Portuguese Rock, Anacapa, Northern Channel Islands

Playful Sea Lions, 45 ft of water.

When currents plague the south side of Anacapa, Portuguese Rock offers some protection. Located at the end of a reserve on the north west of west Anacapa island, Portuguese rock offers shallow kelp diving with some sea lions and garibaldi to keep you company. There are also several caves in the shallow water that house horn sharks and lobsters. Look for bat rays sailing by at this site.

The adventurous diver can swim out into the sand. At about 50ft, the sand becomes covered with brittle stars. The photography here is beautiful. Someone once found a fringehead living in a shell here. On the way out to the sand, I passed a large rock that was home to a treefish and a moray eel. We kelp the moray company for quite a while, and several times a sea lions would come up right behind me to see what I was checking out. 

Treefish, 40ft of water.