Santa Cruz Island — Scorpion & Painted Cave
Channel Islands National Park · near Ventura / Oxnard · Central Coast
Scuba & Snorkel
At a glance
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Depth
- 80
- Water temperature
- 55–68°F · 7mm wetsuit
- Best season
- Year-round · fall clearest
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- No dive permit. Boat-access only — charters from Ventura/Oxnard. Largest of the Channel Islands; east end is National Park Service, west end is The Nature Conservancy (both diveable by boat). Painted Cave (one of the world's largest sea caves) is on the northwest coast.
What is here
- Marine life
- Vast kelp forests · Sea lions & harbor seals · Lobster, rockfish, sheephead · Sea caves & drop-offs
- Features
- Largest & most diverse Channel Island · Painted Cave — a world-class sea cave · Spectacular walls & kelp · Sea lion rookeries
Worth knowing
- Certification required
- Yes
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- No
Scuba & Snorkel detail
- Dive type
- scuba · snorkel
- Entry
- boat
- Viz
- 30–80 ft
- Intl tip
- Boat-only — charter from Ventura/Oxnard. Scorpion Anchorage is the main access; Painted Cave requires calm swell and a dinghy/kayak from the boat. Combine dive and sea-cave kayaking on the same charter. The island also has world-class hiking and kayaking (those guides). Fall is clearest; crossings can be rough.
The guide
Santa Cruz Island is the largest and most topographically dramatic of the Channel Islands, and its diving matches — vast kelp f…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Santa Cruz Island — Scorpion & Painted Cave — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 34.049, -119.556