The kelp forests of Southern California have long been a Utah diver's playground. Only a 10 hour drive or 1.5 hour flight, Southern California's waters abound with life. Located less than 26 miles offshore from Los Angeles is Catalina Island.
Catalina Island is one of the Channel Islands and is the only one with a permanent population. Avalon is a picturesque town that is the main stop when visiting Catalina. You can shore dive Casino Point Marine Park or take a boat to visit more sites around the island. We will do both. Read more about Catalina Island in September
We recently returned froma week on the Aqua Cat. This is one of our favorite trips and we have brought groups there 3 times in the last 6 years. Without a doubt the main reason is the boat and crew. First the boat is very spacious. If you have ever been on a live aboard before, you know that it can feel a bit cramped. The cabins, the dive deck, the salon , the outdoor areas all have plenty of room. Then we have the crew. Having been there 4 times, I marvel at how the crew turns over. I have learned about an interesting subset of 20 something year olds out there that wander the globe diving in exotic locations. They don't stay any where too long before moving on to a new adventure. Read more about Back from the Aqua Cat!
In March 2013, Dive Utah took a group to Kungkungan Bay Resort in Indonesia.
They spent a week diving the Lembah Straight. This area is famous for muck diving. Creatures that live in these black sandy bottoms have learned how to blend in and they are sure hard to see.
One of the highlights was diving the Mawali wreck. This was a Japanese cargo ship sunk during WWII. We saw many different critters during our week including different octopi, star gazers, pygmy sea horses, ribbon eels, decorator crabs and the list goes on.
The resort was very nice and we had it all to ourselves. The staff was quite possibly the most attentive we have ever seen. Read more about Indonesia Trip Report