The waters around Santa Catalina Island in Southern California are known to be some of the best in the world for Kelp Forest diving. Experienced divers have always given a very high rating for Catalina Island’s Great locations and conditions. Located just 26 miles off the coast of Los Angeles, Avalon is a quaint Island town sought out by divers from around the world. Offering you calmer, cleaner, warmer waters and an Island Vacation Destination, Avalon is a diver’s close to home Paradise. If you are looking for a calm quiet and enjoyable diving experience Catalina Island is the right place to be. The thick kelp forest and abundance of aquatic life will be waiting for you

The Catalina Island shoreline is endowed with plentiful marine life. The coastline is well known for its beauty and serenity. The leeward shore remains undisturbed by turbulent waters and therefore presents an ideal scuba diving destination throughout the year. The scuba diving sites are easily accessible, have been protected over the years by nature lovers, and are pristine in beauty. So be sure to enjoy Catalina scuba diving opportunities.

You can enjoy scuba diving whether you are a professional or a beginner.
One of the most important issues to be decided is how much time you are willing to spend on the island diving. If you have limited time, a day trip over to Avalon will be a wise decision or you can reserve a vacation rental for a week. You can bring your own equipment or rent it.

When you are ready to dive, you can make your way to the Avalon Underwater Park just off the Casino Point. The dive has been set up just for swimming, snorkelling, and of course Scuba diving. It is a very easy shore dive and can be easily accessed from the breakwater by using the staircases cut into the rocks. Just a short surface swim puts you in the middle of a very lush kelp forest that will impress any diver by the amount of aquatic life there is to interact with. If you dive one location in Catalina, the Avalon Underwater Park is the place to go.

You can indulge yourself in exploring the kelp beds, reefs, and aquatic life (garibaldi). A unique feature here is the monument of Jacques Cousteau, the great undersea explorer. Four wrecks have been sunk to make a live habitat for Marine life. Look under every rock and in every crevice to find moray eels, spiny lobster or octopus.

Most divers find that the beauty of Avalon lies in exploring the dive sites that can be accessed only by boats. Make it a point, after enjoying a few dives at the Avalon Underwater Park, to spend a day out and about the Island on a 2 tank boat trip. Then you will take in the beauty of Santa Catalina Island both above and below water.