DBOS - Descanso Beach Ocean Sports

08/30/2024

The Catalina Island Company is transitioning to a cashless payment system in Avalon and will now only accept credit cards, debit cards, and mobile payment options (such as Apple Pay and Google Pay) for all transactions. For your convenience, Cash-to-Card Kiosks are available in Avalon in the lobby of Hotel Atwater and Descanso Beach Club.

08/21/2024

Paddle or kayak, what's your favorite way to play? Come join us for guided tours or choose your own adventure with a rental!

11/08/2023

It's been our life, new chapter coming...

05/09/2023

Come out and Play for Mother's Day!

We're looking forward to some nice weather for Mother's Day weekend. We're open for rentals at 10 am daily. On Sunday we have a few spots left for our coveted 4 hr. Willow Cove Tour. Kayak 2.5 miles along Catalina's pristine coastline to observe abundant marine life. You have 2 hrs. at the beach to....

03/05/2023

You should see the snow from our side of the channel! We're open everyday at 10 for glorious springtime paddling and coastal exploration. As ever, you may sign up for one of our eco tours or our early-bird special rental package online at KayakCatalinaIsland.com

01/21/2023

2023 has certainly come in with plenty of liquid energy! Loving the rain filling up our reservoirs, greening the hillsides - we're looking like Ireland here. For now, the rest of January, we'll be open weekends only from Fridays through Mondays (weather permitting, of course) at 10am. If you watch the weather, you can be here for some spectacular paddling... lots of dolphins and sea lions cavorting below the surface chasing bait, while above the pelicans put on quite a show diving for the same little fishes. Even the osprey has gotten into the act. Come on out and play!

09/10/2022

Yikes! Tropical Storm Kay has left us a royal mess - please be patient as we continue to assess damage and work on repairs. We hope to be open Sat, Sept 17th. In the meantime our office is still making reservations for camping kayaks 310-510-1226, so book your boat-in sites (310-510-4205 TwoHbrVisitorSvcs) this is the finest time of year for kayak camping! Our website link to our online tour sales will let you know when we are open for tours again- hopefully by 9/17/22. Let the sunshine in!

01/31/2022

SNOWFALL fans will be happy to learn that they are filming at Descanso Beach on Feb 4! That's corrrect, here on Catalina Island and wow! we have to be closed that day. We are sorry for the inconvenience if you had your heart set on paddling that Friday, but why not take a hike instead and come back to DBOS on Saturday for ocean exploration!

01/11/2022

Weather permitting (dang weather, anyway) we are open 7 days at 10am. If it's not a great feeling day, check with us for confirmation that we'll be out there to serve you up some fine winter paddling (or not) 310-510-1226

01/07/2022

Some of the best kayaking occurs during the quiet days of winter... we're blessed with ultimate clear water, tons of bait fish which attracts more fish and dolphins, and warm (relatively) sunny days. Come out and play! (We're open at 10am if it isn't pouring rain or howling wind, so if in doubt - just give us a call)

06/28/2021

Juniper is ready for her kayaking adventure!

06/12/2021

The ocean is finally warming, the sun actually rose in full glory on June 8th (after hiding behind drizzly grey skies for most of May and early June) helping sea temps rise around 63-65°. The coastal waters are full of bait fish which brings sea lions, osprey, pelicans to put on a show. There are ravens nesting down the coast again, blue herons are a daily vision, even a flying fish! But back to the water... people are wondering about the abundance of large jellies (jellyfish, but we all know they're not fish) drifting out there. These are "fried egg jellies" and thanks to Dr Bill Bushing (thanks Dr Bill!) he's captured at least one with his ever patient and trained lens. First question is logically, "do they sting?" and the answer is their stingers (on their tentacles) are very mild, not usually having any effect on humans, phew! So you'll see them out there, drifting along, occasionally pulsing while looking for zooplankton and other jellies on which to dine. Come on out and see for yourself!

05/25/2021

Minnesota Tom gives kayak camping a big thumbs up (you should have seen him after his paddle from Two Harbors back to us in Avalon) Thanks Tom!

03/30/2021

Beginning April 1st (no foolin') we'll be open 7 days a week for watersports fun beginning at 10am. We'll see how it goes, hopefully everybody is getting vaccinated and we'll be out of these COVID protocols sooner than later, but for now MASKS and DISTANCING are still essential! What we've been seeing here: Pyrosomes, those colonial zooids that could be mistaken for bumpy fingers are drifting by and washing up on beaches (they don't sting). They are remarkable rubbery tubes, that take in sea water, filter out plankton and are delicious to eat by many critters including Mola mola... and believe it or not, a school of ocean sunfish (Mola mola) has been passing by lately. The smaller ones leap from the ocean, the larger ones (they get huge, up to 11 feet across) swim upright and their dorsal fin is often mistaken for a shark. Guide Aaron saw a 3' one just the other day on his Willow Cove Expedition, and they've been sighted down by Frog Rock beach also. Unfortunate for them, sea lions have been engaging in the sport of grabbing and biting their fins off - eww! So come on out to the island and paddle with us. We have a great morning half day rental package that includes a double kayak and snorkeling equipment - you can look for your own Mola mola up close. Reserve guided tours online or call 310-510-1226 for Big Fun!