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JOURNAL
LOCAL INTELLIGENCE
Five islands sit off this stretch of coast and none of them have a bridge. Boats run from Ventura Harbor and from Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard, and the crossing is the part visitors underestimate. Once you are on the water you are committed for the day. There is no later ferry to bail out on and no coffee cart waiting when you land.
Anacapa and Santa Cruz are the two islands most day trippers see. Anacapa is closer and the smaller undertaking: a stair climb up from the landing, then a flat loop across the top with cliffs falling away on both sides. Santa Cruz is the largest island in the chain and gives you room to actually walk, with ridge trails climbing away from a wide beach at the landing cove and the sea caves that most of the kayak trips are built around.
What lives out here is the reason to go. Kelp forests grow right up to the shoreline, which keeps the water clear, cold and full of fish. The island fox exists nowhere else on earth, and on Santa Cruz there is a fair chance one trots past the picnic area without paying you much attention.
Summer crossings sell out. Reserve as far ahead as you can and treat that booking as the fixed point the rest of your week moves around. Trips also get cancelled for weather, and that is not the operator being precious. This is open ocean, and the chop builds through the day as the wind comes up. If you are at all prone to seasickness, take something before you board rather than after you notice.
There is no food, no store and no drinking water on the islands a day tripper visits. Whatever you want to eat goes into your bag on the mainland, and whatever you carry over comes back with you. Bring layers, too. The islands run cooler and windier than the harbor you left, and the marine layer can sit on them all morning while Ventura is in full sun.
Take the earliest departure you are offered. The water is calmer, the light on the cliffs is better, and you get the long version of the island instead of a rushed loop before the return boat. If the forecast looks marginal the night before, ask your local manager. Everyone here watches the harbor conditions.