University of Southern California
Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber
Location of the Chamber

The USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber is located on the campus of the USC Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies on the West End of Catalina Island. Santa Catalina Island lays off the West Coast of the United States, just south of Los Angeles, California.

Catalina Island is a rugged island situated approximately 20 miles (32 km) from the mainland. The island is 21 miles (34 km) long, 8.5 miles (13.7 km) wide at its widest (Long Point to just south of Ben Weston Beach), and 0.5 mile (0.8 km) wide at its narrowest (Isthmus Cove to Catalina "Cat" Harbor). The West End of Catalina is sparsely populated, with the only major settlement being Two Harbors (or "The Isthmus").

The Wrigley Institute of Environmental Studies is located at Big Fishermans Cove, just to the east of Two Harbors. The Institute oversees a Marine Preserve which includes Big Fisherman's Cove and an area extending east along the shore to Blue Cavern Point.

The Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber is located in the hanger at the edge of the heliport at the end of the pier. Transport of diving accident victims to the chamber is primarily done by either Los Angeles County Lifeguards (the real "Baywatch") boat or the United States Coast Guard rescue helicopters.

Due to its proximity to the Los Angeles area, and to its excellent dive sites, Catalina Island attracts a large number of divers each year. On any given summer weekend day, one can look out along the coast towards the West End of the island and see up to ten dive boats anchored. If each boat carries 20-30 divers and each diver does 2-3 dives a day, then in a single summer day there is the potential of 400-900 dives being done within sight of the USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber. Some of the dive boats bring Check-Out Dive trips to Isthmus Reef because the Chamber is just minutes away (the fastest response time from the time the diver hit the surface until they were being compressed in the chamber is 18 minutes). The proximity of the chamber to this heavy concentration of diving makes it a valuable resource to the diving community.

The USC Catalina Hyperbaric Chamber is dedicated to diving safety and treatment of Southern California diving casualties and is part of USC,.a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization
FIC 95-1642394, CGEC ONAF5