Catalina Island Conservancy

33rd Annual Avalon Underwater Cleanup

February 22, 2014

The 32nd Annual Avalon Harbor Underwater Cleanup last February was a great success with over 2.5 tons of trash being recovered from the Harbor. We had 461 registered divers at four unique dive sites, including this year's newest site, Lover's Cove!

Event awards given for the most interesting items recovered included:

CLOTHING- Original "JAWS" T Shirt (Found by Bill White)

ELECTRICAL- A Garbage Disposal (Found by Keith Kogan)

FUNNIEST "Party in a Bag" assorted fun items- MArdi Gras Beads, dollar bill fly swatter, etc (Found by The brothers Ybarra)

FURNITURE/HOUSEHOLD- Perfectly good Doormat (Found by Crystal Sims)

KITCHEN RELATED- Porcelain Tea Cup (Found by Cheryl Siler)

MISCELLANEOUS- "Murder Kit" Knife, Rope, 2X4, bones, etc (Found by Jeff Pusheck)

NEWEST- 2013 Boat Registration/unexpired Credit Card (Found by The Brothers Ybarra)

OLDEST- We have a Tie-- Barnetts Standard Extract Bottle (Found by Jamie Siler) Intact Ballast Bottle (Found by Wilson Rose)

PERVERTED- "A Swing and a Miss" Men's briefs, golf balls, battery (Found by Denise Hurst)

SMALLEST- Computer Key (Found by Lenn Bell)

SPORTING GOODS- Baseball with no cover, from Cubs Spring Training?

VALUABLE- Cash in Hand, Safeway $25 Gift Card (Found by Kohl Schlunegger)

WORTHLESS- 18th Annual (2006) Jazz Festival Banner (Found by Scott Nichol)

MOST SPIRITED DIVE TEAM for Enthusiasm over their "trashy" Finds Larry and Ruth Harris

The Ken Kurtis Silver Tongued Devil (B.S.) Award - Kohl Schlunegger for "Crabalope" Story

Jon Hardy Award recipient was Dr. Jeff Sipsey.

Golden Flipper Award recipient was Leann St. Louis.

The award for Most Funds Raised for our online contest for the second year running, went to Doug Ernst.

And last, but not least,the winner of our Annual T-Shirt Design Contest was Edzel Rubite.

Visit the Catalina Conservancy Diver's page for Facebook Event Photos.

A heartfelt thanks to everyone who volunteered their time and labor; to sponsors and regular folks who donated prizes and raised money; and last, but definitely not least, to the divers who participated.

Proceeds from this event will be divided equally between the USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber and the Catalina Island Conservancy's Robert Given Fund for Ocean Conservation.

Don't miss out on the fun next year! Mark your calendars for the 33nd Annual Avalon Harbor Under Water Cleanup on February 22, 2014.

Have pictures from previous Cleanups to share? Join the Catalina Conservancy Divers on Facebook. Click here.

Event Description:

The Avalon Underwater Cleanup is an annual dive event held at Avalon Harbor on Catalina Island. The event was started in the 1970s by the local dive community in an effort to cleanup Avalon Harbor, and this event is the only time diving is permitted in the Harbor. Over the years, this event has grown to become one of the most popular dive events in Southern California.

For the first time since the event began, we have permission to add Lover's Cove to our dive sites! Lover's Cove is a protected marine preserve by the State of California and is normally closed to divers.

In years' past we have had over 500 divers who had a great time retrieving trash and lost items from the harbor as well as celebrating the event. There are numerous parties around town on both Friday and Saturday nights as divers revel in the warm friendly atmosphere of Catalina Island. Several dive clubs also have made this event one of their premier social events of the year.

The proceeds of the Avalon Harbor Underwater Cleanup benefit the USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber and the Catalina Conservancy's Robert E. Given Fund for Ocean Conservation and Educational Outreach established in the name of Dr. Robert Given. The USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber is a 24/7 emergency recompression facility on Catalina that serves thousands of divers who frequent the waters of Southern California.

The winner of the 2013 T-Shirt Design Contest is Edzel Rubite!

USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber

This is a GREEN event: invitations and notifications for this event are via email only. Email us to get added to the Cleanup List!

JOIN THE CATALINA ISLAND CONSERVANCY DIVERS TODAY! Most members of the Catalina Conservancy Divers (CCD) are scuba divers, but there are also members who are marine researchers, boat owners, and other persons interested in the near shore waters off Santa Catalina Island.

Over the years, CCD members have contributed over 25,000 volunteer hours to research and understand Catalina's marine ecosystems.

To become an active diver with the CCD, the first step is becoming a Catalina Conservancy Member at the Adventurer level ($125). Any Adventurer can join the Diver support group, but to be an active diver, additional consideration must be taken which includes: higher level certifications, water skills proficiency evaluations, current AAUS dive physicals, and proof of regular equipment maintenance.

For membership information, contact Sasha Villacis at 562-437-8555 ext. 238.