Dana Point Ferry Service to Catalina Is Opposed

Plans to run passenger ferries from Dana Point Harbor to Santa Catalina Island are getting a cold reception from Orange County officials, who fear the service would overwhelm the marina and could ultimately fail as a business.

Proposals from two lines are scheduled to come before the California Public Utilities Commission next month. The commission has final say on whether the applications are granted.

If the commission approves the plans, the county would have no choice but to lease marina space to the two boating operators, even though little space is available.

“We don’t think the harbor can accommodate this,” said Bob Hamilton, assets manager for the county’s Harbors, Beaches and Parks division. “There is a dock at the Harbor Patrol area that might be suitable for [the ferries]. But there is no parking available there for passengers.”

Harbor officials plan to ask the Board of Supervisors in coming weeks to pass a resolution opposing the proposals from Catalina Explorer Line and Island Navigation Co.

A third operator, SeaJet Cruise Lines, tried to operate a Dana Point-to-Avalon run in 1993 but soon halted the service. A Huntington Harbour company once ran Catalina service using a sailboat, but that operation eventually closed down as well, according to county officials.

Still, county officials said SeaJet’s Dana Point operation could be revived, making as many as three companies offering ferry service.

The county commissioned an economic study that found demand for, at most, one Catalina ferry service out of Dana Point. The study, prepared by a consultant, said the number of passengers who travel to Catalina has remained relatively steady for a decade.

“If you have more than one operator, you have to question the economic viability,” Hamilton said. “We want to see success, not failure.”

The vast majority of the 1.3 million people who visited Catalina by boat last year used services based out of San Pedro and Long Beach. About 88,000 used Newport Beach.

The county is just beginning a revitalization program aimed at updating Dana Point Harbor’s appearance, providing more parking, improving traffic flow and luring more businesses to the area.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Island Bound?

Three harbors in Southern California offer service to Santa Catalina Island, with Dana Point a proposed fourth point of departure. Ferry passenger traffic to Catalina has been making a comeback after declining during the early ‘90s.

Catalina Ferry Passengers

(thousands)

1988: 1,382

1989: 1,396

1990: 1,380

1991: 1,235

1992: 1,208

1993: 1,188

1994: 1,284

1995: 1,295

1996: 1,313

Sources: Orange County Harbors, Beaches and Parks division; Williams-Kuebelbeck consultants; Researched by SHELBY GRAD/Los Angeles Times