CeeRay Dive Boat

Update: Trip of Nov. 22, 2015 was great. Crew was caring and competent. We hours of laughing together.
Outstanding crew with a very welcoming attitude. They went way out their way to be helpful to the divers. Divers were never rushed, like on some boats. The boat was clean and in good order. Fills were very prompt. Bunk was cozy, especially because I got smart and brought my little headlamp so I could snuggle up with my book at night and after diving. One tank fell down and broke the 2^nd stage, snapped it right off. Divemaster lent a new second stage and fixed it immediately. Saved a day of diving for a guy. Not every crew would do that. Pretty cool.
Very good food, that’s important. Hats are off to Captain Kim for her culinary efforts. Very much appreciated.
Only one little drawback: The boat is a little crowded at full capacity. Of course this is no longer the case once people are in the water. On balance, an outstanding bargain for a day or more of diving. I will be back.

Top notch SCUBA operation. I love the Sand Dollar and Bottom Scratcher as well, but this was my first time on the CeeRay. Things that were better than other good dive boats:
Lots of space. Even though it’s still a pain to move past someone and you will say «Pardon me» and «Sorry. coming through» and «Scuse me!» a million times which is normal. You can say that while still being able to get by a group having their conversation in the galley, or on deck.
Lots of bunks. I am a weenie these days and brought my own pillow case, but the bunks were plentiful and comfy although don’t be surprised if you see stains etc on the mattress pad. Pillow and blanket provided were comfy and I slept about an hour both ways to Catalina. (I may be weird. but I sleep well on boats)
The business of getting in and out of the water. (*important!) The Cee Ray doesn’t bottleneck you getting in and out of the water. You can jump in on both sides of the boat. Getting back aboard is as easy as it gets as they have a massive swim-​on step on the back that’s submerged about a foot usually and you can count on a crewmember always being on that step to help you with fins and ladder etc.
Food: Ok today was amazingly good food but I would say it was one star less than the scratcher and sand dollar. The reason? one meal less. Food was just as good (SCUBA food is gooooooooood.) but I always had breakfast with eggs/​bacon/​sausage etc on boats, then a meal when first dive was over. usually spaghetti with meatballs/​garlic bread etc. and a dinner after that. This trip just had one which was a good Adobo chicken/​noodle/​rice meal which was so good. Today the CeeRay substituted that third meal with an excellent bananas foster/​ice cream desert which was amazing. No complaints on the food, but it should be noted that other boats do seem to always have a meal available. It’s a minor thing but after a long day of diving, I like to have a beer or two but they were out! I use this as a not-​so-​subtle way of tipping usually because dropping $ 15 – 20 bucks on a few beers is a good way to end the day and increase the owners profit for the trip. Again. they were out of beer!
Crew was ALWAYS top notch courteous, friendly, helpful. My buddy had a catastrophic gear failure at the beginning of the first dive and one of the crew presented him with HIS reg/​BC to use for the day. I have never seen that unless a boat has extras lying around. this guy didn’t dive that day because he gave up his personal gear. Very Very VERY cool.
Thanks guys for a great day of diving at little Geiger and Lulu reef! I have never seem so many hundreds of lobster at one time. Amazing. filled every crack in the rocks.
Oh I forgot something! One of my 3 dive buddies is a real air hog and has a HP steel 100cf tank. This boat has a bit of a reputation for «light fills» around 2700 psi. For me with a LP steel 85 this boat is perfect. One of my dive buddies prefilled tank ended with the group at 1200psi+ on the first dive, but with the lighter fill –I– ended the subsequent dives at 1200 PSI while the HP100 steel tank was at 500.
This might not be the boat for you if you have a high pressure tank and need 3200 – 3300 air filled hp tanks. Everything else: GREAT!

CeeRay is a great vessel with a very reliable crew. They know all the great dive spots, and they will make you feel right at home.
I dove the CeeRay twice, once in 2001 and again in 2013 and let me tell you that this vessel has weathered the storm! Both dives were through sport chalet charters, but I believe the owners are always looking for more private charters. If you get some friends together, you could charter the boat for a day, and sell the surplus spots to a local dive club or something!
The food is great, the ships cook is a local chef and amount of delicious food he can whip up in a galley the size of a phone booth is absolutely astounding. Last trip they had pancakes, bacon, eggs, sausage, orange juice, coffee, soda, fresh fruit, chips and salsa, salad, mashed potatoes, vegetables, barbecue chicken, monkey bread, ice cream, brownies, and sugar cookies. This was NOT cafeteria food, it was well seasoned, well prepared, and quite original. Everything was included, and I believe alcohol is available for sale.
I recommend going to San Clemente Island if you get the chance. It is an overnight trip (about twice as far as catalina), but it’s well worth it. The ship has bunks below deck, and they are plenty cozy so you will sleep fine. There is lots of room on deck at the bow and stern, and a nice sun deck up top. It’s a great place to catch some zz’s after a dive.
Parking is easy, and loading/​unloading is not an issue. The crew is super friendly and will help you carry your gear if you desire. Don’t forget to tip!