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Starfish
5:59am, July 14, 2009
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[Delete] | Hiking/Mountain Biking
Under an agreement with Los Angeles County, the Conservancy has granted an easement to allow day hiking and mountain biking, but visitors must first obtain a permit at the Conservancy's office (on which they declare the parts of the island they intend to visit). Hiking permits are free, whereas bicycle permits are available for a fee (as of 2006, $60 per person annual, $20 per person good for 2 consecutive days, helmets and mountain bikes with knobby tires required).
Tours/Snorkeling/Scuba diving
Glass bottom boats tour the reefs and shipwrecks of the area, and scuba diving and snorkeling are popular in the clear water. Lover's Cove, to the east of town, and Descanso Beach, to the west of the Casino, are popular places to dive. The area is famous for the schools of flyingfish and the bright orange Garibaldi which teem in local waters. Bus tours are given of the interior.
While tourists rarely have an opportunity to surf, two beaches on the "backside" of Catalina offer good waves: Shark Harbor and Ben Weston Beach.
Shipwrecks
Known shipwrecks in the waters off the island include the Diosa del Mar, which was sunk July 30, 1990 near Ship Rock. The yacht Valiant burned and sunk a couple hundred yards out from Descanso Beach. It had about $75,000 worth of jewelry on board which has never been recovered. Dives are by harbormaster's permit only. Many wrecks can be found just off of Casino point, including the famous Su-Jac. The oldest shipwreck known on Santa Catalina Island is that of a Chinese smuggling ship off Ballast Point on the west side of the island.
UFOs and USOs
Catalina and its surrounding area is widely known within the UFO community as a "hot spot" for UFO and USO (unidentified submerged object) activity, including a famous 1966 video shot from a United States Air Force freighter. The island and the sightings were featured in the History Channel's documentary series UFO Hunters in 2008.
Public Camps
The Santa Catalina Island Company has campgrounds at Two Harbors, Parson's Landing, Black Jack, Little Harbor, and Hermit Gulch inland from Avalon. All campgrounds require a reservation and permit. There are also nine primitive boat-in only campgrounds.
Private Camps
Two Boy Scouts of America councils in Los Angeles County have camps north of Two Harbors: Camp Cherry Valley, operated by the San Gabriel Valley Council, located two coves north of Two Harbors at Cherry Cove; and Camp Emerald Bay, operated by the Western Los Angeles County Council, further up the coast.
The island contains another camp named Camp Fox, formerly operated by the YMCA of Glendale, which holds several summer coed youth camps, a summer girl's camp, as well as a Christian leadership conference in spring. As of 2007 Camp Fox also known as Fox Landing is currently owned by the Catalina Island Marine Institute. There is also Campus by the Sea, a camp operated by InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, located at Gallagher's Cove.
There is also a coeducational camp at Howland's Landing named Catalina Island Camps, which has been there since the 1920s. Catalina Island Camps is home to many camps including Camp del Corazone, a camp for kids and counslers with heart disease or defects.
Guided Discoveries (Catalina Island Marine Institute) also runs several camps (Toyon Bay, Fox Landing, and Cherry Cove) on Catalina Island providing hands on opportunities to learn marine science (at Toyon Bay) and environmental studies to school groups and community groups during school year and sea camps during the summer.
Moonstone is another private cove operated by the Newport Harbor Yacht Club of Newport Beach, CA
Just west of Moonstone Cove is Whites Landing. Whites Landing is home to two yacht club camps, Balboa Yacht Club to the west, and San Diego Yacht Club to the east. In the center of the large cove on a 14-acre parcel is a private camp and retreat center called the Catalina Experience. The Catalina Experience hosts numerous youth camps, family camps, group retreats and outdoor education programs.
For more places to visit and activities to partake in that aren't listed on the board, go here!
Edited 7:40pm, July 14, 2009 by Starfish, author. |
| Two Harbors |
Starfish
6:38pm, July 14, 2009
[Edit]
[Delete] | Two Harbors, colloquially known as "The Isthmus", is a small unincorporated island village located approximately 23 miles from San Pedro Harbor on Santa Catalina Island's narrow isthmus and is located about 18 miles from Avalon, the islands only city. with a population of 298 (Census of 2000). It is the second center of population on the island, aside from Avalon.
Two Harbors is named for the two harbors that are separated by the island's isthmus which also separates the northern part of the island from the southern part of the island. The two harbors are the Banning Harbor and Cat(alina) Cove.
It is mainly a resort village. It has only one restaurant, one hotel, and one general store. The village has about 150 permanent residents that live on the isthmus year-round. One notable feature is the little one-room schoolhouse where those who live on the isthmus can go to school without having to drive one hour.
Two Harbors is served by ferry lines with regular daily service to San Pedro and Marina del Rey. A helicopter can also be chartered to the village. The Catalina Airport-In-The-Sky is 10 miles away to the east.
Most people generally walk, but shuttles are available and full-sized motor vehicles are available.
To get around the island from Two Harbors, one can get a bus that can take them anywhere on the Island, or one can hike.
Edited 7:15pm, July 14, 2009 by Starfish, author. |
| Catalina Island's Airport-in-the-Sky |
Starfish
7:53pm, July 14, 2009
[Edit]
[Delete] | Perched 1602 feet above the Pacific Ocean, Catalina Island's Airport-In-The-Sky is built between two mountain peeks in the island's interior. The asphalt-paved 3250-foot runway can handle aircraft up to and including DC-3.
More than just an aircraft facility, the Airport is also where you'll find the Buffalo Springs Station Restaurant, a gift shop, historical displays, beautiful native plant gardens, scenic vistas, and great hiking trails.
Also located at the Airport-In-The-Sky is the Catalina Nature Center. To help visitors enjoy and understand the exceptional natural history and ecology of the island, the Catalina Island Conservancy has developed this intriguing outdoor display.
Shuttle service is available between the Airport and Avalon. The ten-mile drive takes approximately 25 minutes. |
| Avalon |
Starfish
8:03pm, July 14, 2009
[Edit]
[Delete] | Avalon, or Avalon Bay, is the only city on Santa Catalina Island, it is a rural waterfront town with the usual tourist-oriented businesses and services lining the coastline. Avalon was founded in 1887 by George Shatto and named by his mother-in-law after the legendary island of Arthurian legend.
For more information on Avalon, the main point of interest on the island and where most of the RP will be taking place, click here! |
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