Catalina Island is a beautiful place with a plethora of life and activities. Often considered one of the top places in the world for scuba diving and snorkeling, the Catalina’s ocean habitat is something not to be missed!

The clear waters, kelp forests, and rocks, make Catalina a top destination for exploring life in the ocean. You’ll see fish of all shapes, sizes, and colors. You’ll see sharks (leopard sharks are essentially harmless to humans). You’ll see sting rays. And Sea Lions. If you’re lucky enough, you’ll see an octopus. Kayak camping on Catalina is a wonderful opportunity to get to a secluded area of Catalina that you can call your own while you stay there. Make sure to bring your snorkel gear and explore your personal cove, or kayak to any other cove to explore what you may find there. I highly recommend purchasing the Green Planet Map of Catalina Island. It was an incredible, waterproof, resource to have because it helped us navigate, listed all of the great snorkeling spots, and included pictures of many of the sea creatures you may come across to help you identify them.

In addition to snorkeling, you can also fish! If you rent a kayak that is made for fishing, it will come with holders for your rods so that you can troll. BUT, make sure that you a California Fishing License and that you understand all of the rules and regulations. There are many areas of Catalina that are OFF LIMITS to fishing in order to protect the natural habitat there. Do your best to help protect these environments and avoid a hefty ticket from one of the rangers!

 

You’ll likely be with friends and loved ones, so don’t forget to bring some games or cards so that you can spend time hanging out, playing games, laughing, and having a good time in the sun. We brought a frisbee, a football, “Catch Phrase”, and some playing cards.

Make sure to bring a good book and a towel or beach chair so that you can lounge in the sun, work on that tan, and spend some time reading/learning while you relax and maybe even drift off in the afternoon sun while listening to the waves break only a few feet away from you.