Page 97 - California Diving and Surfing

The Channel Islands

The Channel Islands of California are a chain Five of the islands (San Miguel, Santa Rosa,
of eight islands located in the Pacific Ocean Santa Cruz, Anacapa, and Santa Barbara) were
off the coast of Southern California along the made into the Channel Islands National Park in

Santa Barbara Channel in the United States of 1980. The Channel Islands National Marine Sanc-

America. Five of the islands are part of Channel tuary encompasses the waters six nautical miles

Islands National Park, and the waters surround- (11 kilometers) off Anacapa, Santa Cruz, San

ing these islands make up Channel Islands Miguel, Santa Rosa, and Santa Barbara islands.

National Marine Sanctuary. The eight islands are Santa Catalina Island is the only one of the eight

split among the jurisdictions of three separate islands with a significant permanent civilian

California counties: Santa Barbara County (four), settlement—the resort city of Avalon, California,

Ventura County (two), and Los Angeles County and the unincorporated town of Two Harbors.

(two). The islands are divided into two groups— Natural seepage of oil occurs at several places in

the Northern Channel Islands and the Southern the Santa Barbara Channel. Tar balls or pieces of

Channel Islands. The four Northern Islands used tar in small numbers are found in the kelp and

to be a single landmass known as Santa Rosae. on the beaches. Native Americans used naturally

The archipelago extends for 160 miles (257.51 occurring tar, bitumen, for a variety of purposes

kilometers) between San Miguel Island in the which include roofing, waterproofing, paving

north and San Clemente Island in the south. To- and some ceremonial purposes.

gether, the islands’ land area totals 221,331 acres,

or about 346 square miles (900 km2).