Updated on July 22, 2021 at 3:57 pm Catalina Express What to Know "40 Trips in 40 Days" is giving Catalina fans the opportunity to try for a free mid-week roundtrip to Avalon Enter at www.catalinaexpress.com/40years for a chance to win Catalina Express has ferried over 33 million passengers since 1981; the giveaways are in celebration of the 40th anniversary BEELINING FOR AVALON? There are a few ways to get to Catalina Island's magnificent main burg. There's flying, of course, and if you do wing it to the enchanting isle, you'll set down at one of the Golden State's loveliest landing strips, at The Airport in the Sky. You can ride your waterskis over, if you're competing in the world-famous Catalina Water Ski Race (but, yep, you'll turn right around and head back to the mainland, so do consider that first). And swimming beneath the waves? Really, that's a route best left to our dolphin pals, and the other aquatic animals that rock an ocean address. Most people, be they travelers or residents of the island, board the Catalina Express, the service that's been efficiently ferrying adventurers to Avalon, and back, in order to reach the fabled island.