Santa Cruz Island – the big island dead ahead when standing on a Santa Barbara beach looking seaward (south) – is a place of mysteries and powerful oceanic forces that humble mere mortals.
A boat cruise along the north shore of the island (the side that faces the mainland) is absolutely captivating under almost any weather and sea conditions. Add some oceanic power like large swells, and astonishing things happen.
Imagine a whoosh of water and air — twice the size of a blue whale spout — horizontal and aimed right at you. Now combine that with a sudden roar as loud as a major waterfall.
That’s what an island blowhole is like when we have massive swells pounding the rugged north shore of Santa Cruz Island as we did recently during a big-swell event.
That cliff-dominated shoreline features hundreds of small sea caves and crevices which quickly fill with water and then overfill, creating intense compression of trapped air and the full force of a powerful open-ocean swell pounding the cliffs.
That’s when nature’s eruptive forces are unleashed, expelling (like exhaling) vast quantities of atomized air and water that look to me like a gigantic pressurized water cannon.
Sometimes, too, a glorious rainbow will briefly form, mesmerize us through a range of shapes and color bands, then dissipate just as quickly. These phenomena are a sight to behold and to remember. You’ll be telling the story for years to come.
A casual cruise along the face of the cliffs at Santa Cruz Island can suddenly be interrupted by huge horizontal spouts whenever a set of swells sweeps through. I’ve seen blowhole spouts spray 200 feet and douse everyone onboard.
It can be a scary moment but nearly always results in hysterical laughter, followed by much toweling off.
It is difficult to predict exactly where blowholes will spout because different sea caves and crevasses become positioned just right with changes in tides and swell size. Given a high enough tide and big enough swells, maybe even big Painted Cave can become a blowhole of epic proportions.
The best chances of finding an active blowhole can be found from the west end eastward to roughly Twin Harbors. Once a good one is spotted, it is likely to blow again and again until the tide or the size of the swells change. Go find an island blowhole and bring along a good camera.
— 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.
