Horizon

There are some adventures you do only once and then move onto the next, and then there are those that are so special that you just got to do it again and again. The Horizon out of San Diego offers a superlative diving experience that you simply can’t do just once.

The Horizon was built in 1980 as a diving and fishing charter boat. She was acquired by the Grivetto family in 1989 and has been family-owned and operated ever since. Sandy runs the office while her son, Greg, captains the boat.

Greg has diving in his blood. He first went to sea on his father’s first dive boat the age of six. He was certified as a teenager and became a licensed captain at 19. Greg has been first captain for the past 10 years. His knowledge, experience, respect for the ocean, and sense of humor will make certain your passage will be safe, fun, and entertaining. You can be certain that he will find the best diving available that day, and that his crew will always be there to offer a hand, either on deck or in the water.

Horizon Captain Greg Grivetto

The Horizon offers a lot of both room and privacy. She is 80 feet long and 25 feet wide, with lots of deck room to suit up and store your dive gear. The Horizon has more area for storing cameras and charging strobes/batteries you will ever need. There are two large shelves on deck and two large shelves in the galley just for cameras. There is also plenty of table space between meals to work on your cameras, and a large rinse tank “for cameras only.” Hunters will be happy to see the large, live game wells/bait tanks and huge walk in freezer. All will be happy with the easy-to-climb dive ladders.

Unlike most California dive boats the Horizon has eight private cabins. These have a solid door, are well-lit, and are a welcome feature for couples. There are also 12 conventional, but roomy bunks. There are two heads with showers on the main deck, and outdoor showers to get the salt off your face between dives. On long range trips the Horizon only takes 20 passengers, giving each a lot of space. On shorter trips she may take as many as 30, but for a two-day trip there is still lots of room.

While most dive boats provide high quality food, Mark on the Horizon offers up truly exceptional meals. Pancakes, French toast, Maui Onion bagel sandwiches, and made to order eggs and omelets are featured for breakfast. For dinner look for prime rib and fresh fish. With all of the fishing done on the Horizon look for the catch-of-the-day to be memorable. On a recent trip down Baja one of the crew speared a 92-pound yellowfin tuna, which was served up that night. Although the baked tuna, and sashimi were big hits, the seared tuna with wasabi sauce was simply breathtaking. The Horizon does offer beer, wine and a limited selection of mixed drinks, but only after diving.

On the trips I have been on, the divers were about evenly split between photographers and hunters. While this may sound like incompatible group, the split proved to be ideal. The chase boats and crew made sure that everyone had plenty of space; the photographers were particularly fond of the fresh fish dinners; and the spearfishers enjoyed the evening slide shows.

The Horizon mainly explores the waters around the Southern Channel Islands and northern Mexico, but also does excursions to the Northern Channel Islands.

The REALLY special trips happen when she heads south. She and her sister ship, the Ocean Odyssey, are the only U.S. vessels to make regular trips into Mexican waters. Islas San Benito, Guadalupe, Sacramento Reef and Points further south along Western Baja are pristine and offer both great game hunting and spectacular photo ops.

The Horizon certainly is among the very best of the world’s live-aboard dive boats. Check her out once and I’m sure you will be back for more. She berths at H&M Landing at the foot of Emerson in San Diego, just minutes from the San Diego Airport. Check out their web site at http://www.horizoncharters.com, on which Captain Greg downloads daily dive reports. For information or reservations, e-mail divesd@aol.com or call 858-277-7823.