22 SEAMAGAZINE.COM MAY 2017
cart and head for the high ground to get a view of the island and the
surrounding ocean.
From atop the hillside south of the harbor, golf cart parked on
the side of Wrigley Road, our view is expansive on a rapidly clearing
day. The hills to the north, west and south are brown and lifeless, a
testament to the years-old drought in California and a reminder of
the Island Fire that threatened the town of Avalon in 2007. Lovers
Cove is serene, and boats bob at anchor north and east of it. A colorful
parasail floats silently above and behind a towboat we can barely hear.
Avalon Harbor is tranquil; it looks like a setting in a miniature table-
top town. This view — postcard-worthy and chamber of commerce–
endorsed — is one of the attractions that brings boaters and ferry
passengers to the island by the hundreds every summer weekend, and
for much of the off-season. The view from the zip line farther north is
likely just as good — and probably infinitely more thrilling — but we
haven’t tried that attraction yet, and won’t during this trip.
Shibata’s view is less expansive but equally impressive in its own
way. She’s staring at sea life, including a giant sea turtle, through a
porthole on Nautilus, oohing and aahing at the variety of fish swim-
ming past and right up to her window to the underwater world. As
an added bonus, she touches a button that releases fish food into the
water right outside her porthole, and the fish swarm. OK, technically
fish school, but that doesn’t sound as visually impressive.Dining options start on the Green Pier and are available all along Crescent
Avenue and its offshoots. The semi-submersible Nautilus takes passengers for
an underwater adventure with the local sea lifeÆ Mini-Cruise