Santa Catalina Island

If you would like to be under the sea, perhaps in an octopus' garden, head to Sea Trek, Santa Catalina Island's newest attraction. No yellow submarine required. Intrepid wanderers need only don a wetsuit and a diving helmet before walking off the beach of the Southern California resort island onto the ocean floor. The guided excursion meanders among forests of kelp, where schools of anchovies, mackerels and other underwater denizens lurk. The brightly colored garibaldi, California's state marine fish, frequents the waters off the coast of Catalina.

Nearly two months after they began a controversial new investigation into Natalie Wood's death while sailing off Santa Catalina Island in 1981, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department detectives have found no evidence to suggest that the cause was anything but accidental. Although the case has not been closed, a top Sheriff's Department official said it's highly unlikely any new ground will be broken on how the actress died. "At this point, it is an accidental death," said William McSweeney, the sheriff's chief of detectives.

A few weeks before the opening of Santa Catalina Island's zipline attraction, its designer popped a question that caught a handful of local officials and visiting journalists off guard: "Want to zip?" Bradd Morse, the president of Canopy Tours Inc., was mindful that being among the first to hurtle over rocky, cactus-filled canyons at speeds of up to 40 mph while dangling from a cable as high as 300 feet off the ground might make some people nervous. But getting these individuals -- public safety officials, mostly -- to take a ride on the Catalina Zipline Eco-Tour is all part of the plan to transform this struggling harbor community of about 3,000 people into a more prominent Southern California destination.

For everyone who craves something new to do on New Year's Eve, think about this: a 45-mph zip-line ride in the dark. A new Night Zip Line Eco-Tour starts Friday on Santa Catalina Island . The course is the same as the daytime thrill ride -- start at Hog's Back gate in the hills above Avalon and fly down five zip lines through Descanso Canyon -- but the night adds an edgy vibe. Santa Catalina Island Co., which started the tours in 2010, will offer night zip-line rides at 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays for $113 per person, including fees.

The Los Angeles County Parks and Recreation Department will begin constructing a center next month to house information and objects reflecting the island's history, geology and wildlife. The $1-million, 3,200-square-foot building will be built on a half-acre parcel in Avalon Canyon, which the county will lease from the Santa Catalina Island Co., said Sandra J. Fiorenza, the department's capital projects manager.

Did you know that the nasty little cowbird has invaded Santa Catalina Island, where they feed in association with the bison herd there? I didn't until just the other day when I was informed of this by Dr. Allan A. Schoenherr, professor of ecology at Fullerton College and currently teaching coastal ecology at UC Irvine. In fact, I didn't even know there was a cowbird, although I used to milk cows when I was lots younger. All of my cows were earthbound creatures.

The summer invasion is on as visitors swarm ashore to this island town that resembles a picturesque port in the Mediterranean. Every day a flotilla of ferryboats sails into the horseshoe-shaped harbor that seems worlds away from the Los Angeles megalopolis. This season it's easier than ever to escape the mainland for a salt-air sojourn to Santa Catalina Island.

In the dry summer heat on Santa Catalina Island, wild buffalo roll in the dust and munch on clumps of grass. Spotted baby boar scurry along the edge of a trickling canyon stream, digging up roots under the soil. Goats meander on a hillside and feed on green tree seedlings. To tourists rambling through the hills of the 65-square-mile nature preserve, owned and managed by the Santa Catalina Island Conservancy, these scenes might appear idyllic.

SANTA CATALINA ISLAND Slide show Learn about Santa Catalina Island, including the Trans-Catalina Island Trail and the best kayaking and camping spots. When, where: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Adventure 16 store, 11161 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles. Admission, info: Free. (310) 473-4574. WORLD Slide show Mort Loveman will present "Scenes Around the World: Hong Kong, Quebec, Copper Canyon." When, where: 1 p.m. Wednesday at Roxbury Park Community Center, 471 S. Roxbury Drive, Beverly Hills.

An unidentified woman believed to be in her 20s was discovered in a canyon on Santa Catalina Island on Thursday after apparently plunging off an 800-foot cliff in the van she was driving, authorities said. The van, belonging to the Catalina Conservancy, was found seven miles north of Avalon below a stretch of Airport Road that runs between that city and the island's airport, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Larry Mead said. The accident was still under investigation, he said.

Nobody walks in L.A.? Ridiculous! This is one in a series of articles exploring the many opportunities for walking in (and around) a major city. RANCHO PALOS VERDES, DEL CERRO PARK Distance: 4 miles Duration: 1½ to 2 hours Difficulty: 3 Transportation: Drive south on Crenshaw Boulevard to Park Place or take the Palos Verdes Peninsula Transit Authority bus Route 225 Notes: Trails open to bikes,...

An 18-foot, bright-yellow submarine drone is being tested off the coast of Santa Catalina Island for possible use by the U.S. military to stalk enemy waters, patrol local harbors for national security threats and scour ocean floors to detect environmental hazards. Although robotic aircraft already play a critical role in modern warfare, taking out insurgents with missile strikes in the skies above Afghanistan, Iraq and Libya, the same robotic revolution hasn't taken place in the world's oceans.

If you would like to be under the sea, perhaps in an octopus' garden, head to Sea Trek, Santa Catalina Island's newest attraction. No yellow submarine required. Intrepid wanderers need only don a wetsuit and a diving helmet before walking off the beach of the Southern California resort island onto the ocean floor. The guided excursion meanders among forests of kelp, where schools of anchovies, mackerels and other underwater denizens lurk. The brightly colored garibaldi, California's state marine fish, frequents the waters off the coast of Catalina.

Zsa Zsa Gabor's longtime Bel-Air estate is listed for sale at $15 million. The French Regency-style mansion sits on a 1-acre gated promontory with views of downtown Los Angeles, Santa Catalina Island and the ocean. The 28-room home, built in 1955, features a formal sitting room with an antique French fireplace, an oversized dining room with city views, a butler's pantry off the kitchen and staff quarters. There are four bedrooms, five bathrooms and a half-bath in the house's 6,393 square feet.

Here's a birthday gift that takes you somewhere -- for free. The Catalina Express ferry service is marking its 30th year by offering a free pass for a round-trip ride to Southern California 's Santa Catalina Island to customers on their birthdays. The deal : To get this deal, start by registering online. You will then receive an e-mail confirmation for a free birthday pass . Once you get the pass, you can make boat reservations leaving from San Pedro, Long Beach or Dana Point on the mainland and arriving at Avalon or Two Harbors on the island.  You must begin travel on your actual birthday; you can stay as long as you like, up to 30 days.

Alison Wrigley Rusack stepped off the porch of an old house on a private ranch on the rugged southwestern edge of Santa Catalina Island, where her clan once raised Arabian horses. Under sunny skies, she cast an appraising eye at the surrounding peaks, lush ravines and aging structures of El Rancho Escondido. It was a favorite family gathering place, passed down by her great-grandfather, chewing gum magnate William Wrigley Jr., who bought Santa Catalina Island Co. ? which owns all the developable land on the island ?

With the steady grip of a veteran flier, Jim Poste dipped the Grumman Goose seaplane toward the coastal bluffs of Santa Catalina Island. Skirting the shoreline, Poste nosed the aircraft downward, sending it dancing atop the choppy ocean swells. As the 41-year-old pilot cut power to the twin 450-horsepower engines, the white plane plowed through the waves, settling into the water like an overweight mallard. Catalina Flying Boats Flight No. 2 had arrived.

Officials have not determined what caused the death of a 22-year-old diving student who was discovered unconscious on the ocean floor near Santa Catalina Island with oxygen in her scuba tank, a Los Angeles County coroner's spokesman said Saturday. Rochanak Saberzadeh of Chatsworth died while diving in about 90 feet of water with five other students and two instructors in a popular diving area called Farnsworth Bank, a sheriff's spokesman on the island said.

TV director Michael Caffey has listed an island off Santa Catalina Island for sale at $875,000. White Rock Island, also known as Bird Rock, sits on the north side of Catalina about 1,500 feet off the mainland side of Isthmus Cove. The popular dive site is home to a variety of birds and has been used as a location for film shoots. The 1.3-acre island has been privately owned since the 1920s. Plans for the site have included a casino and a yacht club, but none ever came to fruition.

A stately Queen Anne home on Santa Catalina Island known as Holly Hill House has a 120-year history as colorful as its signature cupola. In addition to the towering red-and-green-striped dome, the three-story home is distinguished by steep gables, quirky interior spaces, antique furnishings that are included in the purchase and multiple porches. It was built by Peter Gano, a transplanted Ohioan and civil engineer who had helped develop the water systems for Pasadena and Altadena.