Avalon Sucks

[Power Scuba]

There are strong elements of truth within the OP's statements. Very strong... but I have an emotional attachment to Avalon and will put up with the travail of going there every so often.

These are my two srongest-felt opinions regarding the Avalon Trek:

• The Express may indeed be pricing themselves out of the game. Even with gas being what it is I feel their fees are quite high.

• 
  Day or multi-day boat charters from the mainland do seem to be about the same price (everything taken into consideration.) Much less hassle.

• 
  (I won't even talk of the hotels.)

I simply wish the Catalina Island Company, the Express, and other involved parties could find a way to give us divers more good excuses to come on over... instead of us having to treat the trip as a once-or-twice-a-year extravagance.
​

I'm definitely rooting for Avalon, but it seems almost to be an anachronism that hasn't quite found the right forumla to provide it's customers (divers and non-divers alike) with the proper incentives/motivation to come more than a time or two a year ... which would, in turn, allow it's residents (most of whom depend on tourism) to live well and be able to "winter over".

Bill Powers

 

[Teamcasa]

Yep, some people will not like it but for me it boils down to:
No 3 hour boat ride to get there.
No limited space on deck for my stuff.
No getting ready to dive with everyone else bumping shoulders.
No eating what the boat crew made. (Sometimes its good, sometimes - well it just doesn't make the grade.
Dozens of restaurants to chose from.
The surface interval is up to me.
The second, third or fourth dive is up to me.
Dr. Bill - fun guy to dive with, have a beer and a meal with at the end of the diving day.
No cranky deck hands.
No one rinsing their mask in my camera bucket.
No 3 hour boat ride home.
No one snoring next to me is a steaming hot, noisy, crowded bunk room.

And finally, although there are indeed better sites, the dive park always is changing and for my money, pretty damn nice.
Did I say no 6 hours on a crowded boat?

 

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Yep, some people will not like it but for me it boils down to:
No 3 hour boat ride to get there.
No limited space on deck for my stuff.
No getting ready to dive with everyone else bumping shoulders.
No eating what the boat crew made. (Sometimes its good, sometimes - well it just doesn't make the grade.
Dozens of restaurants to chose from.
The surface interval is up to me.
The second, third or fourth dive is up to me.
Dr. Bill - fun guy to dive with, have a beer and a meal with at the end of the diving day.
No cranky deck hands.
No one rinsing their mask in my camera bucket.
No 3 hour boat ride home.
No one snoring next to me is a steaming hot, noisy, crowded bunk room.

And finally, although there are indeed better sites, the dive park always is changing and for my money, pretty damn nice.
Did I say no 6 hours on a crowded boat?

Funny thing is I find the slower 2+ hour ride each way enjoyable on the top deck of a boat like the Great Escape. Last week I spotted a whale, several pods of dolphins, I soaked in the sun and drank plenty of beer (on the return trip). The Express is faster, but its like a bus, not very fun. Lately, none of the boats I have been on is more than 1/2 full, so its likely less crowded than the dive park. As for the snoring, ear plugs work wonders.

 

[Ulfhedinn]

Even though I live in So Cal. I live about 60mins from the Catalina Express. So for me the cost to get to the beach combined with the cost of the boat is painful. Otherwise myself and the little woman love Catalina.

Maybe its the newness of it but the divers seemed real friendly and I felt not issue leaving my gear in my dive trunk and/or Akona bag while I dove. Now if I could just meet Dr Bill and get that picture for facebook it would be complete.

 

[DeerCreekers]

kind of off topic here...but does everybody buy Dr Bill a beer at the end of the day? cause ive read that enough and I know we do). So if we all do....isnt that like feeding the pideons? No wonder you're always around Dr Bill.

 

[drbill]

Firewalker. No question there are better dives around Catalina (Farnsworth, Ship Rock, Little Farnsworth, Sea Fan Grotto, Blue Caverns, Blue Car Wreck, etc., etc) and that these are often readily accessible from The Big Island (mainland) via dive boats. And you are right that when adding up the cost of the cross-channel Express, parking, cabs, food, air fills, etc. that mainland dive boats are often a better deal. Can't argue with that.

However, that does not make Casino Point a bad dive spot.

The past few days we've had 50 ft vis or better. One just needs to dive over the rocky reef rather than over the sandy bottom in the training area (where vis can be minimal). I have filmed many incredible things right in the dive park (OK, no great whites filmed there... yet) including the rare nudibranch Hypselodoris californiensis, and of course many giant sea bass. Admittedly the presence of so many divers does tend to keep some of the critters away from the dive park in any frequency. However, I always find plenty of subjects to film... and new behaviors to document. One just needs to look with a careful eye.

 

[drbill]

I simply wish the Catalina Island Company, the Express, and other involved parties could find a way to give us divers more good excuses to come on over... instead of us having to treat the trip as a once-or-twice-a-year extravagance.

It is a bit of a trip for you, Bill, coming from Sandy Eggo (and I like the diving down there).

We are looking at ways to enhance the experience of diving the park... such as adding a large wreck.

Understand though that divers represent a small part of the overall market for the Express and the SCICo (Island Co.) derives little direct revenue from divers other than the lease rent for the air fill station... and they incur expenses due to divers' use of Casino Point which is their property.

 

[drbill]

kind of off topic here...but does everybody buy Dr Bill a beer at the end of the day? cause ive read that enough and I know we do). So if we all do....isnt that like feeding the pideons? No wonder you're always around Dr Bill.

Actually I drink very seldom since I try to dive as much as I can. Dave and his lovely bride are always very gracious in offering to buy me a beer, as are others. I enjoy the comraderie with divers from the mainland and would sit and talk with them without the beer any day.

 

[Thiad]

If you're taking suggestions, Dr. Bill...

If there is one complaint about Casino Point, it's the bathrooms and the lack of showers right close (and not up the street). By Sunday afternoon, there's usually one toilet that's broken and flooded the floor. Not pleasant, but Catalina's not alone. So many of the bathrooms at the local beaches are disasters - especially by the end of the day.

Oh - a few more lockers would be nice, too!

 

[Mossman]

I just wish it were possible to rent a golf cart by the day. The park is really nice midweek during the off-season when the air fill station is closed, but then it's a real PITA to swap tanks with the lame push carts available at Scubaluv or CDS. Shopping carts from Vons work better IMO (I buy bottled water there and obviously need the cart to tote my purchase to the Point, might as well stick the gear in there too), but the couple of times we stayed in a place that came with a golf cart, it was heaven. Zip over to Scubaluv for more tanks, zip back to the Casino, park right at the site and jump back in. Better than a boat IMO.

(Or just having the air fill trailer open midweek in the off season and nights too would be great, while I'm making my wish list, though I realize it's not economically feasible)