Page 52 On a clear day the four offshore islands can be seen from land. They are San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, and Anacapa, and they are the northern chain of the Channel Islands. Each island has its own unique personality, history, and diverse ecology. San Miguel, low-lying and windswept, sticks its nose out into the open ocean farther than the other three, and receives the brunt of the weather. It is wild, and the seas around it are rough, but the diver willing to endure the pounding ride is often rewarded with clear water and rich harvesting areas. The Spanish explorer Juan Cabrillo died on San Miguel, but the exact location of his grave has remained a mystery. A monument to the adventurer overlooks Culyer Harbor. Three miles east from the Sandspit at San Miguel is Talcott Shoals, by far the most popular dive area on the whole of Santa Rosa Island. The diving at Santa Rosa can be pristine, but murky conditions are common, and visibility sometimes suffers. Talcott, and Johnsons Lee, on the backside of the island, are known for treacherous currents. Unfortunate divers who have become disconnected from their hose have been swept far away from their boats, some lost forever. The stretch between the east end of Santa Rosa and the west end of Santa Cruz is called the Potato Patch. Prevailing northwesterly winds blow hard here and meet the high cliffs of Santa Cruz, making for an unfriendly sea. Looking out the window on a dark night, seeing a large white buffalo approaching, and bracing for the shock, can be a frightening experience. The Potato Patch has claimed its fair share of boats. Santa Cruz, the largest of the four islands, has some of the mildest waters. Its many coves and beautiful anchorages make it a favorite destination for recreational boaters and lobster divers. Mountains rise to over 2000 feet. High cliffs climb dramatically from the sea, and hidden coves provide safe haven for both commercial and sport boats. The island is not known for its beaches, but it has several, and well-acquainted visitors know where to find the delightful stretches of pristine sand. It also has more sea caves than any island in the world, some burrowing over 1000 feet into the cavernous rock. Anacapa, the smallest of the four islands, and closest to land (ten miles from the Channel Islands Harbor at Oxnard), has some of the most beautiful diving on the entire California coast, though most of it is closed to commercial harvest. Steep cliffs and rapid drop-offs into deep water add to the beauty of this island and, because it is close to shore, it is a popular and accessible sport-diving area.

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