AVALON— On Saturday, February 22, 2025, the Avalon Harbor Underwater Cleanup will once again invite scuba divers and ocean enthusiasts to participate in a day of environmental stewardship and underwater exploration. Organized by Catalina Divers Supply and the Avalon Rotary Club, this highly anticipated event is the only time scuba diving is permitted in Avalon Harbor, offering a unique chance to combine marine conservation with adventure.
Event Details
- When: Saturday, February 22, 2025, 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
- Where: Avalon Harbor, Catalina Island
- Registration: Early bird registration for divers is $50; non-divers can register for $35 at www.AvalonHarborCleanup.org
The cleanup supports vital marine conservation initiatives, with proceeds benefiting the USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber, a life-saving facility for treating diving accidents, and Casino Dive Park improvements, including planned enhancements such as new tables, chairs, and a rebuilt wall.
Since its inception, the Avalon Harbor Underwater Cleanup has grown into one of California’s largest scuba diving events, with hundreds of divers and volunteers participating annually. Over the years, participants have removed dozens of tons of debris from the marine environment, with an average of 3,000 pounds of trash collected at each event. From discarded cans and plastic bags to cellphones, sunglasses, and even jewelry, divers uncover a fascinating assortment of items beneath the waves. Marine life such as octopus, crabs, and urchins are often found entangled in the debris and are carefully returned to the ocean.
“As you would expect, divers find dozens of cellphones and sunglasses along with carelessly discarded cans and bottles,” said Christy Harp, owner of Catalina Divers Supply. “But they have also found a surprising assortment of interesting items, like jewelry and toys.”
“One of the entertaining moments for every Cleanup is the ceremony with debris awards for each site which highlight unusual finds and allows us to imagine the stories behind them,” explained Lisa Beach, a board member fat Avalon Beautiful. “Last year’s Cleanup winners
were:
Casino Point: a sealed 3-pack of Costco spaghetti sauce and a drone
plus the controller for that drone, found on opposite sides of the
Cleanup area
Green Pier: a 1970’s full-size sewing machine and a Keurig coffeemaker
Step Beach: a fully-intact large glass bong
While debris is often thought to be just trash, we often find that trash has become habitat which in turn endangers sea creatures. That Keurig had an octopus inside which was being crushed. Returning it to the sea to swim freely was a highlight that day. Old glass bottles filled with silt often have crabs and snails, even small nudibranchs inside. Things like plastic bags can look like food and large sea creatures become entangled in discarded debris.”
The cleanup serves not only as an environmental initiative but also as an opportunity to engage the community. Non-divers are welcome to join the effort, volunteering to assist with tasks like diver check-ins and safety support. “It’s a great way to involve friends or family who don’t scuba dive,” Harp said. Volunteers can register on the event’s website.
This year’s event will feature vendors and non-profit organizations along Crescent Avenue, offering giveaways and educational materials to participants. Another highlight is the award ceremony and raffle, which will take place in the early afternoon. Thousands of dollars in scuba gear, gift certificates, and other prizes will be distributed, including a special custom quilt made from 20 shirts commemorating past cleanups. Raffle tickets for the quilt are available for purchase both in advance at the Catalina Divers Supply dive shop in the Casino Building and on the day of the event.
Schedule Highlights
- 7:00 a.m. – Registration Opens
- 9:00 a.m. – Divers Enter the Water
- 11:00 a.m. – Diving Concludes
- Early Afternoon – Awards Ceremony and Raffle
Founded in 1960, Catalina Divers Supply is one of the oldest dive shops on the West Coast and has been instrumental in developing the Casino Point Dive Park, one of North America’s most popular dive spots. In 2022, the shop moved to a new location within Avalon’s historic Catalina Casino. A PADI Five Star Dive Center, the shop offers a full range of scuba classes, dive experiences, and snorkeling tours, as well as gear sales, rentals, and repairs. Catalina Divers Supply has earned recognition as a PADI Project AWARE partner for its ongoing commitment to marine conservation.
“The Casino Point Dive Park is known as one of the top shore diving sites in the United States,” said Beach. “Each year thousands of divers, snorkelers, swimmers and visitors from across the globe come to experience the magic of this underwater world. However, the open areas surrounding
the Park display an aging infrastructure requiring facility upgrades to maintain and improve this experience for the future. Avalon Beautiful is working closely with the City of Avalon and the
Catalina Island Company to renovate, restore and update the amenities in the area surrounding the Dive Park. It’s a multi-phase, large-scale project which when complete will provide a welcoming, functional, relaxing environment for divers, visitors and locals alike. The overall long-term project includes restoration and augmentation of the existing retaining wall, asphalt and brick walkway and
installation of updated restrooms plus shower, rinse and changing areas for public use. Seating, parking and setup areas are included. The overall goal is also to beautify the area so that it integrates with the Via Casino walkway, downtown serpentine wall and the remodeled Cabrillo Mole / ferry dock. Initial design renderings are currently underway and should be available for everyone to see at this year’s Cleanup.”
The Avalon Harbor Underwater Cleanup is more than an event—it’s a tradition of environmental stewardship, community engagement, and marine conservation. Whether you’re a seasoned diver, a first-timer, or a volunteer, this unique opportunity to contribute to the health of Avalon Harbor is not to be missed.
For more information, to register, or to donate, visit www.AvalonHarborCleanup.org. Questions can also be directed to Catalina Divers Supply at [email protected] or by calling 310-510-0330. Follow Catalina Divers Supply on Instagram (@CatalinaDiversSupply) and Facebook (/cds2008) for updates.
“Volunteers and divers are motivated when they see all of the trash removed from harbor, and the marine life protected,” said Tina Kennedy, Avalon Beautiful board member. “Catalina waters are some of the most beautiful in the world, and it is right here in Southern California backyard. The consistency of having the underwater cleanup every third Saturday in February has been engraved in those minds, and all are ready after a year to return for this fun event. The community of Avalon really appreciates the divers, keeping their home clean and safe.”
