Questions about getting air fills at the Isthmus

[Leejnd]

Hi Catalina Experts: my husband and I are planning a 5-day trip to Two Harbors on our sailboat in September. We're actually doing this for a rendezvous with a bunch of owners of the same type of boat, but we'll bring our gear and plan on getting away from the festivities to do some diving.

It's been many years since we've been to the Isthmus. We used to go there on a sailboat we had back in the late 80's, and I recall it as a rather remote spot with nothing there but a campground-style general store and a rustic cafe that was only open sporadically. Well, things have clearly changed - I was on a the Mr. C last weekend which went to the Two Harbors area, and while we didn't make land, I could see that things are WAY more built up these days!

Anyway, I saw on the internet that there's a dive op there, but I couldn't seem to figure out where exactly it is. We're going to be getting to shore on our dinghy, and would like to be able to get air fills. Can anyone tell me where exactly the dive op is in relation to where we'd be landing our dinghy? And is there any convenient method for transporting our tanks to the shop for fills?

And while we're at it...any advice for the best place to dive? We usually dive right off our boat when we're out at Anacapa or Santa Cruz, but that's not going to be an option in that busy harbor. (If we can get a mooring, we'll want to leave it there; if we end up anchoring, it's kind of a pain to move it.) So should we plan on shore diving? Where from?

Thanks for any and all input to help us plan our trip!

 

[gbert]

The dive op is right at the end of the pier / main dock in Two Harbors. As you're hitting the shore from the dock, it's on the right hand side. Can't miss it. It's got all the outdoor rec stuff there too including the kayaks and what not. Air fills are $7 if I recall. They close early (like 4 or 5pm) so if you want to dive in the morning and hit a night dive as well, make sure you drop your tanks off to get them filled. A buddy of mine says the best plan is to rent tanks there. They'll swap you for a filled tank when you need a switch so you don't have to wait for the fill.

As far as diving from the boat, I've moored in Cherry Cove or 4th of July and swam along the shoreline. Depths between 20-40' close in. Just have to keep your head up when surfacing to look around. Otherwise, I took the dingy around things like Eagle's Reef or Eel Cove, tied off to kelp and dove off the dingy.


The Catalina Boater's Guide has good info and a map with potential dive sites.

Still can't post links but remove the dots and slashes. visitcatalinaisland dot com slash twoHarbors slash PDFs slash BoatersGuide.pdf

 

[Leejnd]

Thanks for the great info! I like your idea of just renting tanks...my husband will appreciate that, as those tanks take up a lot of space when we're going to be on the boat for a while and we need to use the limited space onboard for gear and provisions.

I just downloaded the boaters guide pdf - I'll read that tonight. Thanks again!

 

[Dive California]

LeeAnn...I usually make at least one trip a year on sailboat to 2 Harbors...correct location of Dive Station....end of pier on righthand side. The fills take awhile to fill; so I usually bring my tanks ashore while I go hiking or eat dinner.

I love taking dingy to Isthmus Reef; tie off at marker (on rightside of reef as you're looking at reef from shore).

Enjoy, I can talk with you on Mr. C tomorrow.

 

[Leejnd]

Thanks! Is Isthmus Reef the hidden reef near Bird Rock? I think we went there on Mr. C last weekend.

We haven't been diving off our dinghy before - I'm not exactly clear how I'd get back IN it! Looking forward to talking with you tomorrow.

 

[DwayneJ]

I see many divers who enter from the beach and follow the coast around on the north/west side of the harbor. I have dived this reef and its quite nice.

Diving from your dingy also implies you have a nice anchor which can keep your dingy in place. I would spend an hour or two installing a clip or two so you can remove your bcd/tank in the water and clip to the boat. Likewise spend some time in the harbor tied to your yacht practicing entry and exit from the dingy.

My recommendation woud be to use your yacht as a dive platform. Once you purchase a mooring, you can come and go as you please - This is what I do when staying at Two Harbors.

Dwayne

 

[Leejnd]

Dwayne - thanks for the input. We would LOVE to use our own boat as our dive platform, but my concern was that we'll be too far from an actual dive site...not to mention all the boat traffic in the harbor. Can you expand on this? Where do you moor, where you can dive right off your boat? Where do you swim to, and how far is the surface swim to the dive site? Don't you have to worry about boats hitting you?

We actually selected this particular sailboat partly because of its ease for diving - it has a great transom with a drop-down ladder. We've dived off it a couple of times now, and it's really easy for entering/exiting. Our preference would be to dive right off our own boat, but is that possible in that busy harbor?

 

[fnfalman]

I vote for Eel Cove.

 

[Teamcasa]

The best diving near the Isthmus is the USC Preserve. No anchorage but if you can get someone to live drop you there the diving is amazing!

 

[DwayneJ]

Two Harbors/Isthmus is a very small town and most boat traffic is dingy's with small engines along the mooring rows to shore so you can easily drop into the water from your yacht if you wanted to. I have seen divers use signal sausage/dive flag/float while moving around on the surface. I have seen many divers enter from their boats or the beach.

Diving from your boat while moored in the harbor is nice and you just follow the coast/reef.

Once you pick up a mooring and pay for it, you can then leave the mooring and motor your yacht to the many dive spots located near the harbor. I have two great Rocna anchors 22 lbs from the bow and 10lbs from the stern to ensure the boat is still on the surface after the dive.

Many times I have been eating dinner on board watching divers and their bubble trail go under my boat.

You are a boat owner and a diver so this information is for others who are considering diving from a boat...

* Diving from a boat without anyone onboard is not recommended. Ideally have someone onboard your vessel who knows and can manage the radio, engines, anchors etc.
* Two anchors are a must.
* Need to be aware of what the tide and current are doing.
* Stay close to the shore if there is any doubt about the conditions.
* Release a long floating current line. Make sure the current line has floats so boats and divers can see it.
* I dive with a PLB in a sealed metal container.

That being said, almost all of my diving with a buddy has been from a boat with no one onboard. The few times we have invited "friends" to stay on the surface with the boat, they get seasick, drunk, or both.

Any serious dive from say Santa Barbara Island, I take a third diver and we rotate our dives/dive buddy leaving a diver onboard - Eg 3 divers/2 dives each.

I have some pictures but attachments are not working at the moment.

Dwayne