Island Packers – Whale Watching – March 26, 2018 – Oxnard, CA.

The Island Packers boat is very conveniently located at the Channel Island Harbor near the two restaurants that I visited the night before. It was a windy day and I originally wanted to go in the morning. The publicist for my trip, Janis Flippen, suggested that I go in the morning before the winds picked up. When I went to get my ticket they told me it would be very rough waters, like a washing machine. My guest opted not to go on this 3.5-hour trip. Well of course I was a bit nervous, but as a child I had my share of getting seasick being on fishing boats with my father, so I knew exactly what I was in for. We left the dock at 9:30 am with peaceful, easy, waters in the marina. Once we got out to sea we were tossed like around with severe water conditions. They told us many times before we took off of how to handle ourselves if we got sick. If you ask me, the power of suggestion probably got the best of many of the guests, but not me. I remember my father telling me always stay on deck, in the open air and keep your eyes focused on the horizon. I didn’t take any medicine and was a bit dizzy for a few minutes but my mind was not going to let this matter get me sick.

You get to see the oil platforms up close as well. We cruised by platform Gail, which is the tallest of all of the platforms in this area. Its very interesting stuff to see them super close.

By the time we got near the Santa Cruz Mountains, which are part of the Channel Islands, we had heard of many whale sighting’s the day before, but sadly we saw none. Many people’s faces were either sullen or gloomy from not seeing any sea life, or outright green from sickness.

I always see a silver lining, so for me just to be able to get so close to the Channel Islands was enough of an adventure. The Anacapa Island was so majestic and beautiful. We had a bird’s eye view of the lighthouse and the incredible rock formations.

On the way back, the boat did a sudden turn and one of the deck hands told me that they had spotted a whale. Finally we got our watch on!!

Everyone got to the bow of the boat, and surprisingly the water got calm, so we saw a dorsal fin whale dive back into the water. We all silently waited until the whale came back up so we could see their blowhole and get a better glimpse of this huge creature. What an astounding moment. Every minute of being on this boat was worth it.

I highly recommend going on this half-day adventure. Make sure you watch the weather and go on a day that is so not so rough, you will be happy you read my review and did your research.

About Channel Islands:

Channel Islands National Park is a United States national park that consists of five of the eight Channel Islands off the coast of the U.S. state of California, in the Pacific Ocean.

The Channel Islands itself attracts around 70,000 tourists a year, mostly during the summer. Visitors can travel to the islands via public boat or airplane transportation. Camping grounds are available on Anacapa, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, San Miguel, and Santa Barbara Islands in the Channel Islands National Park. Attractions include whale watching, hikes, snorkeling, kayaking, and camping.

Whale watching is only from December 26th to mid-April, so there is still time to book your trip. I would highly recommend doing this great adventure. These majestic creatures are one of world’s greatest wonders, it is the most magical thing you will ever see.

http://islandpackers.com/
(805) 642-1393

 

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