Cathedral Cove

The .6-mile, round trip hike from the visitor center leads a an overlook with views of the north coast, Cathedral Cove, and sea lions hauled out and sunning themselves on the narrow, rocky shoreline below. The isolated beaches scattered along Anacapa's northern and southern shores offer harbor seals and sea lions an ideal combination of safety from predators and freedom from human disturbance. Even Anacapa's isolation could not protect these and other sea mammals from human predation. Fur hunters exploited the large communities of sea otters near the Channel Islands. Fur seals, elephant seals, and sea lions were also killed for their fur, hides, and oil. Even sea lion whiskers were a popular commodity. Gentlemen used them for pipe cleaners. Sea mammal hunting ended in the early 1900s and laws now protect these marine species. Today harbor seals and sea lions regularly breed on Anacapa's rocky beaches. Their protected populations are nearly recovered from centuries of slaughter. Learn more about seals and sea lions at our website: Marine Animals View the Cathedral Cove and peregrine falcon webcam at: Channel Islands Live Peregrine Falcon Webcam An Ocean Park and Sanctuary From this incredible overlook, one has the opportunity to gaze upon another part of the park-the marine environment. One nautical mile of water around each island in the park is part of Channel Islands National Park, and six nautical miles around each island form Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. The Channel Islands lie within a large embayment known as the Southern California Bight-an area just below Point Conception where the California coastline turns sharply to the east. Within this area, the seafloor is composed of canyons, banks, escarpments, sea mounts, and deep basins (the Santa Cruz Basin is deeper than the Grand Canyon). Nutrient-rich waters upwelling from these depths mix and mingle with cool waters from the north (California Current) and warm southern waters (California Countercurrent), creating the Santa Barbara Gyre-a swirling eddy that circulates nutrients and supports a wealth of marine plants and animals, from giant kelp forests and blue whales to tiny crabs and plankton. Here, northern and southern species overlap, creating a transition zone between the Oregonian and Californian marine biogeographic provinces. **Kelp Forests** The isolated islands contain the most undisturbed stretches of coastline in southern California, providing some of the best conditions for kelp forests and their inhabitants. Kelp is a type of alga that, under ideal conditions (cold, nutrient-rich water), is one of the fastest growing organisms on Earth-it can grow two feet per day. This foliage provides food, shelter, and protection for over 800 different species-from foraging nudibranchs, to grazing snails, to fish seeking refuge, to whales feasting on plankton. But we must not forget about ourselves. Not only do we feed upon some of the animals that depend upon the kelp forest,