Yeah, diving here when the water is 34-37f sucks... I'm not sure if the Bering Sea is even diveable, the ocean is very messy on Alaska's east coast.
I did 57 degreeish dive in Oregon this summer, and had a blast. I was certified in Valdez, AK in February (Brrrrr....), then spent 6 days diving in Hawaii. They didn't even come close to comparing.
I've only heard awesome things about Catalina, and I'd love to dive it one of these days. My wife and I are moving down to the lower 48 next year (Oregon), so maybe it's a realistic option. We're building a home somewhere on the West Coast, but haven't decided exactly where yet.
The one huge benefit of Scubaboard is the extremely wide range of people this board encompasses. I wish I had started diving at 13... that would have been awesome =)
Diving is truly a lifelong sport.. there's such infinite variety of things to see underwater, and different ways to see it.
Good luck!
-B.