Blogs from Channel Islands National Park, California, United States, North America

I took the early morning Amtrak (http://www.amtrak.com/) from my home in Orange County, connected at Union Station in Los Angeles and continued on to Ventura. The coastal city lies right where the 101 freeway hits the ocean and then turns north towards Santa Barbara. Upon arrival I grabbed a prearrange cab ride to the Island Packers headquarters located in Ventura Harbor. Island Packers (http://islandpackers.com/) is the sole way out to all five of the Channel Islands (minus your own boat). Check-in was quick and easy and thirty minutes later I was aboard the Island Adventure, a two story catamaran that operates off of bio-diesel. The captain came over the loud speaker with a series of safety instructions, facts and jokes as we made for open ocean. On a normal day, one can spot Santa Cruz and ... read more

Once back on the ship from our day in Catalina we headed up to the Lido Buffet for lunch then off to see what was happening on deck. Boy, there was a lot going on both on the ship and off! On the ship, the water slide was in full use and the kids looked like they were having a great time. The hot tubs were filled to the brim with sun-worshipping cruisers. Security was working overtime enforcing the 'no kids in this hot tub ... they can only be in that hot tub' rule. And all the while, onlookers were enjoying the show ... like us! We were still anchored and Catalina proved to be a luscious backdrop for all of the afternoon's activities. Off the ship, we watched parasailers being pulled by like ... read more

On 10/15 at 0930, Ansa and Echo checked out of Marina del Rey and set sail for Avalon on Catalina Island. At first there was no wind, but then it came up to about five or six knots on the nose. I dragged the traveler over and wind in the main gave me enough power to reduce the engine rpm from 2800 to 2000 and still maintain six plus knots of speed. Still later, we changed course to more of a reach and I unfurled the jib. Still motorsailing but a lot nicer ride with less rolling. Waves were maybe two or three feet and it was warm. Its amazing how much warmer it is south of Santa Barbara. Because this is the off season, we were able to moor in Avalon harbor. The last time ... read more

For our 7 year wedding anniversary we did an overnight trip to Santa Catalina Island. We took a ferry for about an hour and a half from Dana Point. Dana Point is a beautiful place in itself and thriving with activity during the summer. We will have to make another trip out just to experience Dana Point. On our ferry ride over to Catalina Island we were pleasantly surprised with an amazing dolphin show. We passed by several schools of dolphins and one school decided to ride the ferry wake and follow us for a little while. It was amazing and a highlight of the trip. Especially since all the times we have been out on the water, we have never seen any dolphins. Arriving in Catalina Island, it was stunning. It was our first trip ... read more

Once you go on one live-aboard SCUBA trip to the Channel Islands, you will make sure that you don't miss another! It's been for 3 years in a row now that on July 4, myself and 25 others embark on a journey across the great expanse of ocean wilderness off the coast of Southern California. Next to the Sierra Nevada, the Channel Islands are the next best experience of the Wilderness of Calfiornia. Instead of exploring conifer forests of Pines, Redwoods and Sequoia's, you explore forests of Kelp teeming with fish, sharks and invertebrates. Did I just say invertebrates?! What I saw on this trip: *url=http://images.google.com/images... read more