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On the Water In and Around Santa Barbara, California
Rate it! Votes (2) | Comments (0) By Cheri Sicard and Mitch Mandell Photos: Santa Barbara Conference and Visitor's Center Posted October 25th, 2008

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, USA -- Take a short walk towards the ocean from downtown Santa Barbara and you’ll encounter the quintessential California pier experience. You’ll stroll along a fishermen lined boardwalk that extends out over the water. Scents from seaside restaurants cooking up the coast’s bounty entice the nostrils while the happy beach sounds of waves crashing, kid’s playing, and seagulls screaming relax the psyche.

At Stearns Wharf the kids can explore touch tanks at the newly renovated Ty Warner Sea Center. Built in 1872 and now the oldest working pier in California, the wharf once belonged to Hollywood legend Jimmy Cagney and his brothers.

Those interested in maritime history should stop in at the Maritime museum across the way to trace local seafaring traditions back to the days when the area was inhabited by the Chumash Indians.

Channel Islands National Park
If you’re looking for less urban beach experiences, just look out to sea and you’ll see the Channel Islands National Park. The most popular of the unique five island park is Santa Cruz, an immense natural Pacific playground offering camping, hiking, kayaking, and tide pooling. (See the related travel links for Mitch Mandell’s full report on visiting Santa Cruz and Anacapa Islands).

The islands are home to both plant and wildlife species seen only here. A national park ranger led tour is a great way to get a glimpse and learn all about it. Excursions depart daily from the SEA Landing in the Santa Barbara harbor.

Kayakers from beginning to expert can visit Paddle Sports of Santa Barbara at the Harbor to either rent a kayak to paddle the local coastline, or arrange for boat transit to Channel Islands National Park and Marine Sanctuary, where kayaks stand by for naturalist-led tours that take in such highlights as the largest sea cave in the world. Slip inside this natural cathedral and hang with the local sea lions while experiencing the rhythmic breath of the sea.

The park is also home to some of California’s best SCUBA diving. The islands’ kelp forests host more than 800 species of marine life, and underwater visibility is often 100 feet or more. Divers finning past rock reefs can check out such locals as anemones, starfish, sponges, sea fans, moray eels, octopus, abalone, rock scallops, spiny lobsters, black sea bass, halibut, lingcod and rockfish. Dive boats leave for the islands from SEA Landing at the Harbor.

The Channel Islands are also among the world’s prime whale-watching grounds, with more than two dozen species present at various times as they follow ancient migratory routes through the nutrient-rich waters around Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa and San Miguel Islands. Summer visitors often spy 50-ton blue whales – the largest creatures ever to have inhabited the Earth.

Beaches Galore
Beach lovers will want to head north from Santa Barbara proper to find any number of turnouts and off-ramps from Highway 101 that provide access to superb surf-lined strands. Eighteen beaches stretch nearly 100 mi/160 km from the coastal cities of Carpinteria to Guadalupe, all in Santa Barbara County. It’s no wonder that surfers have been flocking to Santa Barbara for decades, especially in winter, when Arctic storms send perfect waves to local beaches and reefs. Beginners head to the gentler surf at places like Leadbetter, Campus Point at UCSB, and El Refugio (about 15 miles north of town), while professionals and expert locals can be found shredding powerful waves at Jalama Beach (near Lompoc) and Hammond’s (just down from the Four Seasons Biltmore) or getting endless rides at Rincon, one of the premiere point breaks in the world.

The city of Santa Barbara is located just 92 miles north of Los Angeles and 332 miles south of San Francisco, on the Pacific coastline. Visitors can arrive via scenic Highway 101, by Amtrak train, or Greyhound bus, or by flying into Santa Barbara Municipal Airport or Los Angeles International Airport.

Santa Barbara County encompasses the cities of Carpinteria, Goleta, Montecito, Summerland, Ballard, Buellton, Lompoc, Los Alamos, Los Olivos, Santa Maria, Santa Ynez and Solvang as well as Channel Islands National Park.

For travel and accommodation information and to request a free copy of the official Santa Barbara County Visitors Guide, contact the Santa Barbara Conference & Visitors Bureau and Film Commission at 800-676-1266, 805-966-9222 or www.santabarbaraCA.com. If you’re already in town, visitor information is also available at the Visitor Information Center located at 1 Garden Street (at Cabrillo Boulevard) in Santa Barbara.

Find Paddle Sports of Santa Barbara at the Harbor to rent a kayak or arrange for boat transit to Channel Islands National Park & Marine Sanctuary, where kayaks stand by for naturalist-led tours. Phone 805-899-4925 or click to www.kayaksb.com.

Condor Cruises offers whale watching cruises that will put you in the right place to spot gray, humpback and minke whales, plus orcas (killer whales) and five types of dolphins along with sea lions, harbor and elephant seals, and sea otters. Phone 805-882-0088 or visit their website at www.condorcruises.com.

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