Lover’s Cove

Great for snorkeling. Lots of sea life. From Kelp Forest turtles to a wide variety of fish. It was amazing. I’m glad I chose to go snorkeling and lots of friendly locals. Definitely will be back.

Snorkeled on 10÷10÷15, and water was perfectly cool for a hot day in the mid 90s.
Short 5 minute walk from where the Catalina Island Express drops you off. Lockers on the way there too.
We got there around 10:30 am and there was a decent number of people snorkeling. Saw the beautiful Garibaldi fish, and then we got lucky and saw a turtle! Apparently a pretty rare sighting, but here’s proof:
. We also saw nice schools of fish dashing in and out like moving mirrors, and saw a flounder camoflauging very well.

Lovers Cove is an awesome place! Yes, there are rocks and it is not easy to just get right in to swim, snorkel or dive. However, THE ROCKS KEEP THE WATER THERE CRYSTAL CLEAR! If there was sand or mud on that beach, then it would be murky and not a good place to see the beautiful marine life.
I digress. 4 Unilocal STARS for 2 picnic tables across from Lovers Cove along Pebbly Beach Road. After a hearty snorkel, it is a fine thing to pull some Gatorade and an energy bar out of your back pack and sit right down to replenish yourself.
These wooden picnic tables are rustic but they do the job. They are right under the steep cliffs that line that part of Catalina Island. The large eucalyptus trees offer shade from above. One of the tables, graciously, is kiddie-​sized, for the youngsters to set a spell.
These tables are emblematic of the utter charm of Avalon. Who would think of putting some picnic tables on the side of a road? Answer: a city that likes to be hospitable to their guests!
4 Unilocal STARS for that.

Very shallow end to snorkel round the bay. Bring your water shoes if you don’t have any watch your step and don’t slip. Enjoy the view down under.

This cove is nice! The snorkeling I feel is good for what it is. Clear waters, and lots of the same fish, but thats okay. If your looking for a quick offshore snorkeling adventure, and don’t want to spend money on a snorkeling tour than this is where you should go. Yes, the reviews don’t lie, its rocky, one crowded staircase, no where to sit and relax on the shore, but if your going to swim and snorkel then you shouldn’t mind. It was definitely fun and an adventure that always wins. Patience is a virtue especially when you are on a tourist island. It was a gorgeous little cove. The boats that come by for the tours you have to stay away from them, go figure, but other than that it was a great time!

Very small crowded rocky cove. No actual beach to relax on. Only one very crowded stairway. Not all that much to see underwater, I have definitely seen better snorkeling. Facilities are about a block away. If you looking for some snorkeling action, you may want to consider hiring a boat to take you out.

Hint: ONLY GO DURING HIGH TIDE!
When they say pebble beach, they mean it. There were so many rocks it was hard to walk or stand. Going during high tide gives you a few feet of water right from the start, but we went during low tide and our feet hurt so bad.
Aside from the rocks, there is a quick drop off and you can see plenty of fish. It’s a great experience and the water is very clear. Gear can be rented if you want to do it just once, we bought some snorkel gear from a gift shop and just used that. It worked, once we got past the cold water. Still some nice sights to behold.

Awesome snorkeling and free diving here this place has great access into the water and the sea life is amazing definitely will come back

Rented gear at a shop called wet shop or something like that for 10 $ (2 hours for mask snorkel and fins). This is the best deal around. The lovers cove was absolutely amazing– saw so many beautiful fish and got great go pro footages. Wore a ⁴⁄₃ so the 64degree weather was bearable & visibility was 80%

My favorite activity on Avalon. Snorkeling on Lovers Cove! The visibility is very high and the fish are plentiful! Yes it is rocky but where else isnt on the island? It’s a great little spot to see and experience snorkeling at a beginners level. The kiosk near the landing for the Express sells rentals for $ ¹⁰⁄₂ hours which was excellent.
One negative was the ridiculous proximity the STUPID underwater boats had to the cove. Go AWAY the horn made us swim inwards every 10 minutes or so…

Great snorkeling and you’re guaranteed to see a ton of fish. It’d be helpful if we had brought water shoes. The shore is all pebbles and hard to walk on if you’re bare foot. Also, there’s no where to put your stuff. It’d be nice if there were public lockers. I saw public lockers on the opposite side Descano Beach side but not near Lover’s Cove. So if you don’t want to worry about what you leave on the shore while you’re snorkeling, just don’t bring it. We left all of our stuff at the hotel brought our towels, rented snorkel equipment on the walk to the cove, $ 8 each on the pier and then went snorkeling. There was a lady who brought fish food (probably from the pier) and through it in the water while she snorkeled. (Wish we had thought of that.) even if not though, you will have no problems finding the fish.

This place is a fun place to snorkel. Its a protected area so there are a ton of fish. Its literally a quick walk away from the main harbor area. There is a staircase in the center of the cove that takes you right down to the beautiful, little rocky beach. Even if you are not snorkeling its nice if you want to get away from the super touristy main area of Avalon without paying for a tour or transportation somewhere else. There is a nice bench on the far end of the cove that is a nice spot to sit and enjoy the views away fr mall the crowds.
I highly recommend bringing a bag of cereal or something to feed the fish! (do this if your not snorkeling too) They surround you and beg like dogs its hilarious. You don’t even have to go out far to see the fish they will come up to you as soon as you get in the water. If someone is a little timid going into this then do not feed the fish near them because they literally surround you and get right in your face and they are pretty large fish.
If you go out towards the big rocks on the farther end of the cove with all the bird poop on them there is a lot of kelp and it has better views around there than just the begging fish. Be careful of all the submarine tours and glass bottom boats. They will be in the same area that you are snorkeling.

A very nice place to dive and snorkel. The fish are beautiful and there is plenty of kelp to keep you on your toes. Haha!
I saw an octopus, a few striped starfish, the signature Garibaldi goldfish everyone talks about, a small lobster and more. It was quite the fun adventure.
The water was super clear when we were there. I was told by the residents it was the clearest they had ever seen it. That may have helped, but I would still go back.

Free snorkeling spot in Avalon!
2 minute walk away from boat landing!
A small stairway off the street leads you down to the rocky beach (yes, ALL rocks and no sand!).
NO place to put your things, but you can rent a small locker for $ 1 (quarters only) at the boat landing area. If you don’t have change, put a dollar into the candy vending machine and press the change button to receive quarters! You can keep your towels up high on the rocky hill. I wouldn’t recommend keeping valuables on there just in case!
I dug up some info about this place before coming, so my boyfriend and I came equipped with water shoes, a snorkel mask, and a ziploc bag of cereal to feed the fish. Went in the water with just our swimsuits in mid-​October and of course it was pretty COLD! We knew it would be, we just didn’t want to rent wetsuits or bring our own. Once you’re in and see how many fish are surrounding you, you’ll get over it!
Just like everyone mentioned, the fish aren’t scared of you! You’ll probably be more scared of them. I threw a small handful of cereal and they all came up like a wild hungry herd of animals. SEAGULLS will also swoop in on the food too, so it can get pretty crazy. My bf had the bag of food in his hand, holding it above the water AND A FISH SNATCHED IT FROM HIM! Crazy, aggressive fish!
I brought an underwater camera and got some cool pictures and videos. The fishes look directly at the camera sometimes! So funny! We didn’t get to see the kelp forest or anything else other than 4 types of fish, but I will definitely be back here when I get the chance and explore more.
I’m so glad I didn’t buy the 20-​something-​dollar GroupOn for a «Lover’s Cove tour» — bring your own flippers/​water shoes, snorkel mask, and explore it yourself!

I’ve been snorkeling here a few times now and have rather enjoyed it. There is a lot to look at.
We rented gear this past time and it was late afternoon when we went snorkeling so the water was a bit choppy and the waves gave me a little panic attack at first. I calmed down once i started looking around and saw all the fish and wildlife around me. I even saw an octopus. I was a little hesitant around the kelp forest but had a great time taking in everything.
It is a great spot to explore on the island and I would definitely like to go back. I just need to remember to do it first thing in the morning when the conditions are better!

1. In August, the water isn’t too cold — you don’t need a wetsuit.
2. Get your mask, fins, and snorkel, go down the stairs and just wade a few feet in — fish are everywhere.
3. You don’t need fish food! If you do have fish food and toss it anywhere near your body, they’ll jump all over you — that tends to freak some people out, but the fish won’t eat you!
4. If you wade 50 yards out on the right side of the cove, there’s amazing kelp forest — make sure you do that — it’s a great experience.

A great place to snorkel & scuba dive. There are plenty of sea life to see and it’s a protected area so you never have to worry about the population dwindling over the years. The water is also extremely clear so you can see forever (that is, if there wasn’t the kelp blocking you from time to time)
Just be warned that it is a very rocky beach so be careful.

What a great experience! I’m new to snorkeling but if there was ever a place to learn, this was it. I waded around the water aimlessly catching glimpses of some pretty huge fish; I’m used to very skittish fish that bolt when you get within 5 feet; but these guys were fine with all the underwater visitors.
Tip: Bring fish food. I saw a little girl surrounded by fish and asked what she was doing… she responded «want to see?» and preceded to throw handfuls of fish food around me — the amazingness struck as i was surrounded in what im going to describe as a tornado of fishes. IT WAS GREAT.
Only reason this doesnt get 5 stars; this place has no shore, no where to sit, no where to put your stuff – its pretty terrible. Also, if you’re not floating on top of the water its almost impossible to walk on the rocks without extreme pain. MEH.

My bf and I bought a living social deal to snorkel here and it included a guided tour, wetsuit, snorkel gear (mask, snorkels, and fins) for the both of us. They nicely went over everything before us getting into the water. They also provide lockers for you for $ 2, and have other things like underwater cameras for sale ($ 15) and towel rentals.
It wasn’t much of a guided tour (I mean, where are they supposed to take you) but he did show us some cool sea creatures. Then they just let you loose to explore. We went all the way out to where they suggested (by the white rocks) and found ourselves surrounded by school of fish!
Didn’t think the water was going to be so cold, but I sure am glad that we had their wetsuits on! The only thing I didn’t enjoy was the shore area with the pebble rocks everywhere. It was very hard and painful to walk on top of that –but not much you/​they can do about that. Also, there are some boats that often come by, so you just have to watch out for that.
Would definitely come back and this time, I’ll be sure to buy some of the fish food they sell at the trailer :)

Almost bought a deal for snorkeling at Lover’s Cove but it turns out we can snorkel here for free! We bought snorkeling gear with us to Catalina Island and Lover’s Cove is walking distance from the pier where you get dropped off at in Catalina so it’s not too bad of a walk.
All the fish just seem to surround you. My boyfriend was just standing in the water and suddenly he was surrounded by fish eyeing him down for food. I would suggest wearing water shoes or fins in the water, the smooth rocks look harmless but they’re cover in algae and pretty slippery especially with the strong currents pushing you around. I even got a cut on my toe and my nails got pretty scraped up.
Overall a good place to snorkel for free. Only downside was that all the tour boats also stop around that area is it’s good to keep an eye out for them!