One of the most memorable experiences I have had while writing this book was producing the history of diving at Catalina chapter. Because this specific subject was never before covered, I had to start from scratch. A foundation was formed, names given and the phone calls and interviews began. Within about 12-16 months, I was able to piece together an interesting saga of diving at Catalina Island. Catalina Island, All You Need To Know is the only book in the world that discusses this specific subject in such detail.
| Though island diving, particularly at Catalina, was essentially fruitless unless you owned your own boat, most breath-hold divers (usually spearfishermen) during this era enjoyed excellent shore diving at coastal coves such as those in Palos Verdes, Laguna Beach and La Jolla in San Diego. However, "island mania" entered the picture in 1951 after the introduction of Maray, the first bonafide dive charter boat on the West Coast. |  |
Mart Toggweiler, who worked as a civilian contracted ship builder at the Naval shipyard in Long Beach, built and operated the Maray. During his employment with the Navy, auctions to dispose of military scrap were periodically held. Toggweiler, a gifted ship builder, saw an opportunity to make his own pleasure boat when Navy auctioneers sold surplus landing craft in 1947. He eventually purchased one for $750 and had it hauled to a rented lot in Signal Hill, California where he would rebuild it. Because his acquisition was not yet suitable for civilian use, it took Mart three years to convert the vessel into a usable pleasure craft. He called his newly refurbished, 41 foot boat, Maray.
Originally, Toggweiler had no intention of using Maray for diving charters; however, a group of treasure divers from the Los Angeles Neptune Diving Club eventually contacted him in 1950. The group wanted to charter his boat to salvage silver from a sunken vessel called Colombia in Magdalena Bay. Unsure if he could oblige their request, Toggweiler and the group decided to take a test charter to Catalina to ensure a trip of this nature was possible. The salvage expedition never panned out, but, by example, Toggweiler quickly discovered that running paid charters to Catalina would help offset his boat expenses and docking fees..............(con't)
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In the 1950s when scuba diving was in its infancy, notions of touring the underwater world were almost like that of man landing on the moon--inconceivable. However, underwater tourism at Catalina became a reality in 1950 with the introduction of the Submarine Diving Bell at Catalina's Casino Point. For the first time, public access to Catalina's underwater world was possible thanks to an Inventor named Edmund S. Martine.............(con't) |
| Not surprisingly, Santa Catalina Island Company (SCICo) entered the diving scene in 1951 with the introduction of the Davey Jones Show. To some extent, SCICo interbred the glass bottom boat tour with the Submarine Diving Bell operation. Each unique presentation offered a marine biology discussion and an underwater exhibition by experienced scuba divers. Passengers watched the show's underwater segment through glass viewing windows. Retired Navy diver Harold Warner, a Catalina resident, ran the Davey Jones Show under the direction SCICo. A 51 foot barge with viewing windows was placed............(con't). |
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Other topics in this chapter include:
 | Catalina Island, All You Need To Know also details all of Catalina's diving support businesses, ranging from six-pac operations to large charter boats to full service dive shops. The island hosts divers in Avalon and Two Harbors. This section also covers mainland dive boat operations that visit Catalina and a section about Catalina's Hyperbaric Chamber. The chamber section provides phone and radio emergency contact numbers, DAN contact information and discusses proper use of distress calls. |
This chapter is loaded with a nice package of contact information and is a handy section to carry on all boats.
Dive Site Legend Description In this chapter, we take a look at the dive site legend nomenclature. Each dive site description once again uses a parallel approach so as to provide a vertical platform of information. Platforms discussed for each dive site are as follows: |  |
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| For obvious reasons, I felt it was necessary to discuss my basic criteria for each of these platforms. For example, when I discuss usual visibility, I am referring to the annual low to high average, but you would not know this unless that was explained. Therefore, I have provided clarification for each platform to bring parity into the book. |  |
 | As an example, here is how I explain typical depth range: Indicates the site's most commonly dived range. However, the maximum depth presented for a dive site, provided the site goes this deep, is 130 feet (40 m), which is the recommended recreational diving limit established by accredited training agencies. A plus sign following a 130 feet (40 m) depth listing indicates that, within the dive site boundaries, the bottom descends beyond the recommended depth limit. Diving deeper than 130 feet (40 m) is beyond the scope of this book. When diving at any dive site, exercise safe diving procedures. Precautions such as good buddy communication, safety stops, monitoring your air supply, gages and computers frequently, beginning your ascent with an ample reserve of air, and making slow ascents should be followed during every dive, despite depth. |
Jon Hardy of ScubaLab says, "This is a well done dive guide, with the most accurate and detailed dive site data available, plus an informative chapter on marine life and another well researched section on the dive history at Catalina. Joe has done his homework in putting together this wealth of information, along with outstanding color photography."
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