning, we hit the Pancake Cottage for breakfast. They do good crepes. They are open at 06:30, which makes it convenient to diving. Report time to the Cleanup was 8 to 10 am, I believe. I checked in at 9. The weather was somewhat gorgeous – bright and clear, it was chilly in the shade and hot in the sun! Water was a solid 62F . . . . What California divers call “warm water”. :shiver:

Everyone was milling around as they struggled into their gear. The event had a huge tarp over to the side on which everyone’s “offerings” were placed. They would give awards for the biggest, smallest, weirdest, high value, and best fish story attached to the item.

I selected Green Pier this time, because I had done Loveris Cove last time. I was diving dry with my HP 130 and a 27lb lift wing. Next time, I will dive with a doubles wing, because I could not lift a few things I found. I found a carpet mat that one might use for a boat. It had lots and lots of sand on it, and my wing wouldn’t lift well. I finally returned to the beach and asked a volunteer to drag it up for me. Mostly, I picked up pure junk, making sure it wasn’t inhabited before collecting. I cut fish line and wadded it up. There is piping and such laying there, but I didn’t have enough lift to drag it. The California State Fish, the Garibaldi, were following me around with a “why don’t you feed me?” attitude. I was getting a little sick – the surge and elevator motion was getting to me. Sadly, I get sick on an uneven sidewalk. As I dragged my stuff and a heavy cable out . . . yeah, I fed the fish. Hope the Garibaldi got some. . . .

After the diving came the prizes and the raffles. Sponsors are thanked, prizes are fired into the crowd (the fun one was the SPF 30 lip balm in a tiny jar, “Heads up or you could get hurt!”), local taffy, T-shirts, etc. All proceeds went to the USC facilities, so it was a great charity and fun event. There were scuba boat dives, hotel stays, discount coupons, and monkeys. Seriously, the monkey was the coveted prize. If I had won, I would take the monkey and re-donate the rest of it!

Between drawings were the awards. The strangest was the eyeball with three legs. The coolest HAD to have been the guy that found the Rolex . . . . My favorite was a guy that picked up most of a toolbox . . . one tool at a time, at various locations. Some found modern sunglasses, and one guy found a “Sea Hunt” style mask! Another found a ring, and claimed it to be Natalie Woods’ . . . I don't recall who had the best story!

The saddest finding was the transom of the King Neptune. The transom was placed so the name was hidden, as it re-evoked the sad memories of that night. RIP, Tim Mitchell. For those that do not know, the story is here: http://www.catalinafoodtours.com/the-heart-of-avalon/

After the festivities, everyone hit the local eateries to enjoy the good food and drinks and catch up with friends for the beginning of the dive year. Dr Bill Bushing was there as always; full of quips and wonderful stories of the island and its waters. There were a few other Scubaboarders in attendance, and it was basically a great meet-up of all of So Cal divers.

 

[Jax]

After Cleanup Day

There is a lot to do on Catalina. Hiking, biking, touring, diving, etc. Biking was the first selection, and we rented for the day. First, when they indicate a route is intermediate, expect to work. Second, when they indicate a route is advanced, they mean the 21-speed is in its lowest gear and you are standing up to make the grade. We chose Brown’s since it had good reviews. We biked to the Botanical Gardens and hiked through that to the Memorial. The Gardens are wonderful, but if you squat and steady yourself with one hand on the ground, check your hand! I carried out many cactus thorns . . . . Many of the plants are in flower year-around, so enjoy the seldom-seen strange and wonderful desert plants. They come from around the world.

Avalon has both a 9-hole golf course and a miniature golf course. On such a beautiful day, both are appealing. Our bike ride took a LOT of time, due to the very slow crawl up the +10% grades, so we did not find time to get to the miniature golf. The seats on the bikes are the narrow, hard, ones, so if you have biking shorts, I highly recommend them. There is a Conservancy Eco-Tour – the cost is about $600-$700, and for 1 to 8 people for half a day. If you can get several people, it makes it cost effective. You will tour the interior of the island, normally unavailable to tourists. The whole island, sans Avalon, is a nature preserve. There are also Segway tours, and jeep tours, and golf-cart tours. There are also golf-cart rentals and scenic tour maps and routes. There is a museum at the Casino, which is a theater.

My favorite eats were the Original Jack’s, the Lobster Trap, and the Avalon Blue Grill. Everyone says all the food there is good, and I believe it. We had an early night to pack, and left out on the 8am ferry to Long Beach. Due to the long drive, we ha

 

[WarrenZ]

Thanks for the write up and thanks for helping with the clean up. I need to do this one year.

 

[Jax]

It's a good time and way to shake out your gear for the coming season.

 

[drbill]

Is that what all those divers were doing out here last weekend while I was high and dry? Thanks for coming out and offering a hand.

 

[Jax]

The Awards!

Posted on behalf of Jill Boivin:

I wanted to thank you for your time and commitment to the 35th Annual Avalon Harbor underwater cleanup.

Here are the stats from the event and the trash awards.

Trash Awards:
Clothing: “Dorky" Fur hat with Paws Did it keep the divers’ head warm? Found by Johnny Haire

Electrical: TV Remote - Not usually found in the harbor waters, wonder if they were upset with the Superbowl? Found by Eric Mabry

Funniest: Handheld VHF Radio with the label Harbor Patrol along with a number Found by: unknown donor, However Bob Kennedy(former mayor) will be taking it and the trash award plaque to the Harbormaster to hang in city hall as a reminder of harbor budget needs, concerns, requests, etc.

Furniture/Household: With all of the concerns of el Nino rains you definitely want this around, Bug Zapper, found by Darryle Abbott

Kitchen Related: This was a fitting find, as the team that found it were married last year and came to their first U/W cleanup.This year for their anniversary they found their champagne brunch underrated - not only the eggs but the champagne glass to go along with it, (although I have heard of egg in your beer, not egg in your champagne!). Found by Lynsey and Quentin Scott Boatman

Bizarre: That is the only way we could describe this very unusual find - wonder what they saw in this - a three legged Eyeball(with adjustable legs)! Found by Sharon Wallin

Miscellaneous: With all the comic heroes around and their toys, someone found a Scuba Action Figure! Found by Samantha Assad

Smallest: A very tiny human skull bead, without the

Valuable: We’ve had rings and watches (and some have actually found their owners again!) This time a Rolex watch, still ticking! Found by Randy Gabler

Worthless: What can I say about this, in its heyday it was the technological marvel but not anymore an 8 track tape Found by Kerry Long

Beautiful: We had to create this category for this item, as it is the most beautiful thing to come out of the water in a long time A large square Chinese Teapot with gold accents; along with colors of paint were still bright and shiny in spite of the marine growth Found by Phil Darling

Most Spirited Dive Team: This years award goes to a family - with their young son Corbin on the shore who was so enthusiastic with all the family and trash and what was going on—swimming around all the divers while wearing a chest strap with a shark fin (neoprene?) on his back. Who know that sharks could bring such levity to the day! Brian, Corbin (and family) Bray

The Ken Kurtis Siver Tongued Devil BS Award “I’m Being Framed!” won by Lynne Hagen for her story of finding a doll(girl) swimming in the water to get away after being accused of a murder. The props of a female doll and an worm eaten wooden frame complete this picture.

Golden Flipper Award: Given to a person or group that has dedicated time and years to working with the underwater cleanup. This year goes to Ted Sharshan who has worked with the cleanup for 16 years.

The Jon Hardy Award: Given to a person/group that is promoting diving safety and/or diving especially in Southern California and Catalina(Love this Island!). This years recipient has been diving since 1984 - decades! Diving and bringing divers to the island and has a club Barnacle Busters to continue this tradition. This years award goes to R. Buck -- Keep on Divin”!

Trash- 4980 lbs.
Participants: 343 Total (317 Divers, 26 Non-Divers)
Total revenue: $20,738 (Pre-reg $13,450; Day-of reg $1,800; Raffle $4,519; T-shirts $969)

I think the event was a great success and hope to always improve upon the day with help and comment from you. If you have a suggestion, we are all ears! If you have or know others who would or might like to help next year, please spread the word.

Save the date for the 36th Annual Avalon Harbor Cleanup on 2/25/2017.
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Jill A. Boivin, Chairperson
Avalon Harbor Underwater Cleanup