Oil Rigs

There are numerous oil rigs found off the California coast. We visit those found in the deeper offshore waters where visibility is more consistent. A four legged structure that widens with depth, the crossmembers and angle beams provide a foundation for prolific marine growth and activity.
A dive site requiring advanced certification, the rigs are a bustle of activity with crew boats coming and going, and the hum of the machinery going non stop. Underwater however, is a divers dream. Teaming with colorful anemones, scallops, schooling fish and the occasional pelagic, this is California diving at its best. Visibility is consistently good and great photo opportunities are abundant.

Catalina Island

With its close proximity to the our home port, Catalina Island is a divers dream. A 1:30 minute crossing gives us access to over a hundred different dive sites. The following are a few of the favorites. Blue Cavern point is located in a marine sanctuary and is off limits to anchoring. As a six pack, it is easy for us to have you suit up, back the boat up to the site, and on the Captains signal, everyone jumps in and drops down to about 70 feet. This is the place to explore some of the larger caverns found on Catalina Island.

You can enjoy your dive by simply following the contour of the rock walls teaming with life. Being a marine preserve means taking only photos of the curious marine critters that have become accustomed to the divers (usually scientific) that make the occasional foray to this site.
Once your dive is completed, you simply surface and the boat picks you up. Another site located in this same area is Ship Rock. Subject to currents, this site has consistently good visibility, and provides depths ranging from 25 to 125 feet. Popular for its kelp forest, schools of fish, sea lions and the occasional angel shark, this is a dramatic dive on a small rock outcropping located a mile offshore. Isthmus Reef offers shallow anchorage with wall diving.

The site is marked by a permanent buoy that sits on a reef that breaks the surface on low tide. We usually anchor within 25 yards of the buoy which provides divers with access to the wall on the opposite side of the reef. The wall dive provides for depths ranging from 30 feet to 120 feet of depth. It is common to see schools of barracuda, yellowtail tuna and the rare white sea bass. The wall is also home to numerous lobster, eels and octopus.

Arrow Point is popular with our lobster hunters. A large half-moon shape cove with depths to 60 feet offers a variety of rock structure ideally suited for fish and lobster. Usually planned as a night dive, this site is affected by ocean swell and current. On a good day however it is one of the best. Farnsworth Bank is located on the back side of Catalina Island and is usually offered as the first (early) dive of the day.

Located over a mile off shore, this site is known for its purple hydro-coral, pelagic fish, sea lions, and pinnacles. Due to its location, it is susceptible to currents. If conditions prevail however, this ranks as one of the top ten dive spots in Southern California. These are just a few of the many dive sites located on Catalina Island. We customize each trip based on the needs and abilities of the divers.

For our multi-day trips, we also include shore excursions and tours of the Catalina Island Conservancy. For your non-diving family, we can let them off on the island to sight see, golf, horseback ride, take a glassbottom boat ride or shop on the island.

• available only with private charters.

Santa Barbara Island

Located 50 miles offshore, this is a small island known for its sea lion population. The Seal Rookery is a must as it provides the opportunity to dive with sea lion pups. Extremely curious, they wait at the dive platform for the divers to get in the water.

On occasion, they will jump up on the platform to hurry you up. With a depth of 25 feet and a sandy bottom, you will have plenty of time to photograph and interact with these playful critters. The Arch is another favorite as it is an intact underwater arch found in 70 feet of water. Riddled with caves and gullies, this is a fantastic dive with great photographic opportunities. Sutil Island is located off the southwest tip of Santa Barbara Island and offers some spectacular wall and kelp diving. This is the island were we also conduct some of our shark dives.

San Nicholas Island

Lying 25 miles southwest of Santa Barbara Island, this island is owned by the military and is occasionally closed to sport diving and fishing activities. When it is open, the water are abundant with fish, lobster, scallops and abalone. The dive sites most popular are Dutch Harbor, East End, and 3-Mile Reef.

It is not uncommon to sea electric rays, with depths ranging from 30 to 90 feet. During the season, this island has been known to produce large lobster for the accomplished lobster diver.

San Clemente Island.

Since 1973, San Clemente Island has belonged to the military. It is a wonder that with all of the bombing, gunnery practice, and landings that any sea life has survived on or in the nearby waters. Yet pinnipeds flourish here, and even rare purple hydro-coral has withstood direct attacks from the military missions. Warnings apply here even more as Pyramid Cove has been a favorite target area for years and live shells can be found lying on the bottom. At Castle Rock , a rocky crater lies at 40 feet and is believed to have once been an active volcano from which the island was formed. Although used as a direct bombing target in 1969, the purple coral has survived and should for many years to come if not harvested. With numerous sites to choose from, our favorites are Mosquito Cove, Fishhook Harbor, China Point, Northwest Harbor and Cortes Bank.

The past two seasons have also seen an increase in Blue Whale, Dolphin and Risso's Whale sightings. We also get an occasional Humpback and Orca.

The outer islands are included in our multi-day schedule but can be reached in a single day outing. Early departures and late returns should be considered if you are interested in going to one of these destinations for a single day. The multi-day excursions give you more opportunity to really enjoy all that the outer islands have to offer.

Whale watching is also very favorable during the months of December to February and from March to May. These are the month of the Gray Whale migrations to and from there feeding grounds in the Bering Sea.