 Printer-Friendly | Back  When the dive boat Magician started running Wednesday open boats this summer to Catalina, you could almost hear a collective "hurray!" from the Southern California dive community. I have more good news—the Magician is going to continue the Wednesday Catalina trips through the fall and perhaps even into the winter."We have had such a terrific response," stated Magician owner and skipper Jerry Lewis. "Clearly, the Wednesday open boats are something the divers want and appreciate." Just as clear is that they appreciate this boat, its crew and its operations. Captain Jerry took over the boat in 2003. Although already a popular charter boat with dive stores and clubs, the boat needed some updating and remodeling to fit Captain Jerry's vision. He went to work on the Magician's strength—a comfortable day boat to Catalina Island. He expanded the galley for much larger seating and refurbished the bunkroom. The back deck was also refurbished with new tank rack and benches. A nitrox system was also added. Captain Jerry set his mind to creating a hit among Southern California divers and is succeeding in his goal. Jerry has turned his boat into one of the most popular dive-charters in all of California with a finely tuned boat operation and excellent customer service. Skipper Jerry Lewis is no novice to dive-charter operations around the Channel Islands. A local diver since 1972 and part of dive-charter operations since 1983, he has skippered various dive charter boats around all the Channel Islands and along the coastline. For several years he owned and operated the popular Sea Bass dive-charter boat. His expertise and dedication to customer satisfaction shows in his operations that are attentive to customer comfort and ease of diving. And the boat has all the "right stuff" as well. At 62' long and 18' wide, the Magician is not the largest in Southern California's dive-charter boat fleet but she is one of the fastest. The trip to Catalina is cut enough to get an extra 15 minutes to half hour at the island. Not enough for an extra dive, but it will allow the pace of your dive day to slow down to a more comfortable speed. My buddy and I enjoyed the extra time to get cameras ready, suit up and get in the water. It made for a much more relaxing day. Extra gear aboard include not one or two, but three, compressors. The new nitrox fill system is a membrane system that fills 32 percent oxygen, even on tanks that are not oxygen clean. The Magician runs mostly single-day trips to Catalina Island, the local oil rigs and Southern Channel Islands. It is, however, equipped to also run multiday trips. In addition to its Wednesday open boat trips, local dive shops and clubs charter the popular boat on weekends. Good charter dates are available through the remainder of 2006 and into 2007. For more information, visit www.magicianscuba.com on the web or call 661-268-0590. Kim Sheckler is editor of California Diving News and co-author of the book Southern California's Best Beach Dives. © Copyright 2006, all rights reserve, by Saint Brendan Corporation, P.O. Box 11231, Torrance CA 90510, mail@cadivingnews.com. No part of this may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system/website, or transmitted in any form by any means without prior written permission of the publisher. IMPORTANT NOTICE: The contents of this publication/website are opinions of the individual writers. The publishers of California Diving News and its contributors assume no responsibility for any mishap claimed to be a result of use of this material. Diving is an adventure sport and with it comes inherent risks. Improper use of diving equipment or improper diving techniques may result in serious injury or, in extreme circumstances, death. Readers are admonished to use their own best judgement in each individual situation. |
