Beginners thinking about diving Channel Islands

[uncleleo]

The wife and I are recently certified (as of two weeks ago) open water (did it in a quarry in Pennsylvania, cold water, low viz).

We have the opportunity to go on a three-day liveabord to the south Channel Islands and are wondering if it's an appropriate trip for newbies. Any thoughts on the subject would be greatly appreciated. If it's any help, the trip is on the Sand Dollar out of San Pedro and it is leaving early September.

Thanks in advance.

L

 

[kelpmermaid]

By south Channel Islands, I assume you mean Catalina and San Clemente. There are many dive sites there that are appropriate for new divers.
You were certified in cold, dark waters, so that's a plus. Will these be your first ocean dives? Bouyancy and weighting will be different. Do you have your own gear? What about thermal protection? Boats here don't generally send a guide in with you; are you comfortable with that? Are you going with a group or by yourselves?

 

[red_infinity]

New divers do their first open water dives at Catalina and other Channel Islands all the time - it's usually the best place to do it anyway. You should have no worries other than having to adjust to saltwater. Having experience in low vis and cold water is good because you'll encounter that quite a bit here in California - although more so on beach dives; the islands on the other hand normally have much better visibility.

Welcome to California diving! There's tons of stuff to see, big and small.

 

[uncleleo]

Thanks for the responses...

Yea... the boat is planning to stop on Catalina, San Clemente and Santa Barbara.

Regarding gear: only own the basics (booties, fins, masks, snorkel, gloves). We plan on renting it in San Pedro, as we're coming from NYC.

There are a group of people coming on the boat, some friends of ours who have been diving for a while as well. I doubt we will do as many dives as they will, but they have offered to show us around. There is a possibility we can pay one of the DMs to guide us for a few dives.

Is the fact that it's a liveaboard change anything? I've heard they are a bit intense.


L

 

[kelpmermaid]

Is the fact that it's a liveaboard change anything? I've heard they are a bit intense.

L

The thing is that if if doesn't go well for whatever reason, there you still are on the boat. You can get cold after the repeated dives, but you don't have to do every one. Of course, it also means several days of shared facilities.

Have your friends been out on these trips before? Have they told you what to pack/bring?

 

[uncleleo]

Haven't discussed what to bring, as we're still debating whether to do the trip or not. I don't think they have done a liveaboard before. But interms of gear, I know we'll need a 7mm suit, hood (and the typical rest of it).

L

 

[Leejnd]

The only other thing I'd suggest you be aware of is currents. The currents can be strong around the islands, and kick up mid-dive with no warning. If your dive experience is only in quarries, then that's not something you've had to worry about before. The DM on the boat should give you a full briefing at each spot, including the direction and apparent strength of the currents. Just remember to start your dive swimming into the current...and maybe brush up on your navigation skills in advance (unless you've got a DM leading you on your dives...which is not the norm around here).

SoCal diving can be very different from many other popular dive regions...but no less rewarding. We may not have all the tropical fishies and brightly colored corral, but we've got...KELP! And all the critters that live in it. Diving in kelp forests gives me the strongest sensation of flying that I've gotten anywhere. When you find a kelp forest where the kelp rises up in tight bunches like trees, with meandering dirt pathways between them, and you can just weave your way through them...it's like you are on a hike in an East Coast woods, but you are literally flying through the trees.

Good luck with your trip planning!

 

[uncleleo]

Wow... thanks for all the advice. You guys are awesome.

 

[DaFireMedic]

Another tip would be to watch your depth. Many of the popular sites off the islands have depths well below 100' (and beyond) and you can easily go deeper than you intend. I only say this because I went on a boat off Catalina and 2 divers were there doing there first few dives after certification.They ended up going to the chamber after showing signs of DCS. On checking their computers, their max depth was 152 feet! Just something to be aware of.

You should have fun, go for it and enjoy the dives.

 

[sarita75]

Okay, I am going to pipe in here. I think that a suggestion to have a DM go with them would be a reasonable suggestion. California diving, for the most part, requires divers to make it back to the boat, rather than taxi service like you get in other places like Florida. Furthermore, the OP, a new diver, did check outs in a quarry which doesn't have currents, kelp, etc. No open ocean - another set of new experiences.

I don't know - I think it might be a bit much if they were to do it alone and they would end up getting frustrated or worse.

My suggestion would be to check with the operators to see if they can recommend someone to act as DM. I would just hate to hear of a tragedy.