About Catalina Island
Catalina Island Videos brings you ideas on what you can do and experience on your next trip to Catalina.
Why is Santa Catalina Island such a special place in California? Catalina is California’s only island resort destination. It is rich with scenic beauty and history. Catalina offers world class yachting and fishing. Additionally, Catalina Island offers a plethora of other activities to capture your imagination and keep you busy. But if relaxing best suits you, then Catalina Island is a place where the gentle rhythm of the waves makes time slow down. You’ll finds life’s pressures melt away as you’re captivated by the natural beauty of the island.
Santa Catalina Island is the most popular scuba diving destination in California with clear water and visibility ranging from 40-100 feet. The scuba diving on Catalina Island is some of the best in the world. Catalina Island is a wonderful and fun place to snorkel also. The incredible waters of Catalina are home to a wide variety of sea life. Another option to easily experience the richness of the underwater world at Catalina is to take a ride on a glass bottom boat or on a semi-submarine.
Catalina Island is only 22 miles off the coast of Los Angeles, but it seems a world away. Due to the tempering effect of the ocean, Catalina Island is 10 degrees cooler in the summer and10 degrees warmer in the winter than the mainland of LA County coastline. Catalina is serviced by ferries from Marina Del Rey, Long Beach & Dana Point.
Catalina is a unique place to vacation. The most visited tourist destination on Catalina Island is the city of Avalon. Avalon is about one square mile. The atmosphere of Avalon exudes a cozy charm. Avalon features a very walk-able small town and mini-resort area. Activities abound. You can relax at the beach, tour the famous and historic Casino, or you can take a historical, scenic or adventure tour. Or maybe you would prefer to kayak, rent a motor boat, hike, rent a golf cart or bicycle around the sights?
With its rich history and wealth of new things to discover and explore, Catalina Island is the perfect escape for visitors looking to experience the warmth of a small-town on a fun, island destination.
Part of the charm of Catalina Island is the fact that it is beautiful, undeveloped and much like it was 50 years ago. That’s because nearly all of Catalina Island is privately owned, preserved by an unusual conservation organization empowered with the funding and authority to maintain Catalina’s serenity for present and future generations.
Although the bulk of Santa Catalina Island is now owned by the Catalina Island Conservancy, whose charge it is to preserve the Island for posterity, Catalina Island has at various times been the property of a number of private owners. Virtually untouched by development, the majority of Catalina Island is natural and preserved. It serves as home to many species of wildlife including buffalo, fox, quail,
and bald eagles.
Once a sanctuary for the privileged few who fled by yacht from the urban sprawl of nearby Los Angeles, Catalina Island is now a small utopia for all to enjoy. Catalina Island is beautiful and is full of wild life, gorgeous views and plentiful experiences. Catalina Island beckons you to take a fun ferry ride over and discover or rediscover the charms of this special place.
