Reef Adventure Seeker Series: Catalina Island

For Southern California residents, Catalina Island is a hidden gem. It’s also one of my favorite “day-cation” spots. With an hour drive to my nearest harbor and a beautiful hour-long boat ride on the Catalina Express ferry, the island is fairly accessible.

What’s in my beach bag?

Reef Sandals, Fins & Snorkel mask, sunscreen, Gopro Dome & Pole, Straw Fedora hat, sunglasses, iphone, bikini, camera, towel.

What to do at Catalina: 

Catalina Island is the perfect spot because it’s for everybody, from the adventurers to the ones who want to relax. When I come here, I like to explore and adventure as much as possible, both on land and in the water.

Air temperature: 87 Water Temp: 59

As soon as we stepped off the boat, we biked along Lover’s Cove where we overlooked clear water with orange Garibaldi fish. We followed the road all the way up to the top of the mountain, pushing our bikes up in the heat as tourists in golf carts passed us by. Although it was a tough hike, the view was worth it and we got our work-out in for the day.

 The best part about biking uphill? The ride down. We enjoyed a breezy, long ride overlooking Avalon harbor all the way back to town.

Back in town, we relaxed on the beach before riding off again… this time in the opposite way to Avalon Dive Park.

One of my favorite activities is to free dive and snorkel. Even though the water was a chilly 59 degrees, that didn’t stop us from getting in the water.

Scuba diving is a very popular activity at Catalina Island. The spot where we swam in, below, is the “classroom” for beginner scuba divers.

After our swim, we biked to a nearby beach and laid out in the sun… that didn’t last long though.  The water looked so beautiful and clear, so of course I went for a swim again.

For lunch, we strolled around the boardwalk and found an outdoor cafe with live music. Of course I got some icecream, too… a beach vacation isn’t complete without some.

Not bad for a daycation!

My friend, @rodisrad, below – my adventure buddy and photographer for the day.

Reef Sandals I wore: 

Reef Uptowns

Reef Chakras Print