Casino Point Dive Park (Catalina)
Depth is the range from the top of the site to its usual maximum; "recommended cert" is the mainstream-agency level operators usually ask for, not a legal rule. Currents and visibility change daily — treat everything here as planning ranges.
Casino Point is where Southern California learns to dive: a buoyed, boat-free underwater park at the foot of Avalon's 1929 casino building, entered down concrete steps and protected since the early 1960s. Giant kelp grows right to the rail, and the residents - garibaldi in traffic-cone orange, kelp bass, sheephead, moray-and-shrimp duos in the rocks - have seen enough classes to ignore everyone. A handful of small intentionally placed wrecks and a memorial plaque to diving pioneers give navigation targets; lobsters pack the ledges because no one may take them here. Visibility can hit 20 m-plus in fall. Half the certification cards in California carry a memory of this place.
The moment you come for: Stairway-entry kelp forest, fearless garibaldi, protected lobster herds, dependable training conditions
Topography: Giant kelp forest over rock reef, sloping to sand with small planted wrecks
Entry: Concrete steps beside Avalon's landmark Casino building lead straight into the park.
Know before you splash
Hazards: Kelp entanglement for the unpracticed; class congestion at the steps on weekends.
Conservation: A no-take marine reserve area - the tameness of the fish is the direct result.
Who you'll meet
For photographers
Wide angle: ★★★★☆ · Macro: ★★★★☆ — editors' 1–5 rating of what this site gives each style of shooting