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Channel Islands, California
lighthouse in Anacapa, the Channel Islands, California

Channel Islands, California

Famous for its nature reserves and pristine waters, the Channel Islands in California is a top-tier travel destination for scuba divers and snorkelers. Aside from diverse marine life, the archipelago is home to unique flora and fauna, as well as historic attractions.

Geography of the Channel Islands, California

Situated off the coast of southern California, the Channel Islands is an eight-island archipelago blessed with spectacular wonders and unique flora and fauna. This group of islands stretches for 160 miles (257 kilometers) and covers a total of 346 square miles (900 square kilometers). The topography of the Channel Islands is characterized by mountain ranges and sea caves, with some islands boasting lush forests filled with pine trees.

Five islands⁠—Anacapa, San Miguel, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, and Santa Rosa⁠— comprise the Channel Islands National Park. Over 2,000 species of plants and animals can be found in the vicinity, including harbor seals, California brown pelicans, and the endemic island fence lizard. Six nautical miles (11 kilometers) seaward is the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary⁠, a glorious nature reserve that is home to one of the world’s richest marine ecosystems. With breathtaking landscapes and world-class dive sites, a vacation at the Channel Islands should be in every divers’ bucket list.

Anacapa Island

Visibility is almost always excellent when diving in the waters of Anacapa Island. The reefs here are well preserved and marine life is extremely abundant and diverse. On land, dense vegetation, including about 150 native plants and 16 endemic species, is the norm.

Landing Cove

Set on the northeastern side of Anacapa Island, Landing Cove is a standout dive in terms of marine biodiversity, size, and density. Fish and invertebrate life fill the reef, giving you the chance to observe curious critters like large calicos, lobsters, and rock wrasse up close. Down below, you may encounter yellow and black treefish, as well as juvenile horn sharks. If you’re into underwater photography, you should bring along your wide-angle lens and take advantage of the macro opportunities (but be careful not to disrupt the ecosystem). This dive site also offers intriguing caverns, archways, and other rock formations to explore.

Cathedral Cove

The Cathedral Cove starts with a rocky shoreline which immediately plunges into a 15-foot (4.57-meter) drop-off. From there, the seabed gently slopes downward until it reaches a depth of 50 feet (15.24 meters). Garibaldi, señorita wrasse, and sheepshead fish will be your constant companions as you swim across the giant kelp forest. Courtesy of its sheltered location north of the island, the waters are typically calm, which in turn ensures excellent visibility.

San Miguel

Strong winds are usually felt in San Miguel Island. As such, surges are a common occurrence and diving can be challenging. Nevertheless, San Miguel boasts prolific macro life and colorful reefs perfect for underwater photography.

Wyckoff Ledge

One of the Channel Islands’ most notable dive sites, the Wyckoff Ledge is an exciting pick for intermediate scuba divers. Its emerald-green waters serve as a nice backdrop to pink and orange anemones and blue schooling rockfish, among other sources of vibrant colors. Scallops, feather duster worms, and sponges adorn the underwater rockface; they also give shrimp, crabs, and shy fish places to burrow. The wall dive also features juvenile wolf eels, mosshead warbonnets, and nudibranchs.

Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara is a popular destination among the islands because of its sea lion rookery. Every year, hundreds of playful sea lions visit the shallow ends of its coasts to mate. Meanwhile, its dive sites boast caves, caverns, and lush kelp forests teeming with diverse marine life.

Black Cavern

The Black Cavern is considered to be the largest underwater cave along the western side of Santa Barbara Island. With its huge area, four divers can easily descend side by side to marvel at the surreal landscape teeming with marine life. Here, you’ll see lobsters peeking through the cracks and crevices of the rock formation, as well as sea fans, gorgonians, starfish, and sponges.

You’ll need a bit of cave diving experience to maneuver your way through the tricky passage, but it’s all worth it. Right up to the cave’s exit, the Black Cavern offers a memorable experience with a stretch of stone thickly covered with brittle stars guiding you back to the surface.

Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz is the largest of the eight islands in the archipelago. Steep cliffs, sea caves, coves, and sandy beaches define its coastline. There are many opportunities for macro-photography when you dive into its waters, although visibility can be inconsistent from site to site.

Flame Reef

A plunge into the Flame Reef transports you to a whole new world of hues, making it the perfect diving destination for underwater photographers with a penchant for colorful subjects. Impressive clusters of red and gold gorgonians make up the dive spot’s signature “flowering bushes,” while pink female sheepheads lead the parade of flashy sea animals cruising the waters.

A steady stream of current provides the reef with an unending supply of nutrients, as well as ensuring good visibility. Adding more colors are bright orange garibaldi, golden señorita fish, rockfishes, sea stars, and red anemones.

Gull Island

Kelp forests are the first to greet you in your descent down Gull Island, a mesmerizing dive off the backside of Santa Cruz. Purple corals adorn a small wall you’ll encounter westward, which are made more striking next to red cnidarians and anemones. Rockfish, calico bass, and sheepheads circle the area frequently, but if you’re lucky, you’ll get to see huge torpedo rays passing by. Pacific sea stars and sunstars are also abundant in the area.

Santa Rosa

Santa Rosa is the second-largest island in the archipelago, featuring rolling hills, deep canyons, and a coastal lagoon. Its surrounding waters are a nursery for large sea life (like great white sharks) and hold a number of scuba diving gems despite frequent surges and strong currents.

Bee Rock

The Bee Rock is one of the lesser known dive sites in the Channel Islands simply because it’s usually overpowered by large swells from tropical storms in the Pacific during the summer. But come fall and early winter, calmer waters grant access to a mesmerizing paradise underwater. The highlight of this dive site is a pair of low rocks that are actually tips of a fairly expansive rocky reef below.

The rock face is made colorful by an array of sponges, bryozoa, and algae clinging to its surface, which is made more dramatic by submerged pinnacles, mini-walls, and boulders scattered around the perimeter. At the Bee Rock, you can say hello to nudibranchs, giant sunflower stars, kelp bass, and lingcod among other marine creatures.

Marine Life

  • Horn sharks - This species is endemic to the waters of North America. They lurk in relatively shallow waters most of the year but migrate to deeper levels as winter approaches. Juvenile horn sharks prefer to stay in sandy ocean floors to rest.
  • Mosshead warbonnets - This type of marine animal is typically found on rocks, seaweed, algae, and crevices. Since they’re very shy creatures, it’s rare to see them ever leaving their natural habitats.
  • Treefishes - Treefishes are common critters in California waters and are an important part of the state’s recreational fishing. They are residential species that prefer to hang around mats of kelp when young, then move to shallow rocky reefs when they reach adulthood.
  • Wolf eels - Caves, crevices, and rocky reefs in northern California are home to wolf eels. You can spot them at varying depths, starting at shallow waters of up to 741 feet (226 meters) below sea level.

Other Attractions

  • Trans Catalina Trail - If you want an equally mesmerizing adventure on land, the Trans Catalina Trail is the place to be. This 38.5-mile (62-kilometer) trek is worth every step as it guides you through Avalon to the West End while traversing Santa Catalina Island.
  • Wrigley Botanical Garden - This tourist attraction showcases the Channel Islands’ endemic plants in a lush 38-acre garden. It is located near the town of Avalon in Santa Catalina.
  • Anacapa Island Lighthouse - Constructed in 1912, this landmark is the last major lighthouse built on the west coast of Anacapa Island. It is now fully-automated and is used by the archipelago’s National Park Service.

How to Get There

By Air
While private planes are not permitted to land in the Channel Islands, you can book a flight to Santa Rosa Island from Camarillo Airport. The flight takes about 25 minutes on a small plane provided by the Channel Islands Aviation. There are no other direct flights to the archipelago.

By Sea
You can get to the Channel Islands National Park by sea via Island Packers, which is the official concessionaire. There are trips to Santa Cruz Island all-year-round, while charters to Anacapa Island are available five days a week during the summer. You can catch these trips from Ventura or Oxnard and arrive at your destination after about an hour. Private vessels are welcome to dock in the Channel Islands.

Best Time to Visit

The best times to visit the Channel Islands for snorkeling and scuba diving are during summer and fall. During these months, most of the islands’ surrounding waters are calmer, granting easy access and visibility of up to 100 feet (30 meters). Most tourists come in starting June to late September when the chance of rain is at its lowest.

Required Trainings & Certifications

The Channel Islands’ scuba diving destinations are suitable for divers of varying skills and experience. Novice cardholders are welcome to explore shallow dive sites, but in more difficult and deeper waters, it is best to have at least an Advanced Open Water Diver (AOWD) certification. You can get your certification before heading out to the archipelago or take it at one of the local scuba schools.

Miscellaneous Information

Currency
The US dollar is the official legal tender in the Channel Islands. While ATMs are available and big establishments accept credit card payments, it is recommended that you bring cash.

Language
English is used by most, if not all residents. Some are able to speak Cruzeño or Isleño, a Chumashan language spoken in the coastal areas of Southern California.

Time Zone
The Channel Islands follows US Pacific Standard Time, putting it eight hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT -8).

Driving Side
Drivers are required to drive on the right side of the road and turn on the left, similar to what is observed in mainland California.

Calling Code
The Channel Islands is part of the 805 telephone area code in California. If you’re calling from outside the country, dial 1 followed by the area code and the local number.

ISO 3166 code
“US-CA” is the listed ISO 3166-2 code of the Channel Islands, California.

Internet TLD
.us is the internet top level domain for the state of California and the United States.