Is Catalina on the BC schedule anytime soon?

[TeqP]

Because I think you need a permit to dive the Valiant.

All you need is permission from the Harbor patrol. Their office is at the end of the main Avalon pier on the 2nd floor of the building on the pier. All you do is ask for permission and they will either say yes or no, depending on boat traffic. Don't expect a yes during summer. October might be doable. The Harbor patrol will write down the names of those that you give to them that plan to dive the Valiant. Everyone need not be present, which is good.

Hi, I don't know any of you, but I really want to dive the Catalina Island and was planning to go there around the 11th. Are there any gals coming along on this trip? I'm looking to share accommodations with someone because it's so expensive there, preferably a girl, anyone?

I don't believe most people are spending the night on Catalina for this trip. Most will take the Catalina Express over around 6:15am from Long Beach on the 11th and come back sometime during Saturday. Or at least that is what I am planning to do.

 

[HappyDiving]

Thank you TeqP & Teamcasa! I'll definitely join if I can find a place to stay and someone to stay with. If not, there's always next time!

 

[TeqP]

I'll definitely join if I can find a place to stay and someone to stay with.

If you stay on Catalina, you can stay economy - Hermosa - off peak rates ~$45 (Vary basic accommodations a little further away from Casino Point). You need to either lug your gear from the hotel or get a dive locker at Casino Point, where you can store your tanks and heavy gear items. Or you can stay at the Seaport Village Inn. This hotel is very close to Casino Point and they serve b-fast and will drive you and your gear to Casino Point. Ask each place if they will offer you a package deal to include round trip on the Catalina Express .

 

[Clammy]

Hermosa is a good budget hotel, except you have to share a bathroom between rooms and hope the other guy remembers to unlock your side of the bathroom when he leaves his side!

 

[Bubbletrubble]

Hermosa is a good budget hotel, except you have to share a bathroom between rooms and hope the other guy remembers to unlock your side of the bathroom when he leaves his side!

Not all of the rooms at the Hermosa have shared bathrooms. Check out the Hermosa Hotel website. I'll be staying there on the weekend of the 11th with a larger group from San Diego.

I've heard from friends that the Buena Vista is also a decent, cheap place to stay. A couple weekends ago I stayed at the Hotel Atwater. The room was older with no A/C, but a tabletop fan worked quite well to keep the room cool. It was clean. The staff was friendly. The hotel offered a complimentary baggage/scuba storage room with free gear transport to the ferry terminal at the end of our stay. I would say that it was worth the $92/queen bedroom/night I spent for Friday and Saturday night in the month of September. The street below us (Metropole) was quite noisy at night, so take earplugs if you're a light sleeper.

 

[drbill]

Darn... I'm scheduled to be on the mainland on the 11th although I might come back early (Fri night).

I don't understand why so many maps of the park list the "glassbottom boat." As one who spent a number of days and nights on board it, drinking the only wine we could afford back then (cheap) and competing with the boat's owner and captain for the hand of a lovely maiden, I can tell you that it is the Pisces. I saw it go down on the rocks of the breakwater in the early 1970's although I can't find the pix I took of it.

 

[Clammy]

I like the Atwater myself as well. Especially that nice big wet room for gear! If you really want to go fancy with a large group, you can always rent a condo from Hamilton Cove!

I know one of those boats is IMMEDIATELY under one of the buoys but that map shows them further in.

Wow, Doc Bill on the mainland! If doc Bill isn't on catalina, does catalina exist?

 

[drbill]

Hey, Clammy, I haven't been to the mainland in almost four months. I have to make sure my car still starts... or for that matter, is still there!

 

[Bubbletrubble]

We would love to have you there! My wife and I are going and do hope we have a few other ladies as well. We are not staying on the Island but we will be at the Casino Dive Park most of the day. Below is a map of the dive park and my wife and I camp out on the wall at the black arrow. Don't be shy, come up and say hello, I may even have some ScubaBoard Stickers. Hope to see you there!

Dave,

A group of 10 of us were at the Dive Park all weekend. On Saturday I tried to stop by and say hello, but the group that was camped out near the anchor in the location indicated by your arrow had never heard of ScubaBoard. (How is this possible?)

We set up our stuff in the following locations:

Friday = blue, Saturday = red, Sunday = green

Where were you? Oh, well. Maybe we'll see you next time.

I hope that you and your wife had a good time on Saturday. I was elated to get permission to dive the Valiant that morning. Due to wind chop at the surface, there was less boat traffic in Descanso Bay so the Harbormaster allowed our group to go. Nice stuff to see on the wreck. A number of nudibranchs were crawling on the port side of the bow: Porter's chromodorid (Mexichromis porterae) and Limbaugh's cadlina (Cadlina limbaughorum). I was hoping to see a specimen of Hypselodoris californiensis, but we didn't see one.

 

[Teamcasa]

Sorry we missed you but we were there for only one dive around 8:30 am and left around 10:00 AM. With the chop/ waves crashing up to near the middle set of stairs Marian decided to pass on going in. She was more convinced after watching an instructor get a ride in the Maytag and his two students get knocked around pretty good. She also decided since we were not going to dive, we may as well take the early ferry home and get something else done.

Too bad, it sounds like the conditions improved from the morning. We are going back next Saturday and give it another try.