Island Time: A Catalina Escape with AETHER

There’s something inherently special about Catalina Island — the way it seems to slow time, the smell of the salt in the air, and the near-endless opportunities for exploration and adventure. Despite being just a quick one-hour ferry ride from the Southern California mainland, visiting Catalina genuinely feels more like traveling to a distant tropical paradise than it does an easily-accessible day trip from LA.

So, for our latest trip, we gathered a crew of friends, packed our gear, and boarded a boat for an off-grid escape that brought together two of our favorite things: nature and community. Naturally, we wore AETHER’s Summer Collection as it’s purpose-built for this exact use.

Our day began before the sun had risen, and by the crack of dawn, we were standing on the docks in Long Beach, waiting to get picked up. Though the island can be reached by ferries regularly departing out of Long Beach, San Pedro, Newport Beach, or Dana Point, we caught a ride on a friend’s private 50-foot Marine Trade Ketch sailboat built in 1973.

With its unrestricted mobility, lightweight shell, and immense adaptability, the Aires Lightweight Windbreaker was the perfect layer for contending with the morning’s cold temperatures and then the warmer weather that followed as the day progressed. Being completely impervious to water, our Excursion Duffle Bags were also a clear pick for carrying, transporting, and protecting our gear during our Catalina adventure.

On the heels of a light breakfast, we spent the rest of the morning cruising around the Gulf of Santa Catalina, taking in the sights and reveling in the sense of freedom and serenity that being on the open water provided, with the stresses of day-to-day life melting away as we explored.

Next, several of us donned wetsuits and goggles and armed ourselves with RIFFE spearguns and long-blade fins. After diving in, we began exploring the otherworldly environment that exists beneath the waves. After less than an hour in the water, we climbed back aboard with our fresh catch in hand. Once topside, we shifted our focus from spear fishing to line fishing, which proved to be even more fruitful as we spent the next hour landing catch after catch.

After reeling in our lunch, we put away the poles and spent some time diving, swimming, and snorkeling — plus we partook in some halyard swinging for good measure. As we spent the next couple hours playing in and out of the water, our Summer Collection’s amphibious, quick-drying styles, like our Pacific Sun Shirts, the Rogue Hybrid Short, and of course the Catalina Submersible Short, all proved to be incredibly conducive to maritime use — an area furthered by these summer styles’ stretch constructions and unrestricted range of movement.

While we were in the water, our captain fired up an onboard grill and whipped up a meal of freshly-caught fish, prepared using The James Brand’s all-new Humboldt fillet knife. Wanting to take advantage of the remaining daylight, we moored the boat, transferred into a tender, and made our way onto Catalina Island. From here, our group splintered off, with some setting off on a hike up Mount Orizaba, and the rest of our crew remaining on the coastline to explore Two Harbors and get in some lounging on the beach. Two Harbors also boasts some incredible coastal camping with a slew of sites all overlooking the water. With their soft fabric construction and off-the-charts comfort, our all-new Osa styles also revealed themselves to be the perfect choice for a late afternoon of lounging.

As the afternoon turned to evening and the temperature began to drop, we turned to our transitional styles to help ward off the cold — like the Harrier Anorak, Mila Windbreaker, and Topanga Lightweight Anorak. After watching the sun set from the beach, the temperature started to drop off even more considerably, prompting the majority of our group to change into some of AETHER’s heavier summer layers, like the Monte Half-Zip and Hoodie, and Benson Crewneck and Hooded sweaters.

If Catalina Island isn’t your speed, you can still find a plethora of easily-accessible adventures and experiences in our handpicked guide to the best weekend trips from Southern California — all of which are located within a five-hour drive of Los Angeles.