How tough is Catalina?

[muddiver]

I need to check the itinerary. I think that I'll only have a few hours there, so a day trip is out. Is Lover's cove snorkel only? Also how are water temps? I have a 7mm suit but if I could just bring half of it that would be a lot better luggage wise.

Lover's Cove is snorkle only.

Activities :: scuba & snorkeling

The only diving is the dive park or off a boat outside of the harbor.

For snorkling a 7 mil is over kill. Water is probably around 70 deg on the surface and 56 to 60 at 60' to 70'. The 7 mil will be perfect for a deep dive. Wear a hood and gloves and you wil be toasty warm. :14:

Call a cab as soon as you have your stuff ready on dry land. It,s a fair walk to Casino Point and it is directely opposite the main landing for all the commercial boats and cruse ship launches. I never timed it but I would say it's a good five minutes to walk with a dive bag, making no stops.

Good luck, and enjoy.

Check back with us if you make the dive.

 

[Teamcasa]

Lover's Cove is snorkle only.

Activities :: scuba & snorkeling

The only diving is the dive park or off a boat outside of the harbor.

For snorkling a 7 mil is over kill. Water is probably around 70 deg on the surface and 56 to 60 at 60' to 70'. The 7 mil will be perfect for a deep dive. Wear a hood and gloves and you wil be toasty warm. :14:

Call a cab as soon as you have your stuff ready on dry land. It,s a fair walk to Casino Point and it is directely opposite the main landing for all the commercial boats and cruse ship launches. I never timed it but I would say it's a good five minutes to walk with a dive bag, making no stops.

Five minutes! I doubt a jogger would make in 5 min even without a gear bag. Allow 20+ minutes or, like muddiver said, call a cab.

 

[fisheater]

According to Google Earth, it's 0.8 of a mile (all flat, along with scenic harbor front) from the ferry terminal boarding ramp to the Casino Dive Park stairs into the water.

I say 10 minutes, at a leasurely (for me) pace.

 

[Teamcasa]

According to Google Earth, it's 0.8 of a mile (all flat, along with scenic harbor front) from the ferry terminal boarding ramp to the Casino Dive Park stairs into the water.

I say 10 minutes, at a leasurely (for me) pace.

Your a better man than me! I've walked it several times, dragging gear it takes me a touch longer.

Like muddiver said, now I take a cab.

 

[D_B]

Fisheater, Muddiver and Teamcasa ... good thoughts (takes me about 15/20 minutes with a rolling dive box to the park from the ferry landing)
Mine? the dive park is one of my favorite dives in SoCal, and easy enough that I took someone that was used to only warm water vacation dives there for her first time in cold water/wetsuit dives .. she had a blast

 

[dwaters]

SnakeRiverPirate, What day will you be on Catalina.... never know, one of us might just be hanging around to dive Casino Point. Check out our updated Catalina sticky for more info.
Most of the cruises are docked long enough for two good dives with time to rent your gear, etc.

 

[drbill]

Hey, I've done a few thousand dives in the dive park and survived every one of them. It is one of the few ocean dive sites that are considered safe enough to be used for the initial dives in OW class.

It would be best to get a guide, or another SB member to join you simply because it is a site new to you. Although I am a solo diver, I always get a buddy or take a guided dive when I'm in new dive locations.

I did three dives today, although none were in the park. Temperatures ranged from 65 F at 55 ft to a toasty 59 F at 155 ft. I'm getting worried with all this warm water even at depth. We might see another kelp die off like we did 2-3 summers ago.

 

[goldenbear01]

I did three dives today, although none were in the park. Temperatures ranged from 65 F at 55 ft to a toasty 59 F at 155 ft. I'm getting worried with all this warm water even at depth. We might see another kelp die off like we did 2-3 summers ago.

hi drbill, from your statement, i'm guessing that kelp die off a good thing. what exactly does it do? is it cyclical? what happens if there is no kelp die off?

thanks!

 

[drbill]

Not to hijack the thread, but I'll respond in case others are interested.

Kelp fronds only last about 6 months. They grow, mature and die. However, when temperatures increase above 68 degrees in summer, nutrient levels plummet and kelp begins to die off due to nutrient and thermal stress. If it lasts 2-3 weeks, the layers of kelp in that temperature regime usually die off.

This is normal... and in one sense good. More dead kelp provides detritus and drift material that feeds sea urchins, abalone and many other critters.

Normally this summer and fall phenomenon is restricted to the upper layers of the water column. However a few summers ago, surface water temperature stayed at about 79 F for three weeks. More importantly, temperatures at depths (150 or so) were above 68 degrees. When this happens, even the holdfasts at the bottom die off. Since these are the source of new fronds, the entire kelp plant dies off.

To see 59 F at 155 feet today, still in June, seems a bit ominous to me. It may only be a temporary blip, but if the deep waters continue to warm, we may not see much kelp this summer.

Even under those circumstances, all is not lost. There will be plenty of spores and microscopic gametophyte kelp plants on the bottom that will grow once the waters cool and nutrients increase.

 

[D_B]

The kelp forest is one of the things that make the park such a wonderful place. It was quite a shock to see it so bare of kelp as it was when I dived it a few summers ago under the conditions that Dr Bill referred to. But it does rebound and once again looks beautiful.
Some of my friends ask me why I dive here ... my answer ...

The Kelp Forest​

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or Why I Dive So Cal​

Imagine you're walking in a beautiful forest, with trees all around you ... the branches swaying to and fro in the slight breeze ... you come across a small glade ... leaf dappled sunlight speckles the ground and creatures scurry here, and there, taking no heed of you ....... now imagine that you're weightless, and flying between the trees as if in a dream.
DB
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