Farnsworth Banks
Conditions & tides
Scored by DiveConnect's site-physics model
Marine forecast via Copernicus Marine. Score is a rule-based guide from swell/wind vs. the site's exposure — always dive your own assessment.
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About this site
Farnsworth Banks is a submerged seamount off the southwest side of Santa Catalina Island in California, known for a rocky reef that rises from deep water and is covered in purple hydrocoral. It is a boat dive reachable from Catalina, with the reef top starting around 15 to 20 metres and the site's maximum depth reaching about 25 metres, rated an advanced dive over a reef bottom. Divers come here for the cold-water invertebrate life, including the hydrocoral, sponges, and gorgonians, along with kelp bass, sheephead, and occasional pelagic visitors like blue sharks in open water above the bank. Its exposed offshore position leaves it weather dependent, and divers have also reported boat traffic, fishing boats, and strong currents as hazards to watch for.
AI overviewMarine life here
Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.
red gorgonianLeptogorgia chilensisReported here · unconfirmed
California SheepheadBodianus pulcherReported here · unconfirmed
GaribaldiHypsypops rubicundusReported here · unconfirmed
Ochre Sea StarPisaster ochraceusReported here · unconfirmed
Kelp BassParalabrax clathratusReported here · unconfirmed
Durable tips from divers — access, hazards, marine life, facilities. For day-of conditions, use the report tool in the conditions card above.
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