California Diving News - Catalina Island Scuba Diving: Dive Spot Hen Rock

Scorpionfish

Hen Rock
I greatly enjoy diving with my 14-year old son, showing him dive spots that are old friends to me but brand new explorations for him. My plan is simple: Let the divemaster on the charter boat outline the site; then, as good divers should, we come up with a dive plan. What I don’t discuss with him are those fun surprises you get to know with familiarity of a dive site that I know he will love—a particular hole that always seems to hold an octopus, a likely spot for a giant sea bass encounter, etc. These are things that make a dive truly special.

Hen Rock, Catalina Island, is one of those “old friend” spots that I revisited recently with my son, his first time there. And there is a lot there to surprise him with to make this dive fun.

The first would be the underwater terrain. Much of the reef here is made up of pickup-truck-sized boulders stacked haphazardly on top of each other, creating deep caves and crevices and even a couple of swim-throughs. The first one we “discovered” with my help is a narrow passage that goes about 10 feet in, makes a 90 degree turn, then about 10 feet out. Although moderately long, you could clearly see light from the other side streaming in. Dive light on, my son dived right in, showing off, coming out the other side (I was on top of the reef watching his progress marked by bubbles seeping through the cracks. He bid me to pass through as well. Of course I obliged, observing rockfish seeking shelter and a couple of lobster cowering in the corner.

We weaved in and out of the boulders and thick kelp, seeing cabezon, moray eels, blue-banded gobies, garibaldi, and nudibranchs along the way. I “found” the next tunnel and gestured I would venture forth first and he was to follow. This was more of a straight shot but more narrow. As I entered a large calico bass gave me a quick stare and then bolted out. We finished the dive on the shallow sand flat where it meets the margin of the kelp forest. We observed a bat ray for the last couple hundred pounds of usable air.

What is great about all this is he loved the dive but I only showed him a fraction of what is there! Out beyond the main reef structure on the sand flat in about 60 feet of water is a small isolated reef that is completely different from the main reef. It is covered with colorful gorgonians and nearly always occupied by a large sheep crab or two. And for the adventuresome, there is yet another reef even further out, but it takes a knowledgeable guide to put you right on top of the small area.

In the inner kelp, in 20 feet of water or less, I have frequently seen barracuda schooling. This is an excellent snorkeling area. And in late spring through early fall, giant sea bass are often observed to the south west of Hen Rock.

The reef at Hen Rock has additional advantages. Hen Rock is diveable year round. It is well protected from wind and seas coming in from the northwest. Gentle currents keep the site’s water clean but are never strong enough to cause a problem. And depths are reasonable at no more than 50 feet (near shore reefs) and 40 feet being about the average dive depth. A broad shallow sand flat makes this a good choice for check-out dives for classes.

Hen Rock is a good dive for pleasant surprises—whether you are expecting them or experiencing them for the first time.

Special thanks to the dive boat Scuba Cat for help in creating this article.

Dive Spot At-A-Glance
Location: Just to the southeast of Long Point on the front side of Catalina Island. GPS N 33°24.051', W 118°21.984' (GPS for reference only. Do not use as sole source of navigation.)
Access and Entry: Boat only.
Skill Level: All.
Depths: Inner reef 15 to 45'; sloping to 85 feet on the outer reefs.
Visibility: Very good, averaging 40'.
Snorkeling: Very good in shallow sections near shore and Hen Rock.
Photography: Good for both wide-angle and macro with a wide variety of subjects and settings.
Hunting: Fair for lobster in season, little else.
Hazards: Boat traffic. Use caution in the swim-throughs.
Suggested Boats Serving the Area:
Encore - (310) 541-1025
King Neptune - (800) 262-3483
Sundiver - (800) 555-9446
Mr. C - (310) 521-9737
Garibaldi - (310) 510-2800
Express Divers - (866) 488-3483
Scuba Cat - (800) 353-0330
or see the California Scuba Calendar section of this issue for trips to Catalina Island