• Tourists traveling to California enjoy vacation destinations with a variety of landmarks and attractions. However tourists also search for water activities they can enjoy along California's golden coast. Some of the most adventurous outings for residents and visitors are SCUBA diving vacations, where divers explore the depths of the Pacific Ocean and discover kelp forests, marine animals, and aquatic plants. The following list provides information on different California SCUBA vacations.
  
  

Catalina Island

• Santa Catalina Island, located 26 miles off the coast of Southern California, provides a quick SCUBA diving vacation for the adventure seeker. The island provides more than 150 dive sites along its 56-mile shoreline. The Santa Catalina Island Company offers complete SCUBA diving getaway packages featuring the two principle cities on the island: Avalon and Two Harbors. The vacation package includes round trip transportation on the Catalina Express or Catalina Flyer, accommodations at the historic Hotel Atwater, two or three-tank shore diving with either Scuba Luv on their 65-foot vessel or Catalina Divers Supply with their 42-foot spacious aluminum boat.
  
  The clear waters off the Avalon shoreline provide visibility of 40 to 90 feet depending on the season while the Two Harbors dive site offers visibility ranging from 40 to 100 feet. Diving at either site provides excellent opportunities for underwater exploration of amazing sea creatures.
  
  The Santa Catalina Island Company
  150 Metropole Ave.
  Avalon, CA 90704
  800-626-1496
  www.visitcatalinaisland.com/avalon/pack_dive.php
  
  

Channel Islands

• Cal Boat Diving offers customized weekday and weekend trips with up to four dives from any of the four Channel Islands: San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz and Anacapa.
  This SCUBA vacation allows divers to sleep on any of the three vessels each with its own amenities to offer travelers, like hot showers, large freshwater hot tubs, dive track navigation systems, sun decks, clothes dryer, large galleys and single or double occupancy accommodations.
  
  Travelers explore the distinctive SCUBA diving experiences and diverse underwater life that each island has to offer. San Miguel's colder waters offers divers a first-hand look at elephant seals and pelicans, in addition to vibrant multi-colored fish. Santa Rosa provides rocky pinnacles and amber kelp forests as well as many colorful rockfish. With Santa Cruz being the largest island, it offers a multitude of sea life, underwater caves and reef systems. In addition divers can explore the wreckage of an old navy vessel, The Peacock. Anacapa is an ecological reserve with clear waters that provides ultimate viewing of the lobster caves, kelp forests, large abalone and other colorful marine life.
  
  Cal Boat Diving
  1575 Spinnaker Drive Suite 105B-75
  Ventura Harbor, CA 93001
  1-866-CAL-DIVE
  www.calboatdiving.com/dives.html
  
  

Monterey Bay

• Monterey Bay provides seasoned vacation packages for the SCUBA diving enthusiast that enjoys a little added luxury and pampering on the trip. The five-day package includes deluxe accommodations at one of the nearby hotels, one-day two-tank guided shore diving and one-day two-tank guided boat diving, with an additional adventure to either the Monterey Bay Aquarium or a Monterey Bay whale watching outing. Monterey Dive Charters nestle along San Carlos Beach, McAbee Beach, Lovers Point, Otters Cove or the Monastery for the shore dives, where vacationers can view a variety of colorful invertebrates, marine mammals and kelp forests, as well as sea lions and harbor seals. The boat diving excursions can be customized to fit each group visiting areas close to Stillwater Cove and Point Lobos.
  
  Monterey Bay Dive Charters
  Pebble Beach California
  (831) 383-9276
  info@mbdcscuba.com
  www.mbdcscuba.com/monterey.htm