diff --git a/src/operator/catch.ts b/src/operator/catch.ts
index 1a2f470783..e39fc1e2b2 100644
--- a/src/operator/catch.ts
+++ b/src/operator/catch.ts
@@ -1,9 +1,6 @@
-import { Operator } from '../Operator';
-import { Subscriber } from '../Subscriber';
-import { Observable, ObservableInput } from '../Observable';
 
-import { OuterSubscriber } from '../OuterSubscriber';
-import { subscribeToResult } from '../util/subscribeToResult';
+import { Observable, ObservableInput } from '../Observable';
+import { catchError as higherOrder } from '../operators';
 
 /**
  * Catches errors on the observable to be handled by returning a new observable or throwing an error.
@@ -65,50 +62,5 @@ import { subscribeToResult } from '../util/subscribeToResult';
  * @owner Observable
  */
 export function _catch<T, R>(this: Observable<T>, selector: (err: any, caught: Observable<T>) => ObservableInput<R>): Observable<T | R> {
-  const operator = new CatchOperator(selector);
-  const caught = this.lift(operator);
-  return (operator.caught = caught);
-}
-
-class CatchOperator<T, R> implements Operator<T, T | R> {
-  caught: Observable<T>;
-
-  constructor(private selector: (err: any, caught: Observable<T>) => ObservableInput<T | R>) {
-  }
-
-  call(subscriber: Subscriber<R>, source: any): any {
-    return source.subscribe(new CatchSubscriber(subscriber, this.selector, this.caught));
-  }
-}
-
-/**
- * We need this JSDoc comment for affecting ESDoc.
- * @ignore
- * @extends {Ignored}
- */
-class CatchSubscriber<T, R> extends OuterSubscriber<T, T | R> {
-  constructor(destination: Subscriber<any>,
-              private selector: (err: any, caught: Observable<T>) => ObservableInput<T | R>,
-              private caught: Observable<T>) {
-    super(destination);
-  }
-
-  // NOTE: overriding `error` instead of `_error` because we don't want
-  // to have this flag this subscriber as `isStopped`. We can mimic the
-  // behavior of the RetrySubscriber (from the `retry` operator), where
-  // we unsubscribe from our source chain, reset our Subscriber flags,
-  // then subscribe to the selector result.
-  error(err: any) {
-    if (!this.isStopped) {
-      let result: any;
-      try {
-        result = this.selector(err, this.caught);
-      } catch (err2) {
-        super.error(err2);
-        return;
-      }
-      this._unsubscribeAndRecycle();
-      this.add(subscribeToResult(this, result));
-    }
-  }
+  return higherOrder(selector)(this);
 }
diff --git a/src/operators/catchError.ts b/src/operators/catchError.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ea9eec5610
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/operators/catchError.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+import { Operator } from '../Operator';
+import { Subscriber } from '../Subscriber';
+import { Observable, ObservableInput } from '../Observable';
+
+import { OuterSubscriber } from '../OuterSubscriber';
+import { subscribeToResult } from '../util/subscribeToResult';
+import { OperatorFunction } from '../interfaces';
+
+/**
+ * Catches errors on the observable to be handled by returning a new observable or throwing an error.
+ *
+ * <img src="./img/catch.png" width="100%">
+ *
+ * @example <caption>Continues with a different Observable when there's an error</caption>
+ *
+ * Observable.of(1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
+ *   .map(n => {
+ * 	   if (n == 4) {
+ * 	     throw 'four!';
+ *     }
+ *	   return n;
+ *   })
+ *   .catch(err => Observable.of('I', 'II', 'III', 'IV', 'V'))
+ *   .subscribe(x => console.log(x));
+ *   // 1, 2, 3, I, II, III, IV, V
+ *
+ * @example <caption>Retries the caught source Observable again in case of error, similar to retry() operator</caption>
+ *
+ * Observable.of(1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
+ *   .map(n => {
+ * 	   if (n === 4) {
+ * 	     throw 'four!';
+ *     }
+ * 	   return n;
+ *   })
+ *   .catch((err, caught) => caught)
+ *   .take(30)
+ *   .subscribe(x => console.log(x));
+ *   // 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 3, ...
+ *
+ * @example <caption>Throws a new error when the source Observable throws an error</caption>
+ *
+ * Observable.of(1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
+ *   .map(n => {
+ *     if (n == 4) {
+ *       throw 'four!';
+ *     }
+ *     return n;
+ *   })
+ *   .catch(err => {
+ *     throw 'error in source. Details: ' + err;
+ *   })
+ *   .subscribe(
+ *     x => console.log(x),
+ *     err => console.log(err)
+ *   );
+ *   // 1, 2, 3, error in source. Details: four!
+ *
+ * @param {function} selector a function that takes as arguments `err`, which is the error, and `caught`, which
+ *  is the source observable, in case you'd like to "retry" that observable by returning it again. Whatever observable
+ *  is returned by the `selector` will be used to continue the observable chain.
+ * @return {Observable} An observable that originates from either the source or the observable returned by the
+ *  catch `selector` function.
+ * @name catchError
+ */
+export function catchError<T, R>(selector: (err: any, caught: Observable<T>) => ObservableInput<R>): OperatorFunction<T, T | R> {
+  return function catchErrorOperatorFunction(source: Observable<T>): Observable<T | R> {
+    const operator = new CatchOperator(selector);
+    const caught = source.lift(operator);
+    return (operator.caught = caught);
+  };
+}
+
+class CatchOperator<T, R> implements Operator<T, T | R> {
+  caught: Observable<T>;
+
+  constructor(private selector: (err: any, caught: Observable<T>) => ObservableInput<T | R>) {
+  }
+
+  call(subscriber: Subscriber<R>, source: any): any {
+    return source.subscribe(new CatchSubscriber(subscriber, this.selector, this.caught));
+  }
+}
+
+/**
+ * We need this JSDoc comment for affecting ESDoc.
+ * @ignore
+ * @extends {Ignored}
+ */
+class CatchSubscriber<T, R> extends OuterSubscriber<T, T | R> {
+  constructor(destination: Subscriber<any>,
+              private selector: (err: any, caught: Observable<T>) => ObservableInput<T | R>,
+              private caught: Observable<T>) {
+    super(destination);
+  }
+
+  // NOTE: overriding `error` instead of `_error` because we don't want
+  // to have this flag this subscriber as `isStopped`. We can mimic the
+  // behavior of the RetrySubscriber (from the `retry` operator), where
+  // we unsubscribe from our source chain, reset our Subscriber flags,
+  // then subscribe to the selector result.
+  error(err: any) {
+    if (!this.isStopped) {
+      let result: any;
+      try {
+        result = this.selector(err, this.caught);
+      } catch (err2) {
+        super.error(err2);
+        return;
+      }
+      this._unsubscribeAndRecycle();
+      this.add(subscribeToResult(this, result));
+    }
+  }
+}
diff --git a/src/operators/index.ts b/src/operators/index.ts
index a4838cc8d9..43b6ee858e 100644
--- a/src/operators/index.ts
+++ b/src/operators/index.ts
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+export { catchError } from './catchError';
 export { concatMap } from './concatMap';
 export { defaultIfEmpty } from './defaultIfEmpty';
 export { filter } from './filter';