How do you dive Catalina?

[Spg01]

To be fair, I have not taken the express over to dive the park. I have taken dive boats over to island though. Mostly for the reasons already stated. It just sounds like a pain to lug gear over to the island for diving.

I also like sleeping on the way over, wake up for some breakfast and back to sleep until we arrive at a site. Nice snacks between dives also help, along with a little dinner on the way back.

 

[Rainer]

There are advantages and disadvantages to both using a mainland boat and going to the Dive Park.

[M]ixing the two options is the way to go.

I agree with Dave. Taking a dive boat to Catalina vs. a ferry and diving the Dive Park are simply two different experiences. The costs are roughly the same (maybe a bit cheaper for the dive boat). The boats offer more varied dive sites and easier logistics. The dive park offers almost always excellent diving, done at your own pace, with the option of touring Avalon. Each year, we try to do a few of each trip.

Otherwise, how would you get to experience these types of dives?

*Casino Point Dive Park*

[vimeo]12352787[/vimeo]


*Other Catalina Spots*

[vimeo]7030794[/vimeo]

[vimeo]14414059[/vimeo]

 

[Scott]

As an "outsider" I prefer a live a board from the mainland where I can dive multiple sites.
I like that I can arrive the night before departure and stay on board and not have to shuttle gear. I'm usually tired since the commute is 10+ hours.
In my younger years a group of us always did the cat express, hotel, Casino Point and King Neptune for multiple day trips. I no longer care for all of the loading, off loading and lugging of gear.

 

[fnfalman]

We are trying to get a feel out there from divers on how you prefer to dive Catalina.

Do you prefer to take a dive boat from the mainland and dive one of the offshore sites?

Or do you take Catalina Express and dive the Avalon Underwater Park?

What motivates you to make these decisions? Time? Cost? Convenience? Preferred scenery? Conditions?

In general I prefer taking a charter from the mainland and the reasons are probably similar to most posters:

1. Less hassle with gears. Load it on the boat, set it up once, call it a day. Cost is about a wash when food, water, air fills are taken into account.
2. No reason to pay Cat Express, double handle the gears, double pay the fees so that I can go off the Scubaluv or CDS boats.

And yes, I do visit Casino Point via the Cat Express a few times a year just for giggle, but it is by far not my favorite dive spot on Catalina.

 

[Teamcasa]

....2. No reason to pay Cat Express, double handle the gears, double pay the fees so that I can go off the Scubaluv or CDS boats....

WE like taking one or two of these trips every year or so.

Bob Kennedy (Scuba Luv/65' King Neptune) runs a first class operation and really has his hand on the pulse of the Island and what spots yield the best diving. Plus, even when he has students aboard, he finds the best spots to suit both the students and experienced divers alike.

Catalina Divers Supply has a little smaller (46' Scuba Cat) boat that will go out with as few as 6-7 divers. They too know the Island's best diving and is the only charter that I've been on that would take divers to the USC preserve. (Others may but this is the one I took.)

Sure, there is a cost to diving with them but if money is the only consideration, your Catalina scuba diving experience will certainly be limited.

 

[drbill]

Hmmm, is this a trick question? Wake up, roll out of bed, have morning coffee, set up video gear, load up the Dr. Bill Mobile, fill tank at SCUBA Luv, drive out to the dive park, spend 87% of my time chatting with all the divers, do one dive (all the air fills I can afford as a certified dive bum), talk some more, drive home, rinse gear with garden hose, upload video to computer, edit video footage, take shower, head down to karaoke.

 

[Leejnd]

Go ahead, rub it in Dr. Bill!

 

[blue steal]

Somehow I can't envision Dr. Bill doing Karaoke.

 

[drbill]

Somehow I can't envision Dr. Bill doing Karaoke.

You should have been there last Sat night... I closed the place at 1:00 AM (I think the customers all walked out as I was singing). Mostly I'm just a karaoke voyeur but I do sing about once every 2-3 years.

 

[Dive California]

do a poll...easy to read results for all...interesting question.