A gorgeous natural visual available locally can best be enjoyed by a slow boat cruise along the front (north) side of Santa Cruz Island. On charters, I commonly watch people grow silent as they take in the breathtaking beauty of the sheer rugged cliffs and picturesque little coves. I think this place beats Yosemite Valley for views.
Sea caves abound, and they look so inviting, until you consider what happens inside that cave when a powerful swell sweeps along the island. One special cave — Painted Cave — is big enough to take a boat inside of when the swells aren’t too big. Most of our party boat and private charter operators take passengers into the cave. It can be spooky, and for some it becomes a spiritual event.
Painted Cave is my absolute favorite place in the world. Smaller caves can be found all along the north side of the island, and many look just right for exploration by kayak. It can be great fun to stack some yaks on a boat and head across for a day of paddling and exploration.
If you don’t have your own boat, schedule a sea cave kayaking tour with Michael Cohen, owner of Channel Islands Adventure Company, www.sbadventureco.com. I’ve known Michael for years and he makes adventures fun as well as educational.
One amusing moment is when the calm and serene mood is pierced by the shrill sound of bird calls. We all know the gull’s cry only too well. Our pelicans are, thankfully, quiet. Other birds make some eerie sounds. The rocky rugged waterline of Santa Cruz Island is perfect for some funny looking and sounding birds.
We often see oyster catchers and boobies, launch themselves off the rocks at water’s edge and fly in their typical semicircular pattern to another equally precarious perch. These birds are special because of their shape and colorful appendages.
There is another very rewarding birdwatching opportunity at this island. This is the home of the island scrub jay, which only lives on our Channel Islands. These grow to about 25 percent larger than mainland scrub jays. All of this makes it a very special bird to log in a bird watcher’s book.
Know what I love about bird watchers? When a birdwatcher claims to have seen a particular bird, other birdwatchers seem to readily accept the person’s word as truth. Compare that to fisherfolk! Listen, when fisherfolk claim to have caught something, they darn well better have photos to back it up!
It is so relaxing and rewarding to spend a day crossing the channel and watching for pelagic seabirds. Then drift just off of a wide canyon looking for island scrub jays, notice raptors flying high above the island or sitting in lone trees. Maybe get lucky and watch a bald eagle swoop down and take a fish with its talons.
Next enjoy the scenery of quiet little coves, and feel special about spotting the cute shorebirds of the rocky coastline.
The trip back across the channel is when everyone can compare notes about what they saw, and why it all feels so wonderful. We have some precious resources to explore. Let’s enjoy it all!
— Capt. David Bacon operates WaveWalker Charters and is president of SOFTIN Inc., a nonprofit organization providing seafaring opportunities for those in need. Visit softininc.blogspot.com to learn more about the organization and how you can help. Click here to read previous columns. The opinions expressed are his own.
