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Bird Rock Wall

Fish such as this sheephead inhabit cracks in the wall.

Soft coral gorgonian sea fans attached to the wall are a big attraction for divers.

Bird Rock Wall can be found just off the northwest corner of Bird Rock located in Isthmus Cove on the frontside of Catalina Island. The cove on the frontside (the side of the island facing the mainland) is nearly always calm. Located near other extremely popular sites, such as Isthmus Reef and Eagle Reef, this is a great place for the first dive of the day.

On our most recent dive at Bird Rock Wall, the captain dropped anchor on the high spot of a plateau adjacent to Bird Rock. We followed the anchor line down and swam in the direction of the wall. Cruising over the ridge in about 25 feet we came upon one of the drop-offs of the wall. My buddy nonchalantly swam over the edge and down the wall. I could not do that. This looked too much fun to just swim over. I found a rock on the edge that looked very much like a diving platform. Of course I had to perch myself on the ledge and make a swan dive off. It ended up being more of a feet-first dive, but all I could think of was the movie, “The Abyss.” The scene where he just kept falling down the rock wall kept coming to mind. As I gently floated down to Dale’s side, I saw the familiar roll of the eyes—he knew where I was. I always find myself doing things that are silly and fun. Dale tends to roll his eyes at me, but he has been known to do these silly things, too.

At the bottom of the wall, octopus can be found.

As you follow along the wall, you will find large rocks jutting out and off from the wall, creating new reefs all along the way. Each having holes, cracks, and crevices holding an enormous amount of life. The wall and all the attached reefs have straight drop-offs in some areas, and others have gentle slopes. You can spend one dive here going up and down the wall and bottoming out at about 75 feet. Watch your bottom time and make sure you keep a watch on your ears. It is easy to go up and down this wall and not realize your depth. The wall becomes more dramatic, and bottoms out deeper, to the east.

The currents play a big factor in the visibility and abundance of life here. Bringing in rich nutrients, it bathes and feeds the entire wall. If you stay in close to the wall, you will not feel the effects of the currents.

Visibility is rarely below 30 feet; even in the worst months it averages 50 to 60 feet, and often reaches over 100 feet. We dived this spot the day after a huge rainstorm and it still had 30 feet or better of visibility.