Jet ski to Catalina Island from Long Beach

First of all, our party were first timers with Jetskis! From the moment we checked in to the moment we left the dock, all staff members were friendly! Our group had three amazing guides that guided and provided support, if needed through the roundtrip! They had the guide in the front, middle person watching over the people in the middle and someone at the end to keep the group together! Overall, the trip was so exhausting but worth it!

Huge shout out to Adam and Lucas (our tour guides) they were extremely generous and made sure my group and I were safe and educated through the whole trip. My trip in detail: we booked on 06/10 for our jet ski trip to Catalina on 06/29. We chose the 2 Harbors adventure solely for the purpose of the cave swim. On the email it said we would need to be there no later than 7am. A day before the trip we got another email changing the time to 7:30 am (no biggy as my mom and I were in the parking lot at 5:30 am we were so excited ) We parked at the Maya hotel right by building 4. Parking says $45 for the day but after your trip they stamp your ticket and you only pay $14. Make sure you bring it to them. At about 7am my mom and I used the bathroom at the maya hotel (staff was really friendly) and we headed over to the booth (you walk toward the ocean and there’s a walkway and you’ll see the jet skis on the water. Wait there for the workers) We got lucky and had a smallish group but everyone was really laid back. The guy working the booth to check us in was really nice. Both of us showed our ID and then the card we paid with. Shortly after, we walked back got our wet suits and vests and we were off to the sea doos. Everyone who was working that morning was so nice. Briefed us and we were out in the water a little before 8am. My mom drove, she brought gloves from Amazon and we stayed about 27 mph on the way there. Our group was pretty ahead but Lucas would stay behind with us to make sure we were safe. About 3 stops on the way there, the water was a little choppy but it was soooo amazing. 1 hr and 45 mins we were at the cave. BEAUTIFUL ! They asked if u didn’t wanna swim just stay on but if not start swimming because the current was so strong. I’m 112 lbs and 5’2 and the current was kicking my ass. In the cave there’s rocks which Lucas warns about and then you swim out the other end of the cave ( a little dark a little small and a STRONG current) once out of the cave your jet skis move with the current and meet you at the exit where Adam was making sure they didn’t move too far. I started swimming forward but burned out quick and just did back strokes. By the time I was out of the cave I was EXHAUSTED. Adam pointed me in the direction of my sea doo and I couldn’t even get up haha I had to wait then get up I was so tired. They ensured everyone got back safely and even helped anyone get on if needed. Once at the 2 harbors my mom and I paid for a shower (minimum of $10 and each like 4 mins of shower time is $2) we were just wanting some salt water out of our hair. We ate at the restaurant it was breakfast so it wasn’t too bad. My mom ended up falling down the stairs there and the workers are young and kinda inconsiderate but that has nothing to do with jetski2catalina. We went in the gift shop just relaxed the whole time. Some of our group did a hike and others snorkeled. We had to be back ready to go by 1pm. We had 3 hours to do whatever we wanted to. Once it was 1pm they helped us back to our sea doos and we were off again. About 5 mins out one of our guides and one of the people in our group saw a pod of dolphins so we turned around and got to let them be around us for a while. I guess the type of dolphins we seen weren’t as playful as others but they still jumped all around. Mom’s and their babies. It was such a beautiful experience. Couple of pointers: if you have long hair BRAID IT or cover it. I braided the top but the back was a huge knot (my fault) bring jet ski gloves for the driver and if you’re a rider. Polarized sun glasses r a must ! Sunscreen ! Reapply every 1-2 hrs! Boat shoes! Change of clothes for the island! Water! Chapstick! Ur own snorkel set & water proof phone case! They upload pictures to ur email 48 hrs after ur trip! Complaints would only b the lady who answers the phone is super rude and the wet suits smelled like mildew from them not drying properly after cleaning. Take a day off work/school after to recover, it’s physically draining BUT SO WORTH IT. We will b doing this again it was amazing ! 10/10

If you’re looking for a leisurely activity on your relaxing vacation, jet skiing to Catalina is it! Definitely beginner and kid friendly! Specifically, I’d recommend doing a 2 person tandum jet ski with your friends/family! There were plenty of tour guides per person jet skiing and they went at a leisurely pace so no one got lost! They provided an extensive safety instruction monologue prior to departure and ensured everyone was paying attention to avoid casualties. The water conditions were exceptionally smooth and I had amble storage space for my wetsuit, snorkel, water shoes, and bait in the jet ski compartment! Some highlights of the trip were being able to see a massive cruise ship up close while on jet ski and the tour guides giving us time to jump in the water with the great whites about 40 miles off shore! The only disappointment was being invited to a barbecue by Phil (shirtless tour guide) who ended up disappearing upon arrival to shore. I had fished a Goliath grouper with my spear gun specially for the barbecue but luckily was able to store on ice in jet ski (fed the fam for a week!). In summary, it was a wonderful experience and we’ll definitely take a rain check on the barbecue for next time!👍🤙

Location was a bit tricky to get to. Some roads and turns to get to the hotel parking. It's $14 with a validated ticket by Jetski2Catalina and if I heard right, if you get another stamp from the restaurant if you buy a snack or drink the parking is free. After parking, go thru building 4. It's a short cut. After checking in at the shack, you'll be led down to the water where you can wear a wetsuit and life jackets are required and for your safety. Controls on the jetski were simple enough and use common sense when driving. Saw some dolphins in the harbor and as we went north towards San Pedro it got a bit more choppy and windy. When you're driving over bigger waves it kinda feels like it'll give you whiplash, but you can control your speed and maneuver the waves. Have to read the waves. For me it was a nice and fun two hour trip. 20 mph was comfy and 30+ mph was fast. Will definitely be back and bring family for the one hour self drive trip around harbor. I would do the Catalina trip one day and will be well prepared for it. Thanks Cody and George for the fun day today.

It was definitely a crazy adventure… the ride to catalina itself was fine. we saw so many dolphins, waves were calm, & the tour guides were chatting. the ride back HOWEVER. it was insane. the waves became 5-10 feet tall. we’re not super experienced jet skiiers so we kept lagging behind & the tour guides that were supposed to wait for us left us behind and we legit could not even see them anymore & it was like that for the majority of the trip. the group would take breaks and wait for us to catch up but literally the minute we caught up they would leave. so there wasn’t any breaks, no check ins on how we were doing… (which was bad LMFAO). i think they were in a rush to get back bc conditions were worsening but it was honestly terrifying. and when you have 2 riders on 1 jet ski you feel so unstable. overall disappointed w the lowkey negligence & on top of that we never got our pictures back 😑