Finding Safe Fun in the Santa Barbara Sun
An Outdoor Activity Guide for All Ages During the Summer of COVID-19
By: Indy Staff | Published June 25, 2020
Over the past couple of decades, the Santa Barbara Independent traditionally published the region’s most extensive Summer Camp guide in the early spring and then our Blue & Green Outdoor Adventure Guide in the early summer. And then came the COVID-19 pandemic, which shut us all indoors for months and remains a worldwide health threat. Most summer camps were canceled, and the extensive adventures we loved to write about weren’t so easy to plan.
But as Santa Barbara slowly opens for business again, we are all wondering how to salvage the summer, especially for our bewildered and cooped-up kids. We felt that it was a good time to share some of our own insight on outdoor activities that seem safe, and some are so socially distant that you can even do them with friends!
The following stories are far from revolutionary, as these are all activities we’ve covered extensively before, from sailing past Stearns Wharf and paddleboarding the harbor to car camping at Lake Cachuma and exploring the Channel Islands. But in our forever-changed world, even simple things like roller skating and surf fishing take on a new shine, so we encourage you to get out and have fun in the summer sun. And then go wash your hands.
Surf Fishing’s Salty Meditation
In Search of Halibut on Santa Barbara’s Seashore with Simple Gear, Easy Access, and Gentle Movements
Surf Fishing’s Salty Meditation
In Search of Halibut on Santa Barbara’s Seashore with Simple Gear, Easy Access, and Gentle Movements
by Matt Kettmann
“Ben and Mike Edwards brave the lapping waters of West Beach in search of halibut. |Credit: Daniel Dreifuss”
There’s a dwindling number of sand lovers on West Beach as the tangerine-hued sunshine dims during a recent weekday afternoon, and even the sailboats look languid, the last few skippers leisurely slipping into the harbor for the night. But on the shore, there’s a steady stream of gentle but focused activity, as Mike Edwards and his 12-year-old son, Ben, smoothly cast their lines into the lapping surf, hoping to land a halibut.
Edwards, who grew up and lives in the house two doors down from me in Goleta, spends most of his days looking at a computer screen as IT director for UC Santa Barbara’s College of Engineering. For years, his primary diversion was riding his mountain bike up Old San Marcos Road, which he still does at an alarming rate, not to mention occasional rides all the way to Solvang.
But he recently reconnected with surf fishing, a hobby introduced to him by his late father four decades ago. “When I was about 30, I got him back into it,” said Edwards, in between casts. That was about 20 years ago. “It took me a pandemic to get me back out here again,” he admitted.
Now Ben is learning the ropes, explaining. “The mornings can be really good because there aren’t a lot of people.” The sport, by design, is socially distant, as fish don’t like tons of people either.
Gear-wise, all you need is a spinning rod (anything around seven feet will do), a line with a six-pound test, and some cheap lures. “That’s the joy of doing this kind of fishing,” said Edwards. “There’s low overhead.”
You can also do it anywhere the sand meets the water, although this stretch of West Beach as well as Sandspit are particularly good for halibut. The day we met up, Edwards had just caught a corvina on the east side of the wharf. Goleta Beach can be great for white sea bass, although the water conditions there are much more variable.
Kids under 16 don’t need a fishing license, but there are risks. Ben once stepped on a bat ray, and had the stringer not gone straight into his shoe, the pain may have kept him out of the water for a while. Remember to shuffle your feet when in sandy water, no matter what you are up to. “If you look down the beach, you’ll see silvery fish just getting airborne,” Edwards explained of the good omen. This was not his day, but like fishermen everywhere, he’s always got the memories, assuring me, “I’ve caught some big halibut over the years.”
Sailing Away from Santa Barbara Harbor in a Pandemic
Sailing Offers a Socially Distanced Option for Summer Recreation
Sailing Away from Santa Barbara Harbor in a Pandemic
Sailing Offers a Socially Distanced Option for Summer Recreation
by Charles Donelan
The author escapes pandemic life by sailing the Santa Barbara coast. | Credit: Daniel Dreifuss
When it comes to socializing in a small group of three to five people, few outdoor activities can compare to sailing. Santa Barbara has one of the world’s greatest playgrounds for this activity just outside its beautiful harbor, and even a small sloop such as the popular Catalina Capri provides ample room for safe and secure interaction with or without masks. A group of three people seated several feet apart can count on the breeze not only to power their journey but also to sweep the air around them clear of most of the airborne droplets released by normal conversation. It’s an ideal way to embrace again the sense of freedom that comes with unimpeded natural movement.
Mask up for the trip from the harbor parking lot to your point of embarkation, and bring some disinfectant wipes if the boat you plan to use is one that’s available to other sailors. Keep a sharp lookout as you navigate the channels that lead from the inner harbor to its mouth between Sandspit and Stearns Wharf, as the traffic, especially on weekends, can be significant. Kayaks and paddleboards share the lanes with all manner of craft, from glamorous cruising yachts to venerable fishing boats, sleek racing dinghies, and even Little Toot, the harbor’s bright yellow water taxi. Red and green channel buoys flank the deepest part of the harbor where it’s safe to maneuver without risking an inadvertent scrape on the bottom.
Emerging from the harbor most often means encountering a freshening breeze out of the north northwest. Head up to close-hauled when you see the familiar red and white harbor buoy and begin tacking back and forth to windward. This course offers the day sailor his or her safest bet for a carefree experience. While crewmembers gawk, wave, and whistle at the sea lions lounging on the base of the buoy, you’ll be feeling the confidence that comes with recognizing and using the region’s aids to navigation. Awareness of approximately where you are, how fast you are traveling, and what will be involved in returning to the harbor at any moment are the fundamentals of a satisfying sail, and a good skipper, no matter how close the shore may appear or how much fun everyone on board is having, will never lose these crucial threads.
The coast curves outward into the channel as you pass Leadbetter Beach, and you will begin to notice that your time on port tack grows shorter before you reach the shallows and head back out into open water. Don’t be surprised by how quickly you find yourself quite far offshore on the return trip. Thanks to the angle of the coastline, a straight shot downwind will not take you back to the breakwater. In fact, the downwind return trip often requires a little more patience than the upwind journey out, as finding the right series of broad reaches to lay the harbor efficiently can be a challenge to even the experienced helmsman. But don’t forget to enjoy it too! As you head home, the day will open out before you like a giant jewel, the blue of the sea merging with the sky into a single cerulean celebration of your decision to sail away.
Paddle into Summer
Stand-Up Paddleboarding Is Active, Relaxing Way to See Santa Barbara from the WaterIt
Paddle into Summer
Stand-Up Paddleboarding Is Active, Relaxing Way to See Santa Barbara from the WaterIt
by Brian Osgood
The Sailing Center’s Paddle Club makes borrowing boards easy. | Credit: Kevin Steele / Courtesy / Santa Barbara Sailing Center
The beauty of Santa Barbara, and its blending of the mountains and the ocean, is best seen from the water. Last Wednesday afternoon, I took out a stand-up paddleboard, or SUP, from the Santa Barbara Sailing Center and made my way down the canals of the Santa Barbara Harbor. I cruised past the bustling crowds at Brophy Brothers, the quaint houseboats and rugged fleet used by our commercial fishermen, and the crusty dredge that withdraws and deposits sand into the harbor’s channel. Tracing the channel that lines the breakwater, I eventually pass Sandspit and unlock my favorite view of the city, one that showcases famous landmarks while capturing our Mediterranean style.
I’ve spent countless hours exploring Santa Barbara’s coast via paddleboard, but the views never get old. During my time at SBCC, I was a paddleboarding guide and kids’ camp instructor with the Sailing Center. For beginners, learning how to stay balanced can take time, but the harbor is just as fun to explore as you learn. It’s also a great activity for kids, physical enough to keep them busy but low-key enough for them to socialize with their friends.
With explosive growth over the past decade, paddleboarding is now a very popular recreational activity. On any given day, you can see people sticking out of the ocean and cruising along the coasts at spots like Devereux, Leadbetter, and Butterfly Beach. While it is possible to surf with paddleboards, they are large, bulky, and can pose a danger to surfers and others in the water if they get out of control. Those wishing to try should make sure that they’re doing so responsibly, and only if they’ve become highly comfortable on the board.
Several locations rent paddleboards in the Santa Barbara Harbor, an ideal spot for beginners, so long as you stay out of the middle of the channel and are mindful of traffic. The S.B. Sailing Center ([805] 962-2826; sbsail.com), Paddle Sports Center ([805] 617-3425; paddlesportsca.com), and the nearby Cal Coast Adventures ([805] 628-2444; calcoastadventures.com) at West Beach all rent paddleboards. There’s also a Paddle Sports Center at Goleta Beach. The Sailing Center is offering memberships for a “Paddle Club,” which allows boards to be borrowed at any time.
“This is a great way to get some exercise and get out on the water,” said the Sailing Center’s Arianna Kamp. “There’s really no better place to be in Santa Barbara than out on the ocean.”
No TVs, No Computers on Santa Cruz Island
A Day Trip Is the Perfect Return to Nature After Coronavirus Closures
No TVs, No Computers on Santa Cruz Island
A Day Trip Is the Perfect Return to Nature After Coronavirus Closures
by Tyler Hayden
Views and wildlife provide natural nourishment on Santa Cruz Island. | Credit: Matt Kettmann
For the previously housebound, especially those oversaturated by screen time, a day trip to Santa Cruz Island is the perfect slap-of-fresh-air reminder that there’s still a big, beautiful world out there begging to be explored.
On a recent Thursday, Ventura’s Island Packers ― now back in service after a three-month coronavirus closure ― ferried a group of mainlanders across a glassy Santa Barbara Channel. The crew took all the proper health precautions, asking everyone to wear their face masks and making sure we sat as far apart as possible. Hand sanitizer was readily available. The strangeness of the times was quickly forgotten as, clutching cups of warm coffee, we pointed and whooped at a pod of dolphins chasing our bow and surfing our wake.
We soon docked at Prisoner’s Harbor, where history abounds. We stood where the Chumash village of Xaxas lived and breathed for 3,000 years. Inhabitants gathered acorns and cherries while hunters plied the channel in redwood tomols. We also heard how the place got its Anglo name. (It’s a fascinating story, involving 80 shackled men from an Acapulco penal colony, but you’ll have to head there to get all the details.) A big-bodied raven landed nearby. Seals poked their heads up from the shallows.
Visitors are permitted to explore at their leisure, a National Park Service ranger told us, provided they stay on public property and respect the protected land. We opted for the five-mile, there-and-back trail to Pelican Bay. Along the way, we took in the pretty but lonely vistas that only islands can offer, stopping every so often to appreciate bunches of bush poppies and island paint brush. On two occasions, bold and curious island foxes trotted from behind manzanita bushes to check us out. They squinted and we smiled before we parted ways.
The hike itself wasn’t easy but certainly not too difficult either, the perfect workout for sedentary legs suddenly put to use again. Even though the weather was cool, we were happy we brought lots of water. There are no drinking fountains on Santa Cruz. We ate our packed lunches on a bare outcrop overlooking the bay, listening to the ocean crash into sea caves and shore birds cackle somewhere out of sight. Way in the distance, whale spouts misted the horizon.
The walk back to the boat was a little less enjoyable, only because it meant we were going home. We could have easily spent another day or two on the island. And maybe next time we will; Island Packers offers drop-offs and pickups for backpacking trips. A few of us bought beers while we motored north. Others napped. But we all quickly jumped to our feet when another dolphin pod came splashing toward us. Their gray backs glistened as they jumped through the air and their white underbellies flashed as they played and turned just below the surface.
Once inside Ventura Harbor, we decided we didn’t want the day to end, so we walked down to Andria’s Seafood, where I wolfed down a charbroiled halibut cooked Cajun style. As a Santa Barbaran, I envied the casual, homespun atmosphere and delicious local fare served right on the water. Somehow, we don’t have enough of that.
Just down the way, the Ultimate Escape Rooms tempted us, but it was getting late. Next time, we promised ourselves. Though The Wizard’s Lair and The Attic themes looked tempting, I’m most intrigued by the Mermaid’s Curse.
Camping During COVID
Two Nights at Lake Cachuma Is Balm for Stressed Psyche
Camping During COVID
Two Nights at Lake Cachuma Is Balm for Stressed Psyche
by Michelle Drown
Camping Cachuma | Credit: Michelle Drown
As soon as I read the email notification, I hopped on Lake Cachuma’s website and reserved a camping site. It was late May and the Santa Barbara County park announced it would begin accepting reservations for its opening June 1. After months of not going more than a few miles from home, the possibility of spending two nights in the Santa Ynez Valley made me giddy with anticipation.
My partner and I are campers and have made several week-long trips northward, pitching our tent at state parks from Santa Cruz to Arcata. We’ve even traveled to the Grand Canyon and throughout Utah, and yet we had never spent the weekend at Lake Cachuma. We tended to dismiss it as a destination because it is so close to home.
But the pandemic has changed our perspectives of most things. Suddenly, driving over the mountains to spend a weekend on our own patch of nature — replete with a fire pit, picnic table, and oak trees — felt like an adventure. We splurged and reserved a large, lake-front spot.
Our camping sleep situation has always been a tent, but for this trip we were going in style. During lockdown, my partner had spent hours modifying his tool trailer to double as an “camper.” He affixed solar panels to the roof for electricity, put insulation between the aluminum shell and the particle board interior, and put LED lights around the ceiling, among other cozy details.
On Friday, June 5, after work we loaded up the trailer with our camping gear, filled the truck bed with firewood, and began the 40-minute drive to Lake Cachuma. The wind was whipping off the lake at a speed that made it impossible to keep the flame in our camp stove lit. We cooked our hot dogs on the firepit grill instead. Night fell and we sat in front of our flickering fire, the sounds of crickets, tree leaves rustling, and the distant conversation of other campers floating into our ears. As the wind grew fierce outside, we withdrew to our trailer where we slept in comfort.
The next day was a perfect lazy Saturday. I took a long walk around the grounds and checked out the camp store. Although the playground and swimming pool were closed and physical distancing and mask-wearing was required in the bathroom and store, I felt far from the ceaseless COVID-19 worries. Being outdoors for two days, we found the wide-open space, the sound of the lake lapping on the shore, and even the unrelenting wind to be balms that soothed our stressed psyches as only nature can.
See sbparks.org.
Kayaking the Goleta Coast with Kids
Santa Barbara Adventure Company’s Tour Off Haskell’s Beach Is Great Intro to Paddling
Kayaking the Goleta Coast with Kids
Santa Barbara Adventure Company’s Tour Off Haskell’s Beach Is Great Intro to Paddling
by Matt Kettmann
Last week’s Haskell’s Beach tour included S.B. Adventure company owner Michael Cohen (far left), his son Blake, and three more tandem kayak crews. | Credit: Kyle Fischler / S.B. Adventure Company
The idea was a mellow day on the ocean, checking out birds, sea life, and coastal views while paddling kayaks in the languid waters off of Haskell’s Beach, with the green lawns of Sandpiper Golf Course and architectural elegance of the Bacara resort adding some development spice. But there was a slight swell last Friday morning, so when my friends Sarah and Owen, who is 10, embarked as our group’s first explorers, those of us on shore watched slightly slack-jawed as their boat nearly flipped in back-to-back waves.
“Whoa,” I said with a chuckle, as they paddled toward calmer outside waters. “I thought our first boat was gonna be a disaster.”
Of course, nothing too disastrous can really happen in waist-high water, aside from getting wet. And such is the joy of kayaking, the safest, sanest way to experience the sea in up-close-and-personal ways — and, with the tandem option, certainly the best way to introduce kids to the water. It’s particularly bulletproof when taking a tour with the Santa Barbara Adventure Company, one of the region’s oldest and most established outfitters.
I met SBACo’s owner, Michael Cohen, soon after he’d started his company almost 20 years ago, when I paddled with a group from Gaviota to Refugio state beaches. That launched both a friendship with Cohen and a personal confidence in kayaking. I’m nowhere near an expert, but I’ve done numerous sea cave tours at the Channel Islands, even once paddling a dozen miles or so from Santa Cruz Island to Anacapa (a story I’ve told possibly 500 times, whenever kayaking or with a clear view of the that gap), and have been occasionally called on by Cohen to help out when nearby newbies get sideways. I’m not the boldest waterman — no desire to scuba, for instance — but kayaking is calming to me.
The morning started out normal, albeit with our group of nine — including three adults and three kids plus Cohen, his son, Blake, and our guide, Kyle Fischler — all wearing masks during the brief lesson. Our boys tested fate by saying they wanted to see a killer whale and shark. The adults stuck to less jinx-y things, like big fish and bugs on kelp. Once we hit the water, masks came off, and we watched Sarah and Owen survive.
Better-timed launches were easier for the rest of us. My son quickly spotted a Mylar balloon, so we snatched it up before another dolphin died. Cohen talked about how he’s kept his businesses, which includes Channel Islands Adventure Company, afloat during this bizarre time. He started running tours again in early June, but the past weekend’s island trips were blown out by wind. “We finally get to open,” he explained with a what-can-you-do smirk, “and then we have to deal with all the normal things that make this a tough business.”
Soon we were talking about how fast kelp grows, that the spots on the leaves are actually little apartment complexes for mini-beasts, and how good the fresh tendrils taste, which was only a mild exaggeration. We paddled to “Bird Island,” those pylons where cormorants build their guano-plant nests, and spotted chicks poking out of the poop. Recently, some cormorants had been hopping into kayaks, and Fischler wondered whether they were saved from the Refugio oil spill and had fond memories of human helpers. He also showed us the cactus patch that connects to the Japanese attack on Ellwood during World War II, which may have been more revenge against prickly pears than military strategy.
As we paddled upcurrent toward the oil pier, Cohen started a little competition, in which we had to secretly stash tiny “bad breath” and “body odor” balls — really just his dog’s toys — in each other’s kayaks. The kids loved the tag-like game, while the adults tried mainly to keep the boats right-side up. At the pier, we ogled at the variety of shellfish and listened to the powerful calls of a great-tailed grackle while plotting later trips up the coast toward the Naples reef.
The waves were holding steady when it was time to land. My son and I managed to ride one in most of the way, until we got crooked and I told him to leap out at the last second. It was a flash of exciting adventure in an otherwise educational outing. As Fischler chased down our boat, we stood right up in knee-high water. My hat wasn’t even wet.
See sbadventureco.com.
Roller Skating Resurrects ’90s-Baby Fantasies
Millennials Find Four-Wheeled Freedom, from the Kitchen Island to the Next Reggie Rocket
Roller Skating Resurrects ’90s-Baby Fantasies
Millennials Find Four-Wheeled Freedom, from the Kitchen Island to the Next Reggie Rocket
by Ricky Barajas & Celina Garcia
The authors explore four-wheeled freedom. | Credit: Elio Cruz
When I think of roller skating, I see warm summer nights and hear music. Whether you’re stuck to a tile hallway in your apartment or cruising down the street without a care in the world, roller skating is good fun and a great workout. Just make sure you wear your helmet!
I spent a huge amount of time as a child racing around my neighborhood on rollerblades. I loved going as fast as I could, and at one point, my stubborn self decided to try skating with my hands and my feet. After sliding down the driveway face first, I never tried that again, but it couldn’t dampen my love for gliding through the street. I considered myself to be somewhat of an expert at skating, but that was only on blades.
From the moment that I saw Roll Bounce, I wanted to groove on the quads too. After being cooped up from quarantining and seeing one too many TikToks about roller skating, I bought a pair and set out to teach myself how to use them, with the end goal of being able to skate backward as well as forward. Next mission was to find a crew to skate with, so when Celina asked if I wanted to join a socially distant skate sesh, I was ecstatic. —Ricky Barajas
When I first told Ricky I was interested in roller skating, I didn’t mention how, up until that point, my only experience was white-knuckling the curved edges of my kitchen island before breaking one of my mom’s potted plants. I’ve never been gifted in the athletic department, but what I lack in skill and agility I make up for in not taking myself too seriously if I’m not fantastic at something from the get-go.
I’ve always imagined roller skating as something another me does to pass the time in some kind of alternate universe. Now, quarantine isn’t exactly what I envisioned, but it seems just as good a time as any to chip away at something I have no excuses not to try.
This past Saturday, Ricky; his partner, Elio; and I made plans to meet up and get our skate on in an empty parking lot. Cabrillo Boulevard sounded too ambitious for my amateur status, but once I grow out of my signature Gollum-like physicality — soon, hopefully! — I’ll be just one step closer to fulfilling my ’90s-baby fantasy and being the next Reggie Rocket. Y’all should join us next time! – Celina Garcia
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