Casino Point Catalina Island
The Casino Point Underwater Park is located next to the world-famous Casino Building. First established in 1962, this park is the first nonprofit underwater park in the country (and maybe the world), and offers the best shore diving in California! To make entry and exit in and out of the water as easy as possible, there are cement stairs with handrails. The Park is about 2.5 acres in size, which means it is large enough to do several dives without traversing over the same areas. The Park’s boundaries are clearly marked with a line of buoys to keep boats and divers away from one another. The diverse under-sea world at the Underwater Park offers both beginner and expert divers a dive experience like no other area
Avalon is a delightful and charming small town on Avalon Bay, Catalina Island — the only municipality on any of the Channel Islands. Catalina is easily accessible by ferry; helicopter service is also available. The Park lies in the shadow of the Casino building on the western end of the bay. Everything you need to know about Orange County and Catalina Island from our travel experts. In front of the Casino are the crystal-clear waters of the Casino Point Dive Park, a protected. The Casino Point Underwater Park is located next to the world-famous Casino Building. First established in 1962, this park is the first nonprofit underwater park in the country (and maybe the world), and offers the best shore diving in California! I don't know where you're staying, but the one and only time I've been to Casino Point / Catalina Island, the hotel had a small storage room off the lobby and allowed us to store our luggage in there while we dove. We left our dive gear at the benches near the stairs at Casino Point and no one touched them. Welcome to the board. Is there a Casino on Catalina Island? A: The Catalina Island Casino was built in 1929, as a dance hall and movie theater. 'Casino' means 'gathering place' in Italian. There is no gambling here. The Casino boasts the world's largest circular ballroom. Tours of the building are available daily.
Scuba diving and snorkeling enthusiasts who come to enjoy clear waters and abundant sea life find it free of mainland pollution and surf. The depth ranges from the rocky shoreline to 95 feet deep. Primarily the park consists of the fastest growing plant in the world, Giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera).
The park's bottom contour reveals rock walls and outcroppings, boulders, pinnacles and a sandy seafloor on its outer edges, which is truly representative of Catalina Island's different characteristics.
Catalina Island Weather
Water temperature ranges from 70-74 degrees in the summer to 55-59 degrees in winter, with September to mid-October being the warmest. It’s not uncommon to enjoy 100’ visibility in the late summer to early fall.
Because of strict local laws prohibiting taking of game or salvaging artifacts, the park has become a home for a large variety of marine life. Plant life of all colors abounds, from the Giant kelp to the smallest algae. Living within the rocky reef are lobsters, abalone, octopus, small fish and moray eels, including our friendly 'Fang'. Numerous mollusks and nudibranchs also make their homes on the reef.
Casino Point Snorkeling Catalina Island
Swimming freely in the kelp forest are Kelp bass, Senorita fish, Sheephead, Opaleye, Blacksmith and our state marine fish, the Garibaldi. Where the rocky reef ends, the sandy bottom begins. Scuba divers may find angel sharks, bat rays, banded guitar fish and halibut. Numerous wrecks are also found in the sandy areas, which have become home to many types of marine life.
Catalina Island Wikipedia
Casino Point has become a mecca to scuba divers and snorkelers worldwide.