The author comes accross a school of Salema in the kelp at Big Geiger Cove.

On a typical intensive day of diving around in and around Catalina’s Isthmus you are going to need a dive at the end of the day to wind down and cast off some excess nitrogen, or at least not absorb more. Given the opportunity, don’t miss deep dives in this area like Ship Rock, Eagle Reef and Bird Rock. But odds are after two or three excursions at these deeper dives, you will need a shallow dive lest your dive computer scream at you. A perfect location is Big Geiger Cove.

Garibaldi get up close and friendly.

Big Geiger Cove, however, is more than just a place to soak your head for an extra hour — its a great shallow water dive. Maximum depth here is around 30 feet, but most of your dive will be in the 10 to 25 foot range. The best diving area is the large kelp and reef area off the west side of the cove. Here the bottom terrain is scattered rock punctuated by mini-pinnacles rising 15 feet from the bottom. It is weaving in and out of these rock monoliths that I found most enjoyable. The pinnacles form small walls with crevices.

Kelp is thick and lush. And with the shallow depths, a great deal of light penetrates into the kelp “rooms.” With the kelp canopy spreading out overhead, stark sunlight appears as if passed through a fine stain glass window. On the bottom below, passageways through the kelp forest lead from compartments to holes and tiny pockets in the forest, many often filled with fish.

Schools of opaleye are common. The roundish green fish are shy but love to congregate in the shallow kelp. Feeling safe there, this is one of the few spots you can get close to the shy fish and photograph their jewel-like eyes from which they gain their names. As common as these fish are, I always enjoy their antics in trying to avoid my camera lens.

Gorgonian and sheephead fish make a colorful display.

There are many other kelp forest fish here but not in particularly large numbers or size, hence this is not a good spearfishing location. Sightseeing for small reef fish on the bottom here is fun. In the crevices on the larger rocks blue-banded gobys are common. White and silver-gold ghost gobys prefer the bottom. Bright garibaldi stand out well against the amber-green of the kelp making for good photos with sunbeams in the background. Look for small juvenile fish with their distinctive neon blue color spots. The baby fish like to hang closer to the rocks and reefs.

Although this is not always respected as such, this area falls within the West End Invertebrate Preserve that runs from Lion Head to the east and Arrow Point on the west. No invertebrates may be taken at any time. It is, unfortunately, not unusual to see illegal lobster traps in this area in the winter. The traps are not buoyed by normal legal traps but rather strung together with floating rope between two traps that sits just beneath the surface. If you find these illegal traps, do not disturb but rather inform Fish and Game.

In spite of the poaching, this is a good place to observe species that have been under heavy pressure many decades. Lobsters are common at Big Geiger Cove, some quite large. In shallow you might get lucky and spot some of the last remaining green abalone on the island. They are few and far between but look and you will find. Don’t touch, they are the only hope to repopulate the island, and even it if works it will take many decades. These abs are here because they were protected at this location long before the take of abalone was closed in all of Central and Southern California.

Photographically, it is best to stick with the wide-angle lenses for vistas of kelp, sunbeams, pinnacles and kelp forest fish. Macro photography is okay, mostly for small reef fish, but the more colorful invertebrates are only in moderate supply.

For variation, or for a third dive, or just a snorkeling adventure, head into the cove. Here there are small patch reefs covered with eel grass in which you may be able to find the unusual and uncommon pipefish. The sand often holds bat rays, leopard sharks and sometimes halibut. Do not go ashore as the land is leased to a private yacht club.

So next time you are looking to blow off some nitrogen after a great deep dive at Ship Rock or Eagle Reef, consider a leisurely hour or two exploring the beautiful kelp and cove at Big Geiger Cove.

Dive Spot At - A - Glance

Kim Sheckler is Executive Editor of California Diving News and Executive Director of the annual SCUBA Show expos based in Long Beach, the largest convention of it's type in the Western U.S. She is also coauthor of the book A Diver's Guide to Southern California's Best Beach Dives, 3rd Edition.