Our Santa Catalina Island Report
We were sponsored by Reel Guppy Outdoors, a Ventura County nonprofit focused on teaching young people about the marine environment, to go on an expedition to Santa Catalina Island for 3 days. (Yay!) This report will feature reviews of White’s Landing & our boat rides, & it will also discuss what we did & the overall outlining of our trip to Catalina Island. This experience is different for everyone for a multitude of reasons. However I think that we have all come to love this magnificent island.
Our boat ride on the Catalina Express & our boat ride to White’s Landing
Our trip began in Long Beach Harbor. As we waited for the boat, we saw a ray glide through the water below; A good sign for our trip.
The boat ride on the Catalina Express was quite pleasant & peaceful. Their pricing for perishables is considerably cheaper than anywhere on the island. The scenery is surreal & absolutely wonderful for any marine enthusiast. They also sell alcoholic drinks on board for those who are interested. Animals were allowed on the boat so many dogs were sleeping along the floor of the boat. When we went up to get some of the food that they had to offer, a member of the cabin crew told us an interesting story. Apparently there were 6 originating families that lived on the island & she was a direct relative of them. We have yet to find any evidence to corroborate this. Once we had arrived at the Catalina Express terminal on the island we went into our respective float area (Another one of the Catalina Express floats) to wait for the boat to transport us to White’s Landing, about 4 miles away along the coast. Avalon was surprisingly close to the terminal, within 500 feet.
The shuttle boat was small, flat, white, and low to the water. It had comfortable standing room for about 30 people, and sitting areas along its sides. After the shuttle boat had arrived a man helped us with our luggage onto the boat. The boat ride was approximately 45 minutes long & it was amazing. The scenery was beautiful. There really was nothing like it, also strangely enough in places where the rocks eroded they revealed a purple layer of rock. We also saw that Catalina Island has lots of steep hills along its coast. We could not have driven along the coast from Avalon to White’s Landing because there is no road along the coast, and we would have had lots of trouble walking with our luggage because it is so hilly. We saw at least a couple small beaches that had cliffs directly behind them, so they could only be approached from the ocean without specialized gear. We wondered if smugglers or pirates had buried things at those beaches long ago. After we had reached White’s Landing and docked they took us to the office to check us into our tents. The people at the office told us that we had been upgraded to tents right next to the beach. We then settled into our tents & wondered what White’s Landing had in store for us.
Day 1 in White’s Landing
White’s Landing has a beach, which is bounded on both the east and west by hills. Upon arrival at 5:54 p.m., we were escorted off the pier & taken to the office of administration. We were then told that bison enjoyed going onto the property, and that they could jump. The clerk told us that he was in charge of leading the bison away from the property. He also informed us that he had been charged by bison 7 times this season. Apparently the bison had also been repeatedly damaging an industrial water hose on the property & making a small body of water, probably because the bison wanted to make a pond to drink from. The personnel at White’s Landing hope to seal the hose underground in order to stop this destruction. We had booked one of the creek side bell tents however we were upgraded to a waterfront tent instead. This tent was about 20 feet walking distance away from the beach. After settling in we decided to go to the beach & explore it. The beach was about 60 feet wide, and had some white sand, some brown dry sand, and some brown wet sand near to the water. We found that other than the beach there were many hills behind our campsite, and a trail that led inland. We learned that 2 yacht clubs, San Diego Yacht Club and Balboa Yacht Club shared facilities on areas of the beach, on both sides of our facility, which was owned by Mountain and Sea Adventures. We decided to go into the water at a point more or less midway between the eastern and western ends of the beach to see if we could see marine life. The water was crystal clear making the search much easier, however the waves kicked up sand and so we did not see any marine life. At about 6:30 P.M., we noticed the small “dimples” created in the sand by pacific mole crabs, and decided to see if we could catch any pacific mole crabs. We then caught a juvenile pacific mole crab, photographed it, and put it back in the sand. They are in abundance around the island. Once we had gotten back on land we found the camp cat who the staff called Joy. One of our field agents managed to catch Joy, to whom we then gave much affection. At 7:25 pm we decided to go crab fishing off the pier. During our crab expedition a bison came down from the hills, walked between the tents, & began to curiously look at the persons on the beach, scaring one of our field agents who was also on the beach at the time, and who found herself uncomfortably close to the bison. After approximately 30 minutes of eating the shrubbery & people-watching the bison began to retreat back into the hills. The sunset was utterly beautiful so at this point so we retreated to our respective tents. We had not brought any food with us, and we found that no dinner was available at the campsite that day for those who had not purchased it with their reservation, so we did not have dinner. Luckily, we’d had a good lunch in Avalon. We did look come out of our tent and look around briefly after dark, and we found that our Wilson & Miller military-grade flashlight was strong enough to illuminate the nearby hills, hundreds of feet away. We also saw the stars, which are very beautiful and visible from the campsite.
We pulled up our crab net at about 8:45 P.M. There were no crabs in it. Unfortunately the staff did not provide us with sheets or sleeping bags so it was quite cold, though we could hear the ocean all night. However we had to wake up quite early for our journey in the dawn of the next day.
Day 2 in White’s Landing
We awoke at 8:00 am to see the first low tide of the day. We received a continental breakfast which we very much enjoyed. We then set out to the westernmost side of White’s Landing. To do this we took a trail which had cacti along the edges, we found that the cacti bore fruit. The westernmost side of White’s Landing has a group of hills that rapidly rise up from the water, and include cliffs, sea caves, and tidepools where they meet the beach.
One of our field agents decided to swim from the beach to a small archipelago offshore. The current was relatively strong making this a lot more complicated. Two field agents swam over the reef & onto the rocks of the small archipelago. The reef was incredibly sharp & we saw a few other divers & swimmers cut themselves along it. Our field agents made it to the archipelago, but were also cut and scratched a little as the waves pushed them against the rocks. One field agent thinks she found sea caves inside a large rock offshore, which was part of the archipelago.
By then it was near low-tide, so we decided to investigate the tidepools by the cliff at the western edge of White’s Landing. These tidepools were usually formed from the edges of the large rocks, so we had to climb over the rocks to get to the tidepools. We found numerous purple crabs that were 4-5 inches across, including their legs, and a hollow space between the rocks, and covered by another rock, where a large number of these crabs seemed to live. We counted 8 of them in the hollow space (Including two that were mating), and there were others scuttling around the rocks and inside the tidepools. They might have been pacific rock crabs or red rock crabs, but we are unsure. We also saw other crabs that we believe to be striped shore crabs, pachygraspus crassipes. We also found a ring made of living green material, lying on the sand, a few inches underwater. It looked like it was from a plant, but as we watched, it buried itself in the sand. We soon recognized similar rings of living material on the rocks. One of them was covered with small bits of rock, like a form of camouflage, making it harder to notice. We think these were sunburst anemones, anthopleura sola. There was also a dark gray amorphous creature hiding between two large rocks that we believe to be a sea slug or sea hare, but we could not tell for sure, because we could not see most of it.
At 12:28 p.m. two of our field agents decided to go hiking up this steep hill behind the dining hall. They made the climb, which was very gravelly. After that they decided to explore the campsite more. They went over to the bell tent area & behind the bell tents they found a Catalina fox. It had a charcoal gray snout & upper body & brown ears. It also had a red underbelly. At this point it was approximately 2:45 pm & they decided to go back to the beach for purposes of documentation. At approximately 4:35 they all went back to our respective cabins to relax until 6 pm.
While these two field agents were hiking, our other field agent decided to explore the tide pools on the eastern side of White’s Landing. These tide pools were also visible at this time, because it was near low tide. He found crabs, what he thought were two types of sea anemones, and sea urchins.
At about 6 P.M. we went to a part of the reefed area, in the beach on the western part of White’s Landing but further away from the western edge, to see more marine life. We journeyed into the water until it was 2-3 feet deep. We found leopard sharks (possibly a type of endemic leopard shark which is only native around Catalina, or the more general leopard shark population of triakis semifasciata) swimming 6-8 feet from the shoreline. An interesting thing that we saw is a school of small fish. There looked to be around 50 of them. They all moved in exact unison, when one wiggled itself they all wiggled, and when one swam in a certain direction they all swam in the same direction. Unfortunately we could not determine what the exact species was however we do think that these are what the sharks primarily preyed on. We also found what looked to be a sting ray but unfortunately we couldn’t determine what species of sting ray was. After we left the western end of white’s landing we journeyed back to our cabins. One of our field agents walked inland and saw a Catalina Fox and a deer, as well as cacti that seemed to be in full bloom with fruits. When we had settled back in for the night Joy came looking for us & decided to sit on the patio of the tent & admire the waters. She also went into our tent & rubbed herself against a field agent.
Day 3 in White’s Landing & Our Departure.
We all awoke at 8:30 & decided to explore the interior of the island. We enjoyed our continental breakfast & then set out to the inner areas of the property. We then found another Catalina Fox of which we managed to collect footage.
It let us get about 6 feet away from it before retreating back to its den. After this we explored a small ravine that we had found. Unfortunately then the ferry had arrived to transport us back to Avalon. We then packed our things walked back to the pier & went back to the Catalina Express terminal.
Beach Reviews
Balboa Yacht Club Beach:
This beach has an unbeatable view. The lagoon makes it an amazing spot for snorkeling. There is plenty of wildlife & the weather is wonderful. This is amazing for swimmers, snorkelers, & sun bathers. The current is quite strong making swimming a bit harder however the views are very worth it. This is also a wonderful spot to kayak or paddle-board near. The water is crystal clear as well. We highly recommend this beach for all.
Buffalo Beach:
Buffalo Beach was quite small yet it was nice. It had fire-pits nearby making it a good place for families. There are rocks to climb on nearby the beach & on the waterfront. The water is clear even 6 feet deep making this one of the clearest & cleanest beaches on Catalina Island.
How to Book Transportation to the Island
The easiest way to get to Avalon & Two Harbors is to book online through the Catalina Express. The Catalina Express is the only commercial ferry that runs to Avalon & two Harbor. There are terminals in Long Beach, and San Pedro, in Los Angeles County & Dana Point in Orange County on the mainland. Tickets cost between 44$ USD & 83.50$ USD.
The Permit to Hike & How to Fish on the Island
We had to get permits in hike on the island. We do not know exactly what happens if you do not get a permit for hiking & decide to hike anyway. However you can be fined if caught by officials without a fishing permit.
The Hiking Permit & How to Get One
The hiking permit was completely free & you are able to get one on catalinaconservancy.org. This is for people who are day hiking on the island. There are a few rules that apply to having the permit but other than that the permit was relatively easy to get.
How to Fish on the Island
Fishing is allowed in Avalon, however there are multiple marine protected areas. One of the best places to fish without a permit is Green Pleasure Pier. It is the main pier of the island & it is located in Avalon. The best months of the year to fish are summer months as the chance of one catching a fish is much higher.
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