Hey guys, welcome back! Last weekend was Lyle’s birthday and to celebrate, he decided he wanted to go to Catalina Island! Catalina is located about 22 miles off the coast of California. It’s the perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. Helpful tip: if you plan to visit Catalina Island, try to do so on your birthday! You get lot’s of things for free and there’s a ton of birthday specials! So, let’s get into the post.

So first, we drove to San Pedro, which was about an hour away, to board the ferry to the island. The ferry ride takes about an hour and fifteen minutes. Since we were traveling on Lyle’s actual birthday, his boat ride was free! We boarded the boat and grabbed a seat by the window. After we took off, we decided to move up towards the front of the boat. From there, we discovered that we could step outside the cabin and enjoy the ride from there. However, it was quite a bumpy ride and very, very windy so we decided to go back inside and enjoy the rest of the ride from our seats.

We finally arrived at the island and took a few minutes to scope out the area. We walked along the marina and marveled at how beautiful the island was.

Our first adventure after arriving to the island was snorkeling! We rented the equipment from Catalina Scuba Luv. The birthday special here was buy one, get one half off! We went to leave our things in a locker and headed to Lover’s Cove. Lover’s Cove is a marine reserve so the waters here are protected. The water was super clear and the first thing we saw were tons of fish swimming around us. They’re so used to people being here that they’re not scared. They will swarm if you have food, though!

We spent about an hour or so snorkeling before heading back to return the gear. We were pretty excited about our next adventure, probably me more than Lyle. After snorkeling, we went PARASAILING! We checked in and headed down to the marina to get on our boat. We took off and they started setting everything up and strapping in the first couple to fly. When it was finally our turn I was so excited! I wasn’t sure what to expect but everything went super smooth. We were surprised to find that the flight was extremely peaceful. For Lyle being afraid of heights and me being afraid of the ocean, I’d say we did pretty good for ourselves. We both overcame some fears that day and we’re proud of ourselves.

We had been nonstop from the moment we stepped foot onto the island. We finally had time to walk around and explore. We went to Catalina Coffee and Cookie Co to get Lyle’s free birthday coffee and some dessert (yes, before dinner because we’re children). We sat down outside the shop to enjoy our treat before decided to walk around some more.

We walked about a half mile uphill to Chimes Tower because I had read the views from here were pretty spectacular. We got there only to find out it was closed for restorations. We were a little upset but I’m stubborn and refused to believe I had walked uphill for nothing. I kept walking past Chimes Tower and found a little cliff area that ensured the views we were promised.

After we took in the views for as long as we could, we decided to head back down towards the city to explore a bit more. We found a restaurant called The Lobster Trap and decided to eat dinner there. I just ordered a fish sandwich while Lyle ordered the seafood combo which came with scallops, fish, shrimp and calamari. After dinner, we went back to the little coffee shop for a dollar refill and headed back to the ferry to go back home.

I hope you enjoyed reading about our adventures on Catalina Island! I also hope you’re able to visit one day, maybe on your birthday, and that my tips may have helped you out! And of course, what’s a trip without a travel vlog?! Check out the video I made down below and let me know what you think! Until next time, xo!