Catalina Island shore diving

Spent a few days vacationing there, first time diving Southern California. The vis was wonderful at 30-50'. Polespeared a 21.5" calico bass and shot an average sized sheephead with my 50" Omer Excalibur. Saw some large triggerfish swimming around but they never let me get close enough, need a bigger gun next time. Saw lobster under every rock and a big ugly moray eel.
A couple spearos came in the town with big yellowtails. Need a bigger gun and need to get on the boat I guess.

You can probably get YT with your 50" gun. The key is patience; don't fire the first time you see them. Let them circle and get closer. Act uninterested. I know, cause that's just what I didn't do the only time I had a good chance at them.
Should be places to kayak to from Catalina.

that is a nice calico you have there. its amazing you can get one with a pole spear. you must be pretty good at stalking fish silently. i find that calicos run a way from anything. when i was at the coronados i wa having fun stalking them and the best way was to go from above straight down and tap em on the head with my speartip. they would freak bad.

funny.

I heard that YTs and dorados are really running this year, just need to find some paddies off shore. East end of the island is good. Long paddle but probably doable. Cannot transport your own kayak there though, have to rent. Avalon gets kind of expensive for boat/kayak rentals.

Thinking of sailing in my Hobie Adventure Island from Newport to Catalina. Friend in power boat will be escort.

Anyone have a sense of how long it would take to kayak around the island (Avalon to Avalon, for example)?

From the maps and other information so far it looks like 2 very long days or 3 typical days would do it in reasonable conditions.

I am hoping to fish and dive a little so a 5 or 6 day circumnavigation looks very "doable."

Other information? Thoughts? Thanks