Casino Point
Snorkeling - Avalon, Catalina Island, CA
Underwater pictures and visitor
information from a snorkeling trip to Avalon Underwater Park on Catalina Island.
By Paul B. Michaels Author & Photographer Auto Mechanic Since 1989 |
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| One of the
first "must see" places on our list of SoCal attractions when we
moved from Florida to California was Santa Catalina Island. For our first trip there, we took the Catalina Flyer ferry boat from Newport Beach Harbor on a chilly Saturday morning in October. The normal adult fare is $70 for a round trip. We were fortunate to have Groupon discount vouchers that only cost $35 each for a round trip. My goals for the day were to rent a golf cart to take the tour around the island ($40 per hour), go snorkeling at Avalon Underwater Park by Casino Point and then have a tasty meal somewhere with a view of the water. These pictures were taken with a 12.1 MP Canon Powershot 300 HS compact camera. For the underwater pictures, I put the camera in to a Canon WP-DC41 waterproof case. |
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 Boats In Harbor |
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| Some of the sea creatures commonly seen while snorkeling in the kelp forests off the coast of Catalina Island include the bright orange Garibaldi, rock wrasse, yellowtail, bass, sheephead, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, anemones, crabs, lobsters, brittle stars, octopus, gorgonians, nudibranchs, bat rays and more. | ||
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 Main Pedestrian Walkway |
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| I brought along my
mask, snorkel and my fins. I knew the water would be cold, so I rented a wetsuit for about $15 from the scuba diving equipment trailer. There was a short flight of slippery stairs going down to the water. You had to time your entry with the surge of the waves to avoid being pushed back against the guard rail or the steps. |
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| The water was
amazingly clear and the bright sunlight made the tiny fish swimming in
schools glimmer as they darted past my camera. At first I was hesitant to swim through the kelp forests, but eventually I became accustomed to climbing over them and parting them with my arms. |
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 Kelp Forest |
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 Bright Orange Garibaldi |
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 Calico Sea Bass |
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 Catalina Flyer Boat |
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| For more of my related SoCal photo galleries, click on the following links: Laguna Beach, Griffith Observatory, Point Dume - Malibu, California Vacation 2005, 2012 Nike US Open of Surfing, Barrett Jackson Orange County Automotive Auctions, Laguna Beach Sunset, Paddle For Privates, Color Mob 5K - Irvine Lake, 2013 Rose Parade - Pasadena, Chill @ Queen Mary, Sherman Gardens, Laguna Beach Tide Pools, Santa Barbara Summer Solstice Parade, Petersen Automotive Museum, and the Orange County Boat & RV Festival. | ||