ISLAND EXPLORATION KAYAK/SNORKEL TOUR REVEALS CATALINA'S MARINE TREASURE.

Byline: STORY AND PHOTOS BY ERIC NOLAND Travel Editor

AVALON -- The leopard sharks, 4 feet long, dark and shadowy, darted through the water beneath the plastic hulls of our kayaks.

``They're bottom feeders,'' guide Daniel Peterson called out. He paused for a beat. ``So don't hang your bottom over the side.''

On Catalina Island, a diverse natural world stretches out from the tourist-trammeled port of Avalon, and a half-day kayak excursion to Willow Cove is an intriguing way to explore part of it.

Offered by Descanso Beach Ocean Sports, it's purely soft adventure, involving about six miles of paddling along the shore northwest of town, some snorkeling in a cove and lunch on a pebbly beach. But en route you discover that this is a coastline environment not commonly found along California's mainland.

``Catalina has a combination of excellent kelp, clear water and relatively nice weather,'' Dr. Tony Michaels, director of the Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies, said in a recent phone interview.

Michaels, who divides his time between a research facility on the island and a classroom at the University of Southern California, added that similar kelp forests can be found on the California coast to the north, ``where the water is nutrient-rich, but because of those nutrients you're going to have less visibility -- and worse weather.''

On our kayak outing last summer, we found the shore bustling with activity. Harbor seals wriggled about on rocks and occasionally plunged into the water to swim unconcerned among us. A bass leaped to snatch an insect, making a noisy splash. The leopard sharks -- who pose no threat to humans, by the way -- crisscrossed the warm shallows, close to shore, where they give birth to their young in summer. Bright-orange Garibaldi fish could be seen beneath our hulls, like flashes of neon.

And the view was terrific -- Catalina's Casino building looming behind us as we set out, the island's spine of mountains rising steeply on one flank, the deep blue of the San Pedro Channel stretching across 25 miles to the beaches of Huntington and Newport.

The real treat on this trip, however, is to plunge beneath the surface of that water.

We did so soon after hauling the kayaks out at Willow Cove, which lies next to a prime diving spot called Mike Nelson Rock (named for Lloyd Bridges' character in the 1960s TV show ``Seahunt,'' scenes of which were filmed at Catalina).

The kelp thriving just offshore does indeed resemble a forest.

Having swapped paddles for snorkel gear, we were soon marveling at its intricacy.

The sun pierced the clear water and fired the tendrils and blades bright gold. Sea grasses shimmered in brilliant green. All of this vegetation wafted with the ocean currents, creating a disorienting effect -- it seemed as if the sea floor was shifting. As you swim through openings in the forest, it's natural to flinch the first time one of the kelp ribbons brushes against you.

``It's very cathedral-like,'' Michaels said. ``In Catalina, it grows in from 40 feet to 100 feet of water. There's a narrow band on Catalina, and it's right next to shore, because the shore falls off so quickly. In Santa Barbara, it's this band that's well offshore. ...

``The biggest thing that I think makes it unique, this kelp usually grows in water with lots of nutrients, so it's murky and green. Catalina has less of the nutrients. It has clear water and nice, rich kelp that creates this beautiful nexus.''

A flourishing community of marine life calls the forest home. Garibaldi are easy to spot, because of their Day-Glo orange coloring. You'll also likely see schools of silvery top smelt and possibly calico bass, kelp wrass and the inch-long but spectacularly colored blue-banded goby.

On our excursion, Peterson, a 25-year islander, plunged to the ocean floor and brought up a spiny urchin, encouraging everyone in our group to hold out a hand to feel the sticky quills.

Back on shore, one of the tour guests, Bert Davis of Austin, Texas, marveled over the experience. ``I've been snorkeling in Mexico -- Cozumel -- and also in Hawaii, but this, by far, was better because of what you get for a low-effort level,'' he said. ``You don't have to fight for what you see. The variety (of fishes), the sea grasses, the forest, it was great.''

The tour outfitter, which operates at a private beach just west of the Casino, makes it all pretty accessible.

Since most of Catalina's visitors arrive by ferry boat or cruise ship, and don't have the luxury of packing a lot of gear into the trunk of a car, just about everything is included in the $73 cost: short wet suit, life preserver, paddle jacket and pants (if you feel you need them for warmth), snorkel, mask, fins, even sandals. Into a rubberized dry bag will go a couple of bottles of water and part of the communal lunch.

What you need to bring along is a swimsuit, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen and water socks, if you have them. Another good idea is a disposable underwater camera -- not so much for taking pictures of the fish and the kelp forest, but to prevent your good camera from getting splashed or dunked overboard. (Polarized sunglasses, by the way, are best for seeing through the glare and observing underwater life.)

Island visitors who arrive by cruise ship generally opt for a more abbreviated, two-hour kayak tour to Frog Rock that doesn't include snorkeling. This can be booked as a shore excursion through the Carnival, Princess and Royal Caribbean lines, but Mary Stein of Descanso Beach Ocean Sports said her company can also customize a longer tour -- and still get you back before your ship sails.

On any such outing, the challenge for the guide is to gauge the different fitness or ability levels of the guests and keep the group in balance, but Peterson handled that smoothly. At one point, as two folks on a two-seat kayak tore ahead of the pack, he hollered, ``Hey, alpha couple, slow down! You're making us look bad.''

He also maintained a light touch with the safety instruction. As we approached some snorkelers while paddling along the shore, Peterson called out, ``Try not to run over the swimmers; they can't see or hear us.''

Despite all the marine-life encounters, this is not exactly a wilderness trek. Catalina is far too popular for that. It seems this stretch of shoreline is one vast boat moorage -- bobbing pleasure craft, some with weekend revelers or fishing enthusiasts clustered on the decks, keep you company for most of the excursion. On the shore, meanwhile, are the sprawl of the Hamilton Cove villas and the marine-study encampment at Gallagher Beach.

The temptation might be great to strike out into deeper waters for more solitude, but there is much more to see in the shallows close to shore.

Sightseeing was a lower priority on the return leg. By then, we'd combined the contradictory physical tasks of paddling a kayak and swimming in a chilly ocean, and muscles started to protest some. Also, the wind tends to come up in the afternoon, which creates surface chop that makes for rougher progress.

``It said `not strenuous' (on the Web site),'' lamented Davis, the guest from Texas. ``I don't think that lived up to the ad.'' We didn't even bother looking for the sharks this time.

After we'd paddled past overhead, they'd have that enchanting underwater world to themselves once more.

eric.noland(at)dailynews.com

[phone]

IF YOU GO

EXCURSION: The Willow Cove half-day kayak trip is one of eight guided excursions available at Descanso Beach Ocean Sports. It is offered daily from 11:30 a.m. to about 3:30 p.m. Cost is $73 for adults, $54.75 for children under 12, and includes lunch and all gear. Reservations required: [phone]; www.kayakcatalinaisland.com. The company also rents kayaks by the hour for those who just want to tool around without a guide. Tip: If you wish to stow some dry-land belongings before your outing, lockers are available at Descanso Beach.

ALTERNATIVE: Catalina Kayak Adventures also conducts guided trips -- out of both Avalon and Little Harbor. www.catalinakayaks.com; [phone].

INFORMATION: The Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce maintains a comprehensive Web site devoted to tourism: www.catalina.com; [phone].

CAPTION(S):

7 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- color) On Catalina Island, kayakers may embark from Descanso Beach, in the very shadow of the Casino. A snorkel stop at Willow Cove, below right, provides entry into the fascinating world of the kelp forest, where bright-orange Garibaldi fish are plentiful.

(3 -- 4 -- color) Brightly colored kayaks are stacked at Descanso Beach, above, awaiting Catalina day-trippers. Once underway on an excursion, right, kayakers behold the unspoiled slopes of the island's coastline.

(5) Kayakers paddle among the pleasure boats moored off Descanso Beach on Catalina Island.

(6) Kayakers prepare to set out from Descanso Beach on Catalina Island. This stretch of coastline to the west of Avalon Bay is rich with kelp forests, tropical fish and other marine life.

(7) Guide Daniel Peterson holds up a spiny urchin plucked from the ocean floor at Willow Rock on a kayak excursion.

Box:

IF YOU GO (see text)