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Our ship arrived to the island during the night, and moored at a distance from the beach. The ship stayed here for a day, and let everyone come and go off through its ferries and do their own excursions on the island.

Early in the morning, the ship already dropped its anchor, the ocean was calm with light breeze and a bit morning chill in the full sun of May. The sunlight reflected off its golden ray onto the island in the near distance, and was captured by the images below. Such stillness and peace. A few ship crews prepared the deck for the day, few passenger got up early and watched the sun rising on the top deck in the early morning. The day was still fresh.

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Santa Catarina Island, often called Catalina Island, or just Catalina, is an island off the coast of Southern California. just 22 miles (35 km) south-southwest of Los Angeles.

Catalina is part of the eight Channel Islands archipelago. The eight islands that make up the archipelago are divided into two groups — the Northern Channel Islands and the Southern Channel Islands. Catalina Island is one of the four Southern Channel Islands. Santa Catalina Island is the only one of the eight islands with a significant permanent civilian settlement—the city of Avalon and the unincorporated town of Two Harbors. The distance from Avalon to Two Harbors is 13.4 miles by boat, 23 miles by road.

The Island is 21 miles and encompasses approximately 47,884 acres or approximately 76 square miles. The width is 8 miles at its widest point (Long Point) and 1/2 mile wide at it's narrowest point at Two Harbors at the Isthmus. The coastal perimeter is 54 miles. The highest elevations are Mt. Orizaba (2,097 feet) and Mount Black Jack (2,006 feet). The deepest water between Catalina and the mainland is approximately 3,000 feet or more than 1/2 mile. Water temperature ranges from 64 to 73 degrees in the summer and 54 to 59 degrees in winter.

Two boat companies provide scheduled service Catalina Island with departures from four mainland communties:San Pedro, Long Beach, Dana Point,Newport Beach.

Helicopter service is also available with departures from Long Beach & San Pedro.
You can be on Catalina Island in as little as 15 minutes via helicopter or one hour by boat from the mainland.

The total population as of the 2000 census was 3,696 persons, almost 85 percent of whom live in the island's only incorporated city, Avalon, with another 195 south of town, outside of the city limits). The second center of population is the unincorporated village of Two Harbors, in the north, with a population of 298.

Under an agreement with Los Angeles County, the Conservancy has granted an easement to allow day hiking and mountain biking, but visitors must first obtain a permit at the Conservancy's office. Hiking permits are free, whereas bicycle permits are available for a fee.

The use of motor vehicles on the island is restricted; there is a limit on the number of registered cars, which translates into a 25-year-long wait list to bring a car to the island. Most residents move around via golf cart. Tourists can hire a taxi from Catalina Transportation Services. Bicycles are also a popular mode of transportation. There are a number of bicycle and golf cart rental agencies on the island. Only the city of Avalon is open to the public without restrictions.
Two Harbors, the smaller of the island's two population centers. The only major road into the back country is Stage Road.

Glass bottom boats tour the reefs and shipwrecks of the area, and scuba diving and snorkeling are popular in the clear water. Lover's Cove, to the east of town, and Descanso Beach, to the west of the Casino, are popular places to dive. The area is famous for the schools of flying fish and the bright orange Garibaldi which teem in local waters. Parasailing is also offered. Bus tours are given of the interior.

While tourists rarely have an opportunity to surf, two beaches on the "backside" of Catalina offer good waves: Shark Harbor and Ben Weston Beach. Avalon Beach on Catalina Island has made the Natural Resources Defense Council report's list of Top 10 "Repeat Offender" beaches with chronic pollution problems.

Catalina has been an active port of many cruise lines since the 1990s, with Royal Caribbean, Princess Cruises, and Carnival Cruise Lines making the port a regular for Baja cruises. Specifically, Carnival Cruise Lines' Carnival Paradise has made calls to the island every week since 2004, making it the ship to have the most weekly calls to the port, but will leave in November 2011 to be replaced by the Carnival Inspiration.

In its heyday in the 1930s, due to its proximity to Hollywood, Catalina Island was a favored getaway destination for Hollywood stars such as Clark Gable. The island also served as a filming location for dozens of movies. During WWII the island was the forward base station with troop occupation defending Japanese possible attack on the west coast of US.


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