Dive Review of Two Harbors Dive & Recreation Center/Banning House in
The Continental USA/Catalina Isthmus

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Two Harbors Dive & Recreation Center/Banning House, Oct, 2011, by Larry Clinton, CA, US ( 1 report). Report 6353.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity	N/A
Dive Operation		Shore Diving
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	We all agreed to return soon, hopefully when Two Harbors Dive & Recreation Center gets a new boat.
Websites	Two Harbors Dive & Recreation Center Banning House
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	Over 1000 dives
Where else diving	Atlantic, Pacific, Caribbean, Mediterranean, Gulf of Mexico, Sea of Cortez, Central America, etc;
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	cloudy	Seas	calm
Water Temp	60-64°F / 16-18°C	Wetsuit Thickness	7
Water Visibility	30-40 Ft/ 9-12 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	None.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	no
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	None	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals	N/A	Tropical Fish	N/A
Small Critters		Large Fish	N/A
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	Last year, I reported on an October 2009 dive trip to Isthmus Cove on the west end of Catalina., facing Long Beach. Arriving just after the end of tourist season, our group had the dive shop -- Two Harbors Dive & Recreation Center – pretty much to ourselves. That meant we could request when their 45-foot dive boat, the Garibaldi, would take us out, where we’d go, and how many dives each of us wanted to do. Dive sites were so close we were back on shore for lunch, and afterward those who wanted to do an afternoon dive could get back on board. They went back out with as few as two divers. So we went back last October with a larger group, only to find that the shop has lost the 24-passenger Garibaldi when it failed to meet Coast Guard inspection standards. Instead, each day they had to bring over a 30-station cattle boat from Avalon, which couldn’t offer the flexibility of dives and site selections we had enjoyed two years before. All trips were two-tank dives, but the boat’s daily arrival and departure schedules made afternoon trips out of the question. Instead, we did one late-morning dive, had lunch on board during our surface interval, and then finished our second dive each day. Those who opted not to make the second dive still paid the two-dive rate ($110 including lunch, drinks and snacks) and had to stay aboard until the others finished. The King Neptune, provided by Catalina Scuba Luv, is a basic 30-station dive boat, but even with just 15 divers aboard, the aft dive deck felt crowded and hectic. That may be because only a few benches are provided. Most people suited up leaning against something—or each other -- then tottered to a side gate in full gear for a giant stride entry. Being 71, I played the codger card and asked for help with my gear while sitting on the fantail. Then, I just had to stand up and fall off the swim step to start my dives. The crew was very accommodating and helpful at all times. Skies were overcast throughout our stay, so the diving wasn’t quite as spectacular as two years ago, but photographers were still happily one-upping each other with stories of cooperative critters lurking among the kelp. We stayed at the Banning House, a 100-year-old Craftsman-style home that has morphed into a cozy 12-room lodge with stunning views and beautiful hiking trails. Some hikers had close encounters with bison and other terrestrial wonders.

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Dive Review of Two Harbors Dive & Recreation Center/Banning House in The Continental USA/Catalina Isthmus

Two Harbors Dive & Recreation Center/Banning House, Oct, 2011,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Two Harbors Dive & Recreation Center/Banning House in
The Continental USA/Catalina Isthmus