Nothing
is quite as comfortable and relaxed as an Avalon-based dive trip.
Avalon on Catalina Island is California's very own dive resort. It is
a quaint little town nestled on a far-off isle with unlimited shore
diving and a friendly fleet of dive-charter boats ready to take you
to pristine dive sites in only minutes of smooth riding. The latest
edition to Avalon's small but excellent fleet of dive-charter boats
is the Scuba Cat. And she's fitting her role very nicely as a resort
dive-charter operator.
The new boat began operations in the spring and with a busy summer nearly behind her, she has already carried hundreds of satisfied customers. I had a chance to speak with some of those customers and they used words like "comfortable," "fast," "smooth," and "easy" to describe the operation.
While the boat is brand-spankin' new, the crew and operators are highly experienced in diving Catalina Island. These are the same people that have operated the popular Cat Dive charter boat for 10 years. Unlike the Cat Dive, the Scuba Cat will operate year 'round.
What makes the Scuba Cat special is its open layout. The back deck is huge! The boat is an all-fiberglass Newton custom built for diving. Scuba Cat is 46 feet long and 16 feet wide. It's the ultra-wide beam that gives this vessel its extra-roominess. About two-thirds of the deck is covered, with half that is semi-enclosed. For those who want no enclosure - just sun - head up to the sundeck behind the bridge. Approximately 12 divers can relax up here between dives, soaking up sun and Catalina's beauty above water.
Layout of the dive deck is quite efficient. Large benches are along each rail provide ample seating and abundant storage space for dive gear underneath. There is room for even very large full dive bags under these benches. Behind the benches are 72 tank slots. Tanks provided are aluminum 80s, 67s, and 50s. Lead shot weights and weight belts are also provided in the cost of the trip.
Although the U.S. Coast Guard rated it for many more passengers, the Scuba Cat's managers limit loads to about 24 divers for maximum comfort. It can, however, handle more if specially requested by a group. With the way the back deck is arranged, this boat can easily handle this group and still have room for diving niceties the boat had added. On the back deck is a large camera table, very conveniently located next to the swimstep, and a freshwater rinse tank, welcome items for photo nuts like myself.
Other than the open back deck the feature that stands out most in my mind about this boat is the open swimstep configuration. The back transom is wide-open and can comfortably accommodate two divers entering and exiting the water. The twin exit ladders have comfortable wide rungs (more like steps) and are angled just right to allow for easy diver exit. The helpful crew was icing on the cake. You know how at least a grunt or two is mandatory in getting out of the water? Didn't happen here.
After or between dives there are two freshwater rinse-down on the stern. A spacious head forward provides one private shower. The remainder of the forward compartment is used for gear rental storage. It's nice to know it's right there, if needed.
The smoothness of this vessel's ride was astounding. It's even more amazing when you consider she was built for speed. Scuba Cat cruises between 18 to 22 knots, making most of Catalina's frontside dive sites only a few smooth minutes boat ride away. On our dive trip, we headed out of Avalon for Ship Rock and arrived only a little over a half an hour later. Propulsion for the Scuba Cat is provided by twin 375 V-8 Caterpillar diesel engines. She is also equipped with the latest in electronics, including GPS, Loran, depthsounder with color CRT, and radar.
Functioning much as a dive resort type boat, the operators have available a variety of packages that include hotel and transportation to the island. Some packages include gear rental and dives in the underwater park.
Weather permitting, and so long as they can get a minimum of four passengers, the Scuba Cat will run seven days a week, year 'round. Small groups are always welcome. Trips come in the two or three tank size, with refreshments and lunch provided on all excursions. The boat departs from the Green Pleasure Pier in the center of Avalon. Departure times vary between 9 and 10 a.m., depending on the day of week. Return times are between 3 and 4 p.m. The entire frontside of the island is open territory for visiting, but excursions to the backside are also sometimes conducted. Special trips to Santa Barbara and San Clemente Islands can be arranged. From Avalon, with this boat's high speed, San Clemente Island is only a little over an hour away.
For more information on the Scuba Cat, reservations, packages, etc., call (800) 353-0330.
