This summer, we have been a few times to snorkel at Avalon on Catalina Island. I love Catalina Island. As a kid, I went on two camping field trips on the island with my elementary school and middle school classes. I like to think that a lot of my excitement for the outdoors and nature stemmed from these experiences.
When I was in college, I backpacked the Trans Catalina Trail – it was actually my first backpacking trip! Though it is something I enjoy saying that I accomplished, I remember thinking to myself that I wanted to enjoy the island in other ways.
I lived out of state for about three years before moving back to Southern California for my PhD. Now that I’m back, I made the resolution to try to make the most of being in close proximity to the island!
With that said, my boyfriend and I invested in snorkeling gear and a Catalina Island Conservancy Membership.
Catalina Conservancy Membership
We purchased the “Adventurer” level of the membership so to 50% off on round trip Catalina Flyer tickets, a bike pass to bike the island, and 50% off campground reservations. If you’re interested in seeing what else comes with the membership and other membership options, you can check out their website.
We plan to get out to Catalina for a few days of snorkeling every summer. The snorkeling just off of Avalon is home to a biodiverse collection of fish, invertebrates, and plants. We snorkeled at Lover’s Cove and at Casino Point (I’ll talk about this more below).
In the cooler seasons, we plan to bike, backpack, and camp in various areas throughout the island.
When family comes to visit, we would love to take them for a weekend to explore Catalina and to see the Wrigley Memorial and Botanic Garden and Catalina Island Museum.
Thus, the Adventurer pass was a perfect option for what we wanted to do on the island.
How to get to Catalina Island
There are two boat services that travel from the Southern California mainland to Catalina Island.
Catalina Flyer
The Catalina Flyer only services trips from Newport Beach to Avalon and Avalon to Newport Beach. Boats only depart Newport once a day at 9am, arriving to Avalon around 10:15am. Fares departing Avalon leave at 4:30pm and arrive at Newport at 5:45pm.
This schedule is great for anyone looking for a fun day trip from Orange County to Avalon.
We book through Catalina Flyer because, as I mentioned above, we purchased the Catalina Island Conservancy Membership. Through the Adventurer level, we receive 50% off Catalina Flyer tickets bringing the cost from $70/adult round trip to $35/adult round trip.
Occasionally, there are discounted Catalina Flyer tickets at the Costco locations in Tustin. Frequently, Groupons are available for discounted tickets as well.
Parking for Catalina Flyer is in the Balboa Pier Municipal Parking Lot. There is an hourly charge that you can pay through a phone app or at pay stations in the parking lot. It is a short walk from the parking lot to the Catalina Flyer departure area. We paid $28.15 for 24 hour parking in the Municipal Parking Lot. We looked into Ubering from our apartment, but the cost of the Uber outweighed the cost of parking.
If you purchase tickets through the Conservancy Membership, you must book through the phone. Then you will go to the ticket window before your departure to show your membership and verify the purchase. You can make normal bookings (without the conservancy membership) through their website.
In general, I recommend arriving at the dock early to get a good spot on the boat. The boat starts boarding 30 minutes before departure. We usually arrive between 45 and 50 minutes before the boat departs and found good seats each time.
Choosing a Seat
There are three levels of the Catalina Flyer. The top deck has the most open air seating with almost no sun protection. It also feels much of the movement of the boat on the seas. The middle deck is about half open air seating and half cabin seating. The open air seating on this deck is mostly covered by the deck above. Lastly, the lowest deck is mostly cabin seating. This is also the deck that has the bathrooms.
We prefer sitting on the middle deck in the open air seating because we get to enjoy the open air but also get sun protection.
Catalina Express
Catalina Express services depart from Dana Point, Long Beach, and San Pedro. All three of these terminals arrive in Avalon. The terminal in San Pedro also operates boats to Two Harbors on Catalina. It is one of the only ways to get to Two Harbors from the mainland.
If you want to backpack the Trans Catalina Trail (TCT), it is easiest to book passage on the Catalina Express. As the TCT begins in Avalon and ends in Two Harbors, there is only one terminal that services both destinations. As I said above, that is the San Pedro terminal.
Unlike the Catalina Flyer, the Catalina Express offers several different departure times throughout the day. The schedules vary by day and season. You can reference them on the Catalina Express website. Though, fare prices are also higher than Catalina Flyer ranging between $76-$78 round trip for an individual adult.
Gear
Bring Your Own
You can very easily get by with a $25 kit that covers fins, snorkel, and a mask. However, we went out of our way to buy good quality gear that would last us a long time. We want to make snorkeling something we do frequently.
If there is interest, I can write a more in-depth post on the gear that we currently own, why we chose it, and how much it cost. For the purpose of this post, I kept it brief.
We went to Catalina with fins, a snorkel, a mask, 2mm booties, and a 3/2mm wetsuit in each of our kits. The only thing I want to change about my kit for snorkeling in Catalina is to get a neoprene hood. I was cold during our dive, but we also stayed out for an hour which seemed to be longer than most other snorkelers. I should also note that I am someone who is always cold, so others may not have the same experience as me.
The water temperature in Avalon was about 70F while we snorkeled. That sounds warm but I was pretty cold both times that we went even though I wore a wetsuit. Though, as I said above, we stay in the water for an hour at a time at least.
Rent Gear on the Island
If you do not own snorkeling gear or do not want to travel with snorkeling gear, do not worry. There are plenty of options to rent snorkeling gear (including a wetsuit) on the island.
Here are just a few of the companies that advertise rentals on the island: Wet Spot Rentals, Catalina Divers Supply, and Diving Catalina.
Snorkel at Avalon on Catalina Island – Take a Guided Tour
Though we did not take a guided tour during any of our trips, they are a great option for people who are brand new to the sport. Many of the companies that offer rentals that I linked above also offer guided tours. These tours allow you to ask experts for help while learning how to snorkel. Additionally, if you want to learn about different species resident to the kelp forests, a guided tour can be a great opportunity to learn from local professionals.
Gear Storage Options
If your rent your gear or go on a guided tour where gear is provided, then you can skip the following.
When we go snorkeling at Catalina, we rent lockers from Blue Line Luggage which has a storefront just outside where the Catalina Flyer docks. My boyfriend and I are mainly concerned about storing our valuables in a safe place while we snorkel but also storing our fins after we finish our diving. We usually spend a few hours walking around town after our dives and don’t want to carry around our wetsuits and fins.
My boyfriend’s fins are longer than mine so we chose the size of the locker on the contingency that his fins fit inside. The locker that fit our stuff last time was a size Large locker (dimensions according to their website: 24”x13 ”x30”).
Note: we did look for lockers closer to the Casino but didn’t see any near the dive park.
After dropping off our valuables, we head to either Lover’s Cove or Casino Point.
Snorkel at Avalon on Catalina Island – Lover’s Cove
Lover’s Cove is closest to the Cabrillo Peninsula (where the Catalina Flyer docks) and the first place we snorkeled. There is a set of stairs that leads down from the road to a rocky beach. Depending on when you go snorkeling, you may worry about high tide taking your belongings away. We made sure to store our towels and such high up, out of reach of the waves.
There is a shallow entrance to the water, and you can see kelp forests as you embark further from the shore. What I liked about Lover’s Cove was how shallow the kelp forests were – it didn’t feel like there was a steep drop off.
Something that we didn’t care for about Lover’s Cove was the continuous entrance of glass bottom boats into the area. There are guided tours that are conducted on the boats, so you just need to be vigilant and make sure you don’t swim too far into their path.
At Lover’s Cove, we saw garibaldi, kelp bass, halfmoon, opaleye, sheephead, spiny lobster, and giant kelpfish!
Pros: Close to Cabrillo Peninsula and Blue Line Luggage Lockers. No steep drop off. Not very crowded.
Cons: Far from middle of town. Boats can seem close.
Snorkel at Avalon on Catalina Island – Casino Point
Casino Point is a longer walk from Cabrillo Peninsula than Lover’s Cove is, but it is well worth it! We left our belongings behind the retaining wall near where other snorkelers and divers left their stuff. I suspect that other people leave valuables there, but we didn’t want to risk anything.
The entry into the dive park is via a set of stairs. The water rises up on the stairs so it was a bit intimidating to get into the water at first. Because of the small swell, I put my fins on while standing on the bottom stairs so I could immediately swim away after I got into the water.
From there, you are immediately greeted by a kelp forest filled with a plethora of garibaldi and bass. There is a steep drop off from the shore further out into the dive park. We mainly stuck closer to shore in depths of <25 feet for visibility.
Because we stayed closer to shore, we fought the current a bit to make sure we stayed away from the rocks. Otherwise, the area was a nice easy swim.
Since no boats could drive through the park, I felt safer and like I could focus more on the fish. However, scuba divers dove in the area, so we made sure to steer clear of them.
At Casino Point, we saw garibaldi, kelp bass, halfmoon, opaleye, giant kelpfish, and topsmelt!
Pros: Close to town. Demarcation of buoys to keep divers and boats separate. For scuba divers, has shipwrecks and other dive features.
Cons: No lockers nearby. Can feel crowded.
Conclusion
Though we saw more species at Lover’s Cove than at Casino Point, we saw many more fish in general at Casino Point. We went on our snorkeling trips about a month apart so seasonal fluctuations might affect the variation in species presence and abundance.
Either destination is a worthwhile place for a snorkeling adventure! In the future, I see us going to both Casino Point and Lovers cove again.
Have you snorkeled at Catalina before? What were your experiences? Subscribe to follow along with our future Catalina Island and other travel adventures!