anacapa island

Great place to dive. Kelp and open areas. Sand Dollars and lobsters to look at. Visibility depends on the season.

We were on a impulsive long weekend trip to Solvang, Santa Barbara and Ventura. The last, but not the least important was the trip to Anacapa Island on the last day. The trip was booked through Island Packers. We were well in time for the boat ride. There were about 50 people booked on the medium sized boat. When we started there was a strong off shore wind and the day was bright and sunny.The initial safety and trip briefing was very functional. We were told not to leave any trash on the island and not to pick any trophies or mementos from there. The web site of Island Packers had also advised people to carry enough water and food since there is nothing for purchase there. The Skipper of the boat made a disclaimer statement that landing on Anacapa may not be possible if the wind speed remained high. After about an hour or so, he stated again that the wind speed is high and probably we will go around the island and look for Grey whales. Meanwhile a few playful dolphins were sighted and there was general excitement on board. The first bonus!We were all on watch for grey whales. as we turned around the northern tip of Anacapa, voila, we started sighting whales. We saw about six of them. Three tail lashes and a lot of spouts were seen. This was surely the second bonus!As we were cruising along the east coast, we sighted a few juvenile Sea lions basking in the sun. We rounded the island from the Eastern side and meanwhile the wind also subsided. The skipper took us alongside and we were allowed to get off on the island at about 12:30 PM with a stern reminder that we will start back at 3:00PM. The boat never ties onto the pontoon or steps at Anacapa. The skipper keeps it dynamically in position for people to get off and get on. The crew is very helpful in getting people off and bringing them in. all the Small babies, children, adults and old people made it safely both ways.We did not have much time to explore the island, but manages to go to the major view points such as "Inspiration point", lighthouse etc. A variety of seagulls, Californian Pelicans, Eagles, sparrows etc were sighted on the island. The people made it back to the boat in time and we started back by 3:15 PM. We were back at our starting point by 4:30 PM. Normally the boat ride is direct from the start point to the Island landing point and back. We were lucky to add on whale viewing, seeing dolphins and sea lions.

One of the most spectacular places I have traveled EVER! I had no idea it was so close to me. Could easily do a week seeing all of these islands. Fascinating nature stuff, and amazing views! Can't wait to go back and see other islands. Naturalists with the Parks Service and Island Packers are great as well.

This short trip on the Island Packers' Vanguard with Capt. Dave and his knowledgeable assistants begins a process and experience that few can rival. To prepare ourselves for this brief nautical voyage we stopped at the Channel Islands Aquatic Center to view an extraordinarily well produced and narrated twenty-five minute film. Our odyssey began at Ventura harbor where a number of us boarded a fifty foot motor launch that was to take us across calm seas to Anacapa Island. The island, a small one of volcanic origin, lies about eleven miles off the Southern California coast, west of Ventura. It provides a critical habitat for various seabirds, namely gulls, brown pelicans, gannets, and blue footed boobies among others. Aboard the Vanguard our attention was drawn to passing humpback whales, seals, sea lions, and countless playful dolphins dashing in every imaginable direction. We landed at a specially created dock built on the leeward side of Anacapa Island on cliffs plunging straight down into the sea. We hiked the trails on the island for several hours with our small backpacks and water bottles before being picked up again by Capt. Dave on a subsequent Vanguard trip. After a brief look at Arch Rock, a short greeting to a number of hearty kayakers, and a short appreciation tour of the beautiful clear waters at the western edge of the island with the sea lions basking on sunny rocks, we were off to Ventura and home again. Highly recommended!

We went out for a day trip to Anapaca island in July. We used Island Packers for the boat trip from Oxnard - well organised and great ride with commentry. We saw dolphins swimming and playing with our boat! The island itself was a little disappointing - we didn't realise that there is no source of water on the island so the landscape is very bare and rough. As we came in July there weren't any flowers in bloom so it was really just rocks, dust and dry shrubbs. We enjoyed hiking across the island (its a brief and easy hike) and the views towards the other parts of the island were stunning. We had a ranger walking with us telling is interesting facts about the local plants and restoration efforts. Some people in the group went kayaking but we just opted for the hikes. We saw sea lions as well as otters, and the island is mainly inhabited by birds as breading ground. The sea gulls were everywhere!! It was extremely cute to watch the little ones learn how to fly (we actually sat and just watched them for quite some time), but on the flip side there are bird droppings everywhere and it stank. We also saw brown pelicans. In summary it was a nice day out, saw plenty of sea life and I really enjoyed it, but next time I would try and go in spring (to see the blossoms). Also, remember to bring food and drinks as there are no shops on the island (but you can buy some on the boat). Also, there are a few steep steps at the landing site so make sure you are ok to get up before booking this. There is a little island map you can download on the NPS website.

We Had a great day out there but not alot to do make sure you take bathers water and best maybe a kayak

Same fare to a couple of the Channel Islands but this has the easiest hike overall. Even for inexperience hikers, the 3 hours spent on the island is more than enough time to hike the entire island from end to end. The only rough parts are the 150+ steps of the stairs onto the island and the bumpy boat rides. Fair warning: it is an island full of (sea)gulls, and like any other national parks, pack it in, pack it out. The only down side during the visit was that the lower trails were closed due to the gulls & their younglings... Otherwise, the trails are loops, & no access to the lighthouse. Did see some dolphins and sharks during the ferry rides.

We came upon this special experience by accident. Joined a 10:00 boat that went out to Anacapa and then came back (we weren't prepared to hike but it looked great). We saw dolphins, sea lions, seals and an amazing flock of brown pelicans with their little hatchlings. The explanations from the crew were very good and when we cornered one of them to really push on his knowledge, he was very impressive. Lovely way to spend a morning and then go out to lunch.

I've lived in So. CA all of my life and have visited Catalina a few times but, for some reason, the Channel Islands always escaped me. I don't know why I always conjured up a vision of only being able to view this island by kayak (unfortunately, I'm not kidding!). We decided to visit East Anacapa Island and arrived by boat via Island Packers out of Oxnard. The crew and ride over were great, and it was wonderful when they slowed the boat down so we could see and photograph a huge pod of dolphins midway to Anacapa. The boat ride over was only one hour long. Please note that when you arrive at the island and decide to disembark, there are several flights of stairs that must be climbed straight up to the island from the boat, but it was a manageable stair climb to the top. (For those of you not in the best of shape, there is a small overlook landing at several points up if you need to take a quick breather. Pretend that you're enjoying the view!) A very friendly young park ranger greeted us when we arrived on the island, giving us a lot of info and offering to give an interpretive walking tour of the island. We missed the Spring bloom season, but arriving the first week of June meant that we saw the Western gull hatchlings! They were EVERYWHERE and so darn cute, but please note that the mama seagulls are instinctively protective. It was amazing to see how many babies there were there. I am a photographer but I was a complete fool that day...I left my Nikon at home and brought only a point-and-shoot. SUCH a dumb idea. If possible......BRING YOUR DSLR AND YOUR ZOOM LENS! It's amazingly camera-worthy. The hike around the island was flat and easy on a well-marked trail. Inspiration Point (about a mile from our starting point?) is gorgeous and a must-see stop, as is seeing the lighthouse at the opposite end of this small island.There are restrooms, a small visitors center, and picnic tables on the island. Please bring your own lunch and water because there is no food or water available for purchase. Some of the reviewers didn't care for the odor from the birds but Anacapa is a bird sanctuary! We are intruding on THEIR land. Honestly, I felt that it was all part of the experience.We had an additional treat on our boat ride back when Island Packers took us around to the back side of the island so we could see the sea lions sunbathing. (Ugh....and I didn't have my zoom lens!!!) But this added to our experience. I highly recommend that everyone devote a day to explore this island. It was a unique experience and such a great day.

I've lived in California for many years and have often thought of visiting the Channel Islands but just didn't know that much about it. Well I finally went with a friend and boy was it amazing. I booked a ticket on the Island Packers ferry. It's about an hour to Anacapa and $59 round trip. I really didn't know what to expect except I knew to bring a picnic lunch and there were no concessions on the island. When we arrived we saw so many sea gulls sitting on nests. The nests were scattered all over the island and in plain view as there are only low plants/shrubs. Each nest had 1-3 eggs. We saw one chick as it was hatching. Several had baby chicks. They were beautiful. It was fascinating to see so many sea gulls in one place. The views are amazing and Inspiration Point lives up to it's name. The gravel figure eight trail is about 2-1/2 miles round trip. It's an easy walk. There are some slight hills. When the boat docks you do have to walk up about 150 steps to the trail. Do not miss this. They say there are different times to go to the island - spring has the flower blooms, late May/June has the sea gulls. There are also sea lions and seals to watch as well. Fantastic day!!!

We visited Anacapa Island 4-6-14, also through Island Packers. We got lucky- calm seas, sunny weather and 75 degrees. One hour boat ride went fast, we sat on top for better views. Hiking is easy, and walking every trail you can do in less than 2 hours. The gulls were nesting, and flowers in bloom. The only downside was the KELP FLIES! They were annoying, but we were told that thet are only there for a short period of time. Island Packers staff were very friendly and went out of their way to make the trip go smooth. If there was a suggestion - it would be to shorten the trip one hour, you end up waiting because you have seen the whole island. On the boat ride back, we saw a pod of dolphins that numbered in the thousands!

We traveled to the national park with Island Packers departing from Oxnard at 9:30 AM. The weather was great and the seas were relatively calm. The boat trip is about 90 minutes each way. The time expands depending on weather and what the captain can find along the way. As we headed out we were joined by what appeared to be over 100 common dolphins who played in the boat's wake or swam along side the boat. Our captain kept his eye on the horizon looking for any whales that might be migrating north. We struck gold when contact with a whale watching excursion boat let the captain know there was a pod of Orcas near by. Off we went to see if we could spot them too. Not only did we see the family of five, we had about 45 minutes of up-close viewing. Apparently they were over a kill site and hadn't finished breakfast. We had a schedule to meet (kind of) so off we headed to Anacapa.Once docked we had the opportunity to join a ranger talk, but we chose to set out on our own.We hiked the island from one end to the other. Other than the nearly vertical scramble to the visitor center, the hiking is easy. There are four named trails that join to form a figure-eight. The longest trail is a six mile round trip. The wildlife is abundant. There are threatened or endangered plants, birds, especially brown pelicans, and animals, including California sea lions, sheltering on the island. Because of the drought, only a few of the coreopsis had flowers. I can only imagine how spectacular it looks when they are all in full bloom. That would be worth the price of admission all by itself.You need to bring your own food and water. Port-a-potties are available. The point here is to keep the island as natural as possible. Even the research station and lighthouse try to minimize their impact on the island. As we left the island our captain took time to ensure everyone had an opportunity to photograph the iconic arch then whisked us back to Oxnard for a 4:30 PM docking.

Anacapa Island is amazing. From Anacapa Island, you can see the other islands of Channel Islands, seals and elephant seals, sea gulls and cormorants. The national park staffs there are very nice and friendly. They will also bring you to see the whales. My only suggestion is visiting there at spring or summer. Cause in winter, the island is bold and the view is not so good enough.

Our fascinating trip started at 10 AM and we were back by 5 pm. The cost was $60 and wellworth it. Most of the islands off the California coast have very unique ecosystems and theAnacapa Island, whose arch is the Channel islands National Park logo, is no exception. Going over, our trip guide was able to identify and stop for viewing, the numerous kinds of fish, sharks and dolphins as well as birds. The island is also the largest rookery for the California Brown Pelican in the spring time. The very abundent birdlife does give the place birdy odor, but it is worth it for its pure beauty and abundance of sea bird species. Be sure to take the naturalist guided walk. We viewed seal colonies, and what must have been a shark nursery as well as beautiful jagged cliffs with crashing waves and the accompanying symphony of ocean waves sloshing against them. There are no concessions on the island but food and drinks can be purchased on the boat. A note to back packers....this is not the place. In fact we saw a couple leave. The camping area here is very exposed, in a bowl without sea view and very harsh. It is much better to campon Santa Cruz.. The rangers on Anacapa are very friendly and nowledgeable. Remember you have to pack in all your own water and take out all your trash. Be prepared to climb over 160 steps on a railed staircase from the boat. There is no wheel chair access. In a word, I would return....bird sh-t and all.

The beautiful pictures of Inspiration Point attracted me to Anacapa Island. Unfortunately, due to the timing of my trip (in July) and the lack of rain earlier in the year, the island looked totally brown with very little greenery that would have made the scenery much better. The Island Packers boat ride from Oxnard was still worth it and we saw dolphins swimming close to our boat. One thing I regretted not doing was to sign up for kayaking before boarding the boat to the island. The kayaking would have added more fun to the trip. The 2-hour guided hike to Inspiration Point was interesting, with the stop at Sea Lion Cove and the end point (Inspiration Point) the most memorable.