Catalina divers, it is with open arms (but a 6 foot distance) that we can finally welcome you back to the Casino Point Dive Park! While LA County’s safer-at-home initiative remains in effect, essential travel to the island is permitted, and beaches have been opened for active recreation. For us, that means a slight change in operations to ensure that we abide by these rules, and also to provide a safe experience for customers and staff.
What does this look like?
Your dive plan will now begin at home. Before you even arrive to the island, there are a couple of things you need to do:
Reserve rental gear
Our goal is to create as contact-less an environment as possible. To do this, we are also requesting that divers reserve rental gear online. This includes tanks and weights! For customers that need rental gear, we have full scuba packages, as well as a la carte options for single piece items. If you know how many dives you’re going to do, you can even prepay air fills! Reserving gear allows us to prepare before you even arrive to the island, and also minimizes the exchange of cash or credit cards.
What happens when you get here?
When you arrive to the Park, you will come meet us at the air van to show us your certification cards and sign our waiver. Please remember to wear a mask and maintain safe distance from our staff and other divers. If at any time you need any service from us, please send only a single member of your group.
While at the surface
Once you get settled in, make sure to remain as close to your area and wear a mask as much as possible. This applies to surface intervals as well.
At/around the stairs
Be mindful of other divers on the stairs. Our goal: zero traffic. As always, please follow designated sides for entry and exit of the water. Specifically for after your dive, avoid blowing your nose until you are back at your own station.
Sanitation
We have implemented new sanitation procedures for the safety of divers and staff alike. Dive stations are sanitized with a bleach solution after each group and the handrails on the stairs will be sanitized multiple times a day. We have provided a sink amongst the stations for divers to wash their hands, as well as hand sanitizer at the air van. We also have extra gloves/masks for anyone in need.
Rental gear
Rental gear will be sanitized through a 4-part process that adheres to DAN’s guidelines. Along with our usual freshwater and then soap and water washtubs, gear will be submerged in a bleach solution for an amount of time dependent on the concentration, and then rinsed with water.
For $5, our staff will provide your regulator with a new mouthpiece.
Moving forward
As we are all making adjustments in our lives to adapt to this new normal, there will undoubtedly be kinks in the process that we will have to work out. This is just a reality that we will face. With that being said, we have laid down the infrastructure to provide a safe and fun experience, and are ready and excited to progress through these times with you. Our “soft opening” has been met with amazing support and compliance from the visitors that we’ve had thus far, and we look forward to seeing the rest of you very soon.