SoCal vacation in June

[rjens]

I am going to be in Newport beach for a week in June with my family. We are currently planning on going over to Catalina to dive the Casino marine preserve.

We are relatively new divers, and this will be our first trip to Catalina. We certified in Maui, but have have done some Montery (Breakwater) dives.

I am looking for any suggestions that you can give about conditions to expect in June, Visability? we will be renting, should we call ahead to reserve? recommendations on who to rent from. Should we rent on Catalina, or mainland? if mainland, are there any deals where we could also do some beach dives from Laguna or San Diego? actually, do you have any recommendations for great but easy shore dives?

Hope that isn't too many questions. Honestly, any help would be very appreciated.

Thanks
RJ

 

[kelpmermaid]

You could either go over to Catalina and stay there, or just go over for the day to dive Casino Point. Hotel prices go up about that time, but a mid-week transportation/hotel/dive package might be reasonable - I have done that in the past through Catalina Scuba Luv, one of the two dive shops in Avalon. The other shop is Catalina Diver Supply, and they have a fill station/rental place out at Casino Point.
Unless you are hard to fit, you might want to rent out there (at least the tanks & weights) to avoid hauling everything from the mainland. You may want to check www.ladiver.com and www.catalinaexpress.com. The Express ferry has departures from Dana Point, just south of Newport Beach.
As for viz, there may still be a lot of particulate matter in the water at that time, but it is hard to say. Coastal area are known for "June gloom" -- fog and clouds that don't lift. That's not to say that conditions can't be great, though. It is definitley 7mm, hood and gloves time, though.

 

[Arnaud]

You'll find diving in Catalina really comfortable. Access from Casino Point is as easy as it comes thanks to a stairway that gets you straight in the water. And the nearby refill station makes it super easy for repetitive dives (unlike other shore diving sites).

Unless the Santa Ana winds are blowing, diving conditions are always pretty good.

Considering the $42 round trip to the island, you may want to sleep over there and stay more than one day. The divers' favorite is the Atwater Hotel, inexpensive and clean.

Finally, there are some amazing dive sites in Catalina, but most of them are only accessible by boat. The Point can get fairly crowded over the WE, so you may want to consider mixing shore diving and boat diving.

You may want to call Tina at Scuba Luv. She can customize a complete package for your needs.

 

[rjens]

Thanks for the info. I will let you know how it goes.

RJ

 

[kelpmermaid]

You might want to check out www.lagunaseasport.com for info on local beach dives. Be advised that the Laguna Beach lifeguards are very particular about divers having snorkels and being buddied up.
For info on San Diego beach sites, try www.divebums.com.

 

[rjens]

It looks like they change their URL to http://www.scuba-superstore.com/index.asp but I found it easy enough with yahoo.

It is a great site with pics of dive sites, etiquette, rental info. this is exactly what I was looking for.

Thanks again.

RJ

 

[kelpmermaid]

And there is always good brunch to be had in Laguna Beach. Parking, though, is a bear on weekends. The worst part of it, though, would be the stairs, IMHO.

 

[rds4640]

I hope as a fellow Californian you know about the wonderful FREE publication California Diving News . If you've never seen this, look through all the back issues for some great shore dives and everything else. It's also a paper publication found at most dive stores for FREE.

 

[rjens]

I think I got a free subscription to this when I first certified, but I spent much time on the website. Well, looks like I have another place to spend my time (besides scubaboard).

Thanks
RJ

 

[rjens]

oops, that should have been -- *hadn't spent much time*