CATALINA ISLAND— Adventure awaits once you discover SCUBA diving, and the Catalina Divers Supply can take you there. Since 1958, Catalina Divers Supply has been guiding divers through the underwater world surrounding Catalina, providing a full-service operation offering classes, guided dives, gear rental, sales, gear repair, and air fills.
Catalina Divers Supply, the oldest dive shop on the island, finds its newest dive center located on the ground floor of the Casino Building and is also home to a retail store with dive-related merchandise, jewelry, clothing, and eco-friendly alternatives such as reusable water bottles. Catalina Divers Supply also offers snorkeling tours and afternoon wildlife cruises.
Dive experiences on Catalina Island are available for all levels of divers, from first-timers to dive instructors. First-time divers will enjoy a Discover Scuba Experience, open to anyone ages ten and up who are comfortable in the water. This no-certification-required experience is led by a dive instructor, who will provide a safety briefing and accompany the diver throughout the underwater portion of the adventure.
“Discover Scuba is a great introduction to diving,” said Christy Lins, the owner of Catalina Divers Supply, the island’s only five-star PADI facility. “Participants get to see the kelp forest and many of the animals that live in the Casino Point Dive Park. Many people who take part in a Discover Scuba Dive experience love it so much they end up getting certified.”
Guests are welcome onboard the SCUBA Cat, hosted by a knowledgeable Captain and Divemaster, where they can explore the kelp forest or come face-to-mask with bat rays, calico bass, moray eels, giant kelpfish, octopus, and many other local species.
According to Catalina Divers Supply, dives take a range of time. Experienced divers can often dive longer as they don’t consume air as fast as beginners. The Casino Point Dive Park is one of the most popular places to dive in North America, but Catalina Island offers many other fascinating dive sites. Catalina Divers Supply provides day trips to many sites aboard the SCUBA Cat.
For those new to the world of SCUBA, six different classes are offered, including open-water diving, advanced open-water diving, rescue diving, dry suit diving, enriched air diving (which contains less nitrogen than regular air), and search and recovery diving. All courses are between 2-3 days and require and provide electronic circuits as well.
If you’re an experienced diver but don’t have gear, Catalina Divers Supply has you covered there too. SCUBA and snorkeling gear are available to rent through various packages. Tanks and weights are available, but you can also rent equipment a la carte.
Divers can also hop on the SNUBA craze, a combination between SCUBA and snorkeling. SNUBA will take you 30 feet below the surface without all the gear and training that it takes to SCUBA. All you need to bring is a swimsuit, a towel, and an open mind.
During a scuba dive, participants carry their air supply on their backs. SNUBA, which can be considered a cross between scuba and snorkeling, involves using a surface-based air supply.
“[SNUBA] is a great transition from snorkeling to scuba diving,” said Lins. “It’s a great activity for families to enjoy together.
For more information about Catalina Divers Supply or to book a reservation, please visit https://www.catalinadiverssupply.com/.
