Before you seek to travel out of the country for winter diving and snorkeling and group tours, check out why even the most experienced divers come to Catalina for offseason winter vacation diving and snorkeling packages.
The history of Catalina Divers Supply is rich and the new owners and staff continue to add to the history which has attracted divers’ world wide for over 50 years.
A brief look at the beginning:
In 1957 Catalina Divers Supply was the first dive store located on Catalina Island to be constructed!
1960: Carl & Maggi Koehler of Catalina Divers Supply provided first ever island-based dive boat (later becomes a cover story for Skin Diver magazine).
1962: A section located along the Casino jetty was roped off by Carl Koehler of Catalina Divers Supply. The area located on the outside harbor and was called the Avalon Underwater Park. C.D.S. provided the line, weights, buoys, markers and labor.
1962: In celebration of the Avalon Underwater Park, Jacques Cousteau and Tommy Tompson, then U.S. head of U.S. Divers, donated a portable recompression chamber to the City of Avalon. Catalina Divers Supply operated the unit under the supervision of Dr. Robert Staff. This chamber led to the larger more sophisticated chamber which is now operated by U.S.C. and is located at Two Harbors, CA (Catalina Island).
1965: The Avalon City Council approved the design of the dive park and designated the area to be set aside for sport diving. This became the first City-authorized non-profit underwater park in the United States (and maybe in the world!).
Enter the 21st Century:
2000: The SCUBA CAT is introduced in the summer to initiate the year round operation of a dive boat for Catalina Divers Supply. Especially made for dive style charters the Scuba Cat delivers the smoothest ride around Catalina Island. This 46ft fiberglass hull is a sleek, streamlined machine much improved from its namesake from the 1960's. Decked out for day or evening charters you ride in luxury when you dive from the Scuba Cat!
2008: Catalina Divers Supply Celebrates 50 Years of business on Catalina Island. A noteworthy anniversary for any dive shop, and our crew members are ready for the many great years of diving to come!
August 1, 2008: Roger Urbach and Mike O’Neill enter as new owners of Catalina Divers Supply LLC.
Both avid divers, Mike and Roger bring new ideas and a family friendly value based team to Catalina Divers Supply. Their on island staff, led by manager Eric Mahan, is warm, friendly, highly trained in diving and they welcome all skill sets of divers- including those who want an introduction to diving in a safe environment.
More people are looking for vacation packages to simplify personal and family travel. Catalina Divers Supply has made travel vacation packages affordable, packed with fun and easy to use for your personal and family vacations.
The fun begins when you enter the waters. The beautiful diversity of life in those waters has never failed to enthrall. Algae, fish, and an abundance of aquatic life with colors that one had never known to exist float silently by, unconcerned about your existence as you dive or snorkel around.
For more information on the extended winter hours, and vacation package reservations, contact the new on island manager, Eric Mahan at 1-800-353-0330 or visit http://www.CatalinaDiversSupply.com
