In addition to kayaking, snorkeling, and hiking – activities that Outback does on a regular basis – we had the opportunity to scuba dive, hand-feed baby leopard sharks, practice our hand at archery, and stay in actual cabins (staying in a tent is a luxury on most WO trips). We also got to eat in a fabulous mess hall – a building which looked like it had come straight out of The Parent Trap movie or Bug Juice (come on 90’s kids, you remember that show, right?). It even had a bison head mounted on the wall over the fireplace.
The highlight of the trip was probably the scavenger hunt we held for the participants. For this little activity, the guides hid clues all over the camp which would ultimately lead our participants to a bag of goodies that was suspended from the mast of a decrepit pirate ship that was located in the center of the camp. One of these clues was wrapped up in a latex glove and sunk with a rock in between the two piers that jutted out into the water in front of the camp. To make these submerged clues even harder to reach, about five full-grown leopard sharks came over to the sunken clues and swam about them – and I’m not kidding about this. Although the leopard sharks were more afraid of people than we were of them, and while they had swam away before the participants had a chance to get the clues, the initial effect they made was simply diabolical.
When the participants came over and started searching for these sunken clues, they had no idea where to begin. They looked under the piers, on top of the piers, around the piers, and even by the lifeguard tower. They simply didn’t want to believe they would be anywhere else, and especially not under the water. When they finally found out their location, however, they were all shocked and didn’t want to get in the water. All, except one. This amazing participant, who had preferred to stay out of the water all trip long, tore into the water like a lifeguard saving someone’s life – it was an unforgettable sight. After a bit of searching with her mask and snorkel, she found the clue and raced back to shore, leading her team to victory as they won the scavenger hunt.
The Catalina Island Adventure was definitely something out of the ordinary – we climbed dry waterfall washes and dove 30 feet under the waves; we pet sea cucumbers and fed sharks; we snorkeled through kelp and kayaked through caves; we even joined a campfire circle and sang songs under the moonlight. The time we spent there was simply unforgettable
Catalina Island, you will hold a special place in our hearts – may we meet again sometime soon.
- Rachel Karp, Outback Guide
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