Santa Barbara Island Sea Lion Rookery
La profondeur indique la plage entre le sommet du site et son maximum habituel ; le « niveau de certification recommandé » correspond au niveau généralement demandé par les opérateurs selon les agences grand public, et non à une règle légale. Les courants et la visibilité varient chaque jour — considérez toutes ces informations comme des estimations de planification.
Santa Barbara Island is the smallest and least-visited of the Channel Islands, a long crossing that boats make for one guaranteed payoff: its California sea lion rookery. In late summer and fall the year's pups have found their fins, and the shallows off the haul-out become a playground - dozens of juveniles spiraling through divers' bubbles, mouthing fins, mimicking rolls, departing en masse and returning in a heartbeat. The game happens in 5-10 m over boulders, so bottom time is nearly unlimited and snorkelers get the same show. Away from the rookery, the island's clear water and kelp ridges hold big sheephead and passing pelagics. Few dives anywhere produce more laughter through regulators.
Le moment pour lequel vous venez: Pup swarms in the shallows, all-day bottom time, the archipelago's quietest island
Topographie: Boulder and reef shallows off a sea lion haul-out, kelp in patches
À savoir avant de plonger
Dangers: Territorial bulls in breeding season; long, weather-dependent crossing.
Conservation: Rookery approaches follow NPS wildlife-distance rules; the sea lions close the gap themselves.
Qui vous croiserez
California Sea Lion
Mola Mola (Ocean Sunfish)
Nudibranchs
Pour les photographes
Grand angle: ★★★★★ · Macro: ★★☆☆☆ — note 1–5 des éditeurs sur ce que ce site offre à chaque style de prise de vue