Little Harbor

Little Harbor is a sandy crescent on the windward back side of Catalina, about seven miles by dirt road from Two Harbors. The beach has a small campground tucked into the trees behind the dunes, restrooms, outdoor showers, and a seasonal store. Shark Harbor is the smaller cove just south, separated from Little Harbor proper by a low rocky headland that is walkable across at low tide. Both coves face into swell that the protected front side never sees, so waves break here and the water shows visible motion.

Inside the cove the water stays calm enough on most days for swimming in the lee of the headland, with snorkeling possible along the rocky edges. Surfers work the outer breaks at Shark Harbor on a south or west swell. Little Harbor is one of the few places on Catalina where a camper can sleep on the sand and dive from shore the next morning.

Both Little Harbor and Shark Harbor break swell on a sandy bottom in the classic exposed-coast pattern, which makes this a surf zone biome. The headlands flanking the coves and the small inner reef between them are continuous rock structure without kelp cover on the exposed faces, which is a rocky reef biome.

Most Catalina locals arrive by boat, anchoring in the cove or beaching small craft. Visitors can hike or bike the dirt road from Two Harbors, or take the Safari Bus when it runs. Fishing and spearfishing are legal under standard California regulations. Farnsworth Onshore SMCA sits down the coast to the south at Ben Weston Point, and the boundary should be checked before any harvest in that direction.