I was in 6th grade. That was the last time I really remember visiting Catalina. It was the 6th grade retreat. Very cool. We night snorkeled and kayaked and played camp games.
I went again at age 14 or so with a friend and we went paddle boating. But the memory is very fuzzy. I remember pooka shell necklaces were in, and we both wore those around our little teenage necks.
But I hadn't been back to the beautiful island since. It's pretty pricey. A $70 ferry ride (unless you go on your birthday), and then expenses for whatever activity you do.
Today we were here on a mission. To go ziplining, but I wanted to do one other activity to make the day feel complete. I picked tubing because I'd seen photos of people doing it and they always looked so happy. Now, having done it...I don't know why they were smiling.
After taking the ferry ride over (it was so cold! bring a jacket! or a blankey! I used my towel as a wind buffer), we walked along the dock. The water was insanely beautiful and clear and we could see the orange garibaldis leisurely swimming. We got to the pier, and went to the Island Water Charters. They are known for parasailing trips, which should have been my first clue. They do single, tandem, and triple tubing as well as parasailing, but it's not the company's main squeeze.
We had signed up a few weeks in advance, but now had to pay and sign some waivers. It was $35 per person. You could also pay $20 for a photo package, but we didn't do that.
We got onto a small speed boat with two little girls and their mother, the captain, and the captain's assistant who was a teenager with an awesome summer job.
We went first. There are two different kinds of tubing. The kind where you sit in a tube and get pulled and then the kind where you lie on your stomach on an inflatable flat cylinder and hold on to the straps. We did the latter. Boy what a mistake.
We told the captain we wanted a fast ride, but we didn't realize the toll it would take on our body. We were literally holding on for dear life. The tube bounced so high above the water, jolting our bodies. We nearly fell of, hard, several times. The captain had warned us to grind our teeth, because people sometimes bite their tongues or lips when they bump up and down.
So here we were, holding onto straps with as much strength as we could muster, clenching our jaws, and wondering how this was fun and why we paid to be dragged.
The ride also went on for far too long, and it was only about 10 minutes. I kept having to give the thumbs down sign which meant slow down.
After the ride, I was super sore - my hands, my wrists, and my arms felt like jello.
The sisters went next, and while there ride was much less intense than ours, I could see their little hands slipping from the grips. Their arms must have been tired too! The captain's assistant was meant to take the photos for the photo package, but the camera kept screwing up, so I'm not sure they even got any photos.
Riding in the speed boat on the water and taking in the view was probably the best part of the whole excursion. The tubing, itself, was probably fun for about, I dunno, one minute, but that was it. I wouldn't recommend this kind of tubing, as it was more of a workout than an entertaining, exciting water sport.
If you're interested in learning more, despite my poor review you can go here: http://www.islandwatercharters.com/
I bet the parasailing was much better!
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