Anacapa IslandJun 10, 2009
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boat at Anacapa dock
sea lions on bouy during trip out
cliff and light house on the island
Our excursion to Anacapa Island on June 9th was great. It is an 11 mile trip by boat. Going out the sea was rough and there were light winds with overcast skies. By noon the clouds had dissipated and the winds calmed. The sea was calm on the return trip. We didn’t see any whales or dolphins going either way.
Anacapa is one of the 5 channel islands contained in the Channel Islands National Park and Sea Sanctuary. It is a long, narrow ridge of volcanic rock comprised of three islets. The top is about one-quarter mile wide at its widest.
It is a desert environment with no natural water sources so it is not inhabited by large mammals. It is a favored nesting site of Great Western Gulls and the California Brown Pelican. The gulls began hatching chicks about three weeks ago and there were still unhatched eggs. The gulls are very territorial and will attack if pressed; they will also shit on threats to the dismay of one lady in our group.
There was an underwater demonstration at the dock before we started the return trip.
