Catalina Island ~ 33rd Annual Avalon Harbor Underwater Cleanup February 22nd, 2014

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There is only one day a year that you’re allowed to dive in Avalon Harbor on Catalina Island and that day this year is February 22nd.  The day of the 33rd  Annual Avalon Harbor Clean Up.  Take advantage of this once a year, rare opportunity with us this year.   Dive in the harbor and help the environment by cleaning up debris that has accumulated over the last year.  You never know what treasure you may find.

green pier

In addition to possible treasures you may find during the dive, there are prizes given for some of the more interesting items retrieved from the harbor as well as thousands of dollars in raffle prizes including dive gear, trips, vacations, etc.

Catalina_33rd_T_shirt (2)

All divers must register to dive the event.  When you register, you will be given a choice of dive sites, we are registered to enter at the Green Pier. Registration includes a t-shirt that has usually been designed by a local diver. This years t-shirt design is shown here.

Once the event has concluded, we will be heading down to Casino Point for a few more recreational dives and then take some time to enjoy some of the local cuisine and such that Catalina has to offer.

Avalon-Harbor-Clean-up2010Join us for a weekend of fun on Catalina Island, February 21st-23rd, 2014 and do your part to help clean up Catalina and support the USC Hyperbaric Chamber.

We will be leaving on the 2pm ferry (Catalina Express) from Downtown Long Beach arriving in Avalon at approximately 3pm.

There are several wonderful places to stay on the Island, you can check out the options on the Catalina Chamber of Commerce Site here.  We will be staying in a vacation home we rented from Catalina Island Vacation Rentals.  It’s located just 2 blocks from the green pier dive site. They have several sizes and locations with amazing views of the harbor.

Last year, 2.5 tons of trash were recovered from the Harbor. There were 461 registered divers at four unique dive sites across the harbor.

From the Catalina Concervancy Site  “The Avalon Underwater Cleanup is an annual dive event held at Avalon Harbor on Catalina  Island. The event was started in the 1970s by the local dive community in an effort to cleanup Avalon Harbor, and this event is the only time diving is permitted in the Harbor. Over the years, this event has grown to become one of the most popular dive events in Southern California attracting as many as 500 divers.

The proceeds of the Avalon Harbor Underwater Cleanup benefit the USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber and the Catalina Conservancy’s Robert R. Given Fund for Ocean Conservation and Educational Outreach established in the name of Dr. Robert Given.  The USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber is a 24/7 emergency recompression facility on Catalina that serves thousands of divers who frequent the waters of Southern California.”