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CALL KEN KURTIS ON HIS CELL AT 310/995-3639

CATALINA EXPRESS
(San Pedro & Long Beach)

SAN PEDRO TERMINAL:
From the intersection of the 405 and 110 freeways, take the 110 south. Go to the next-to-the-last exit which is "Harbor Blvd./Vincent Thomas Bridge" (by the flashing yellow "End of Freeway" lights). Take this exit and stay to the right for Harbor Boulevard.  DO NOT GO OVER THE VINCENT THOMAS BRIDGE!!! At the bottom of the ramp is a traffic light and Harbor Boulevard. Don't turn, but go straight through the light. Continue straight ahead to the parking lot entrance. Get a ticket and go all the way to the end of the lot and slightly left. At this point you will be at the Catalina Express Terminal (Berth 95) and you will literally be under the Vincent Thomas Bridge. Drop your gear in front of the terminal, find a place to park, and then come back to the terminal and hook up with your group.

LONG BEACH TERMINAL - CATALINA LANDING:
From the intersection of the 405 and 710 freeways, take the 710 south. About three miles down, the freeway splits. Follow the LEFT side that says "Downtown/Aquarium." DO NOT HEAD TOWARDS THE QUEEN MARY!!! Pass a couple of exits and then a traffic light. Almost immediately after the light, take the Golden Shore exit which will be on your right. At the top of the ramp, turn right. You'll come around a large building (one stop sign) and then the road will "S" curve down and through another complex. At the end of this complex, on your right, you'll find the Catalina Express Catalina Landing Terminal. The parking structure is on your left. Drop your gear at curbside, go park your car (go forward from the unloading zone and then left - you'll likely have to park on one of the upper levels), and then come back to hook up with the group.

GREAT ESCAPE
(22nd Street Landing, San Pedro)
OPTION 1 - Take the 110 freeway south all the way to Gaffey Street (last exit) and turn left. Go south on Gaffey to 22nd Street. Turn left. Cross over Pacific (traffic light), Mesa (stop sign), and then come down the hill past another traffic light (Whaler's Walk, I think). Past the traffic light, look for a neon marlin on the side of the building marking 22nd Street Landing. Turn right into the parking lot to unload, then park your car in the big lot across the street.

OPTION 2 - Take the 110 freeway to the next-to-the-last exit which is Harbor Blvd. (like you're going to the Catalina Express San Pedro Terminal or Ports 'O Call). Turn right on Harbor (heading south). Go past the fireboat house, the Maritime Museum, Ports 'O Call, and the Little League field. At the stop sign by the field, Harbor turns in to Miner and bends just a tad to the left. Stay on Miner down to the traffic light which is 22nd Street. Turn right. Look for 22nd Street Landing on your left (you own't see the neon marlin) and pull in as above.

MAGICIAN & SEA BASS (Psalty & Second Stage, too)
(Ports 'O Call, San Pedro)

From the intersection of the 405 and 110 freeways, take the 110 south. Go to the next-to-the-last exit which is "Harbor Blvd./Vincent Thomas Bridge" (by the flashing yellow "End of Freeway" lights). Take this exit and stay to the right for Harbor Boulevard.  DO NOT GO OVER THE VINCENT THOMAS BRIDGE!!! At the bottom of the ramp is a traffic light and Harbor Boulevard. Turn right on Harbor, past the fireboat station, and look for 6th Street. The Los Angeles Maritime Museum will be on your left. Turn left at the 6th Street light. Go over the railroad tracks and turn right. Go past the Acapulco Restaurant to the stop sign, which is Nagoya Way.

MAGICIAN: Turn left, go about 100 yards, and look for the sign for the  Crusty Crab Restaurant on your left. Immediately beyond the Crusty Crab is "LA Sportfishing." Park in the loading area and go down the alley between the two buildings. Turn left, then right. The Magician is on Dock 3, literally behind the Crusty Crab. (If the door to the gangway is closed, just pull very hard it - it sticks.) Once you've unloaded your gear, park in any marked space that is not restricted parking.

SEA BASS: Go past the Crusty Crab and continue all the way down to the end of the road. The Sea Bass is now at Berth 75, which is the last commercial dock. It's a little bit beyond the Psalty V and the Second Stage (both at Berth 76, which comes before Berth 75 - go figure). Once you've unloaded your gear, park in any marked space that is not restricted parking. 

BOTTOM SCRATCHER, & CEE RAY
(Queen's Wharf, Long Beach)
From the intersection of the 405 and 710 freeways, take the 710 south. About three miles down, the freeway splits. Follow the RIGHT side that says "Queen Mary." You want the very first exit (it comes up pretty quickly) which is marked "Pico/Piers B C D E." Take this exit and you'll come up and around (almost a full 360º) a long, looping exit ramp. At the bottom of the ramp, turn right and you'll be on Pico. About 200 yards ahead on your right, you'll see Queen's Wharf. Look for the sign on the building that says "Queen's Wharf Restaurant" (all the neon letters don't work at night but you'll get the idea). Pull in and unload between the two big buildings by the chain-link fence. To walk to the Cee Ray, go down the ramp and hang a sharp left. After you've taken your gear down to the boat, move your car back into the large parking area that you passed on your way in. Then come back down and sign in.

VETERAN'S PARK, REDONDO BEACH
(Squid, Night, & Daytime beach dives)
Veteran's Park is a few blocks (SW) from the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway and Torrance Boulevard, just south of the Redondo Pier.

From the Westside, take the 405 south, get off at Rosecrans West (the first Rosecrans exit), turn right and go almost half a mile to Aviation (look for the overhead railroad trestle). Turn left on Aviation and go three miles south to Pacific Coast Highway (PCH). Turn left on PCH and go about another two miles south. You'll pass the big "Redondo Beach - King Harbor" arch on your right, then a little further down you'll pass the Redondo Public Library on your right, and the next big street is Torrance Boulevard. Cross that and continue south on PCH for one more block. There's a Smart & Final on your left and a Merrit Used Cars on your right. This is Pearl Street. Turn right on Pearl. Pass the stop sign (there's a fire station on your left), and then you'll come to a traffic light. Continue straight through the light (wait for it to turn green, of course) and almost directly in front of you (as the road starts to bend to the left) you'll see the large parking lot for Veteran's Park. Pull in and find a spot. We usually meet/park at the far end of the lot on the left so we're fairly close to the stairs. Bring plenty of quarters for the parking meters as they're in effect 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, including weekends. (You can also buy an annual permit - good October 1 to September 30 - from the City of Redondo Beach for $75.)

If you get lost, call Ken Kurtis on his cell phone (310/995-3639). Even if he's not escorting the dive, if he's got his phone on, he can guide you to the proper place.

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