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Cave Cruising
by David Bunnell with Djuna Bewley
Explore the world below California's Channel Islands
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Behind us, daylight waned as we slowly dived through a little-known part of the cave system hidden below California's Channel Islands.
Ahead, a murky blue unknown egged us on through a broad underwater tunnel. My dive reel surrendered 20, 50 then 100 feet of line.
At last, a silver sheet glimmered above us and penetrating this, we greeted a vast, air-filled chamber. My light, in a room that has never seen light, beamed across steamy blackness.
But we were not alone. Sea lion bulls, the largest I'd ever seen, guarded crowded harems on a tiny beach. Momentarily, they stood ground, frozen in my beam.
Then, as if on cue, they charged, roaring and yelping, plunging between and around us. The water exploded -- but in an instant, they were gone, guided somehow through darkness to the entrance, and safety.
We claimed their abandoned beach, disappointed that our "lead" had ended. It was a lead that we had expected to connect to Painted Cave, which we thought would have lengthened the world's longest surveyed sea cave.
Even so, this cave held one more surprise. Inching through a crawlway, we discovered yet another chamber: this one high and dry, and more than 100 feet across.
Red dripstone and stalactites decorated the walls and ceiling. On the sand floor, white splotches marked the ghostly remains of sea lions, like grotesque chalk figures outlining murder victims.
Painted Cave, it was not. This one we dubbed the Ghost Seal Room, deep within the Seals' Secret Cave.==
Santa Cruz and Anacapa Islands, just off the Southern California coast, are popular among boaters for their good fishing and diving, sheltered anchorages and rugged beauty. But less frequently visited are the wave-cut caves carved along the islands' steep volcanic sea cliffs.
Over 10 years, I have explored and mapped these caves, which reveal a remarkable diversity with something to suit every
explorer's tastes.
Not all sea caves require death-defying exploration tactics. Indeed, with proper precautions, many Channel Island caves invite a tame family outing.
Most unnecessary adventure can be avoided with a little equipment and a lot of common sense. Bright, waterproof lights are required in most caves, and a helmet and wet suit are strongly advised.
Of course, certain island caves (indeed, ,/all== caves, at times when they admit rough seas or direct swell) can provide visitors with anything from high adventure to certain danger. That's why it's important to make safety your top priority.
Before entering any sea cave, monitor the entrance for a good 10 minutes. Are swells amplified in the cave's inner reaches? Do large sets send the cave into a washing machine-like spin cycle?
In general, swell conditions in the islands are most benign in during fall. This and the increasing tidal range as fall moves into winter favor late autumn as the optimal sea caving season. Nevertheless, the diversity and distribution of caves around the islands makes sea caving here a year-round sport.
++Caves for All Tastes==
If you're convinced that "bigger is better," Santa Cruz Island sea caves are the ones to see. Among 112 caves, the average is more than 200 feet long and the longest, Painted Cave, is more than 1,200 feet in length.
Many caves on Santa Cruz sport towering entrances that readily accommodate kayaks or dinghys. Caves are concentrated on both ends of the island's north shore, and many are subject to the full brunt of the prevailing northwest swell.
Though fewer caves on Anacapa allow boat access, snorkeling in with a wet suit and fins will reveal that many are remarkably complex. With a good dive light, you may meet some shy, seldom-seen sea life. Colorful starfish and sponges abound in some caves, and white anemones, devoid of symbiotic algae, are common.
With 135 caves spread over both shores, one can usually find something to explore, despite swell direction.
For novice sea cavers who want a taste of adventure, two special caves should not be missed.
Floating into ++Painted Cave== is always an adventure. If you're not taking a cave dive, a trip through the gaping entrance cited on nautical charts is at least as grand.
A chasm more than 130 feet high and 60 feet wide can accommodate a good-size boat. The first 600 feet of tunnel are spacious and well-illuminated.
The dark volcanic walls are adorned with bands of color: orange, white, green, purple. While Spanish explorers thought these walls were painted by native Chumash Indians, they are actually a natural mosaic of algal and mineral growths.
As daylight diminishes, you will approach a low spot 10 to 15 feet high, with darkness beyond. Hesitation may grip you, as eerie sounds emanate from within.
Once inside, the barking of seals and crash of surf can be overwhelming, magnified to thunderous proportions in the echoing confines of this 125 by 175 foot chamber. Strong lights are needed here, for little illumination penetrates this inky blackness.
Rowing deeper into the void, glowing eyes may seem to peer from ledges above you on both sides of the chamber. During breeding season, in late spring and summer, dozens of sea lion bulls with harems of females and their newborn pups crowd these ledges, wearing them smooth with their bellies.
While most of the cave can be seen without leaving the dinghy, visitors can land on small beaches at the end of two distinct passages, one almost 100 feet long.
In calm seas and with a long line, it's possible to anchor just in front of Painted Cave, in water 80 to 90 feet deep.
I usually head about 800 feet west and anchor in a pleasant cove that contains two prominent caves, both worth exploring. This spot can be surprisingly mellow in a northwest swell, but it can get sloppy in the inner chamber.
One of the friendliest and most interesting caves on Anacapa Island is ++Frenchy's==, located about 2,000 feet west of Frenchy's Cove on the north shore of West Anacapa.
The cove is one of the few anchorages available on Anacapa, and is a fair-weather anchorage at best. In a northwest swell, it can be a very uncomfortable spot, but good protection is afforded here in a southwest swell, which is also common.
Frenchy's is easy to locate, as it is the first cave west of the anchorage. The arched, 50 foot high entrance admits sufficient light to illuminate the cave beyond.
Some 50 feet inside, the ceiling rises to 60 feet or higher. Visitors will find themselves in an impressive chamber, 200 feet long and 100 feet wide -- comparable to the inner chamber of Painted Cave. Shallow water covers much of the floor, which seems
to emit a tropical, emerald-green glow.
Cobble beaches allow boaters to land and take a closer look. On the wall near the eastern beach are curious mineral growth: gypsum foliae, which is normally white, but here is colored green by algae. Another geological oddity is a steep sand bank, which forms the back wall of the cave.
Conditions in Frenchy's are generally mellow. It faces north/northeast, protected from northwest swell. The cave's configuration tends to dampen the force of surf on its inner beaches.
It's inconvenient to visit Frenchy's during a minus tide: The cave drains almost completely, leaving one to dodge impenetrable forests of purple urchins. Be kind to your feet and the urchins -- wait for higher water and float over these formidable cave-dwellers.
While Frenchy's is at the eastern edge of an area closed to visitation from January through October (to protect breeding pelicans), sometimes the area is open to visitation earlier in the fall. Check with park officials before you cruise.
Although we were foiled at finding our underwater connection to Painted Cave, the exploration continues. Dozens of uncharted, submerged caves on Santa Cruz -- and scores more on Santa Rosa and Santa Barbara islands -- will lead adventurers on another decade of discovery.
But don't take my word for it -- you'll want to discover the dark and mysterious underground worlds of California's Channel Islands for yourself.
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This article first appeared in the August 1, 1994 issue of Sea Magazine. All or parts of the information contained in this article might be outdated. |
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