Channel surfing to Catalina Island

Nearly a million people cross San Pedro Channel to Santa Catalina Island each year, most aboard one of the sleek computer-assisted catamarans that skip atop the water like ice skates over a frozen pond. Indeed, most morning rides wouldn’t put more than a light chop on your celebratory Bloody Mary.

But more adventurous options for getting to Catalina abound, from paddleboards (pass) to vintage sailing ships (really?). Yes, with a little luck, the sound of cannon fire can punctuate your day or weekend trip.

More modern chariots are available too: state-of-the-art yachts that serve grilled lobster or deliver you to a secluded cove for a day of snorkeling. And for not much more than the price of a decent dinner, a small copter can whisk you over the water at 135 mph, above migrating whales and armadas of dolphins, delivering you to L.A.’s Big Island in less than 15 minutes.

You just have to shop around.

For the most part, schooner service to Catalina stopped about a century ago. (The ships’ wooden planking can be found in some of the homes off Descanso Avenue in Avalon.) It’s a bit of a secret, but a few schooners still do serve the island.

The 73-foot Dirigo II, moored in Long Beach, makes occasional day trips ($75 each way); it also offers three-day/two-night trips ($595 per person, plus tax).

Len Daniello, owner-host-cook, says the classic wooden ship can accommodate four to six passengers. A typical trip stops first at Two Harbors on the western end of Catalina, then lingers in remote coves before stopping at Avalon for a day of shopping, eating and knocking about.

The schooner, built in Maine in 1939, has a cannon that’s fired on special occasions (blanks only, of course). Daniello says the ship is freshly varnished and painted. “It’s going to be beautiful this season,” he says, “the best it has in years.”

Horizons West Adventures, (714) 536-9316, www.horizonswestadventures.com.

Gecko Yacht Charters offers trips to Catalina aboard a 45-foot catamaran out of Huntington Beach, although departure points are flexible. The craft’s owner-captain, Randy Boelsems, says you can customize your trip, choose snorkeling spots, pencil in an afternoon shopping excursion to Avalon and a seafood barbecue, for $1,500 a day, plus fuel and provisions.

“It’s all the things you dream of doing in the Caribbean, but you can do it right here,” he says.

The vessel offers four double cabins, a glass-bottom dinghy (no jokes, too easy) and the expertise of Capt. Randy, who has been visiting the island since the late ‘50s.

Randy Boelsems, Huntington Beach; (714) 843-0654, Ext. 210, www.geckoyachtcharters.com.

The only regular air service to Catalina these days is Island Express, which flies helicopters out of San Pedro and Long Beach to its pad near Avalon. The company offers VIP-level service aboard its fleet of four copters, which seat six plus the pilot.

On a recent afternoon, the jet-turbine A-Star helicopter offered a stunning sweep of the coastline at sunset as it sped from Avalon to San Pedro at an altitude of 500 feet. This ride is probably not for the skittish — the little copters shudder and shake a bit — but many travelers would find the $82 trip an exciting and different experience.

Flights begin at 8 a.m. and depart about every 45 minutes (more often on weekends) and run till sundown. Consider taking the copter over and the boat back, a nice mix of air and sea and a particularly fun excursion for out-of-towners. Reservations suggested. One caution: Luggage restrictions are more severe than with the ferries or charters: 25 pounds per person; nothing longer than a golf club.

Island Express, San Pedro and Long Beach, (310) 510-2525, www.islandexpress.com.

Looking for the cheapest way over? Your options for ferry service are extensive. Terminals dot the coast.

The biggest of the bunch, Catalina Express, offers the most choices. It claims to carry 90% of cross-channel traffic on its eight vessels. Prices for all ferry services run about $30 each way.

The three newest and most comfortable vessels in the Catalina Express fleet are the Starship Express, the Catalina Jet and the Jet Cat.

“It’s only an hour ride,” said Elaine Vaughan, vice president of marketing and sales. “I tell people worried about seasickness to avoid coffee and orange juice before the trip and to concentrate on having a good time.”

The Catalina-Marina del Rey Flyer is a much smaller operation, offering service on its new 85-foot catamaran, which seats 149. Its terminal is farther from Catalina Island (a 90-minute crossing), but more convenient for travelers coming from the San Fernando Valley and the Westside.

Because of the extra distance (40 miles to Avalon, compared with 25), the fare is a little higher than for boats out of Long Beach or San Pedro.

chris.erskine@latimes.com