California Diving News: Boat Review -- Scuba Cat

Scuba Cat

The only dive resort town in California is Avalon on Catalina Island. Here you can stay at a seaside hotel and shore dive to your heart’s content or catch a leisurely mid-morning dive charter boat running through calm, clear waters to nearby dive sites and then return mid-afternoon for a nap, shopping, or whatever. Top it off with great restaurants, nightlife, a movie theatre, land activities, and you have the makings of a great extended weekend or better yet, grand vacation.

One of the two excellent dive charter operations running out of Avalon is the dive boat Scuba Cat. The Scuba Cat is affiliated with Catalina Diver’s Supply located on the Green Pleasure Pier in the middle of town and Avalon Bay. It is the first dive shop in Avalon and one of the oldest in California. The boat boards and returns at the pier next to the dive shop, which is convenient to town, hotels and for diver sign up and last minute needs.

If you have spent much time diving from the top dive resorts of the world, you’ll be familiar with this operation style and look. Trip price is all inclusive with drinks, snacks and lunch provided. Tanks and weights are already on board for you, and the crew assists you with loading and unloading of your gear as well as its set-up if desired. Departures are generally around 9:00 a.m. and travel time to the dive sites are about 20 to 40 minutes—just enough time to leisurely get into your gear.
Although from a distance the Scuba Cat does not appear to be a large boat, it has a lot of space and makes good use of every square foot. It is 46-feet long and a wide beam at 16-feet. The wide beam is key to the abundant space on deck for moving about with dive gear and other divers.

Along each siderail are benches with storage space for gear and gear bags underneath. To the rear of the benches rows of full 80-cubic foot aluminum tanks are conveniently positioned for mounting BCs and regulators and donning the tank/BC assembly. Amidships are two large multilevel tables, one aft and the second under the hard top. The forward table is for camera gear setup and storage, and the table aft is convenient for masks, lights, defog or whatever you need handy. Dry storage is forward under the hardtop or below decks. A head with sink is also below deck forward. Under the hard top the crew keeps drinks handy for access at any time, and lunch sandwiches are served at the appropriate time.

My favorite feature on deck is the swim step area. The transom is wide open with large hand rails for easy donning of fins and water entry and egress. Two large aluminum ladders with flat steps extend deep into the water at just the right angle. Getting out of the water is very easy, especially with the help of the very willing crew.

Highlight of the crew, and to me the most delightful feature of this boat, is the divemaster Ron Moore. He is friendly, helpful and extremely knowledgeable for local dive sites, marine life and conditions. I really like the way he speaks to every diver at their level. Beginners are helped along with suggestions and advanced divers are guided to areas of the dive site that would be more appropriate to their skill level. On our recent trip the spots we visited had both areas for the certification class, yet a challenging section for my advanced diving needs.

The Scuba Cat runs both three and two-tank trips seven days a week with as few as a four-diver minimum. Hotel/diving packages are available. The boat was recently refitted with two brand new engines that are more fuel efficient, faster and less polluting.

For more information, call 800-353-0330 or visit the Catalina Divers Supply web site at www.catalinadiverssupply.com.

Dale Sheckler is Editor and Publisher of California Diving News, Producer of the SCUBA Show 2004 expo to be held May 22-23 in Long Beach, CA, and co-author of the book A Diver's Guide to Southern California's Best Beach Dives, 3rd Edition.