Ship
RockThere are a great many dive sites on Catalina Island. With convenient access to the mainland, calm, clear waters, and an abundance of quality California marine life, it's no wonder that Catalina is a popular dive destination. Of the many sites on the Island, Ship Rock stands out as one of my favorites.
Ship rock is easy to find. Just look for the large rock about two miles north of Isthmus Cove. The rock juts about 20 feet above the water line and is marked with a navigation warning light. The rock is crusted white from centuries of bird droppings, and the intertidal areas are covered with mussels and barnacles.
Around the rock in all directions is a shallow shelf, 20 to 30 feet deep. This shelf is covered with numerous species of algae and bryozoans, and supports a thick bed of giant kelp. The shelf then gives way to a wall that drops off steeply to depths that are in excess of 300 feet. One of the reasons that Ship Rock is such a good dive site is the access to deep, nutrient-filled waters. The shallower portions of the wall are covered with colorful sponges and anemones. Small lobsters are fairly common, but I've never seen a legal-sized bug here. Rock walls along the north side of the rock are dotted with bright pink gorgonia.
Fish
life is colorful and impressive. Hordes of orange garibaldi accompany
divers on each dive. Look for California sculpins, along with
Catalina and zebra gobys on the rocky bottom. These are all
brilliantly colored and make for good, if not challenging,
photographic subjects. There is not much game here, so hunters are
better off looking elsewhere.
On the southeast side of Ship Rock lies the remains of a sailboat. This wreck is not intact, and rigging and pieces of hull are scattered over a large area. No treasure has been found, but it is interesting to poke through the debris field nonetheless.
There are two ways to experience Ship Rock. One is to cover a lot of ground and to circumnavigate the rock. In a single dive with an 80-cubic foot tank, the average diver should be able to tour the rock, and visit the sailboat wreck, the gorgonia gardens, the kelp bed and the shallow reef. However, there are so many "wee little critters" here, it would be easy to settle onto one group of rocks and never move more than 20 feet during the dive.
This is one of the best spots on Catalina for photographing nudibranchs. Ship Rock is known for its horned nudibranchs, Spanish shawls, Phidianas, several species of Dendronotus, and uncountable dorids. Many nudibranchs, such as the Spanish shawl and horned nudibranch, are found munching on their favorite food, hydroids. Dendronotus are often found up in the kelp canopy.
Many of the shallow rocks, particularly the underside of rocks that out of direct sunlight, are covered with thick beds of a yellow zoanthid. This anemone-like creature is an intense yellow color and is only found primarily in Catalina waters.
Ship Rock has something for everybody, with the possible exception of game hunters. Although you can see "the rock" on a single dive, it will take many more than that to see it all. Photographers never seem to get enough of this photogenic site.
Location:
Ship Rock is located on the north side of Santa Catalina Island,
offshore (north) of Two Harbors and Isthmus Cove.
Access: Boat only.
Skill Level: Beginner or better.
Depths: 20 to 130 feet.
Visibility: Good, often 40 feet or better.
Hazards: Boat traffic, swell and surge.
Hunting: Little game here.
Photography: Outstanding macro photography for nudibranchs and other invertebrates, good wide-angle opportunities for kelp and reef scenes.
Suggested Dive Charter Boats Serving This Area:
Pacific
Dream- (562) 592-1154
Encore
- (310) 541-1025
Great Escape - (714)
828-9157
King/Prince Neptune -
(800) 262-3483
Sundiver - (800)
555-9446
Horizon/Ocean
Odyssey - (619) 277-7823
Garibaldi -
(310) 510-2800
Cat Dive - (310) 510-0330
Mr. C - (310) 521-9737
or see the California Scuba
Calendar section of this issue for trips to Catalina
Island.
