Anacapa Island — Landing Cove & the Marine Reserve
Channel Islands National Park · near Ventura / Oxnard · Central Coast
Scuba & Snorkel
At a glance
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Depth
- 70
- Water temperature
- 55–68°F · 7mm wetsuit
- Best season
- Year-round · late summer/fall clearest & warmest
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- No dive permit, but Anacapa is boat-access only — dive charters depart daily from Ventura and Oxnard. The east end is a no-take State Marine Reserve (California's oldest). Book a charter; independent boating requires experience with Channel conditions.
What is here
- Marine life
- Dense kelp forest & garibaldi clouds · Sea lions dive-bombing divers · Giant black sea bass · Walls, drop-offs & lobster
- Features
- California's oldest marine reserve · Some of the best viz in Southern CA · Sea lion aerial acrobatics · Walls, arches & drop-offs
Worth knowing
- Certification required
- Yes
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- No
Scuba & Snorkel detail
- Dive type
- scuba · snorkel
- Entry
- boat
- Viz
- 30–100 ft (best in fall)
- Intl tip
- Book a dive charter from Ventura or Oxnard Harbor — this is boat-only diving. Late summer and fall bring the warmest, clearest water. The east-end marine reserve is no-take. Combine with a Santa Cruz Island trip (same charters). Sea lions are the highlight — playful and wild. Channel crossings can be rough; take seasickness precautions.
The guide
Anacapa Island is the most accessible of the Channel Islands and one of the finest dives in Southern California — a slender vol…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Anacapa Island — Landing Cove & the Marine Reserve — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 34.014, -119.36