Santa Barbara Channel

The Santa Barbara Channel is part of Santa Barbara and the Channel Islands, California. The channel separates mainland California from the northern section of the Channel Islands. The channel itself is part of the Pacific Ocean. The exact location of the channel is south of Santa Barbara City and west of Ventura City.

The channel runs east west for 70 nautical miles and averages about 24 nautical miles in width. The narrowest section is near Anacapa Island at 11 nautical miles in width. Santa Barbara Channel is a scenic haven for those who wish to see the islands from the mainland. Boat excursions tour the channel for whales, seals, dolphin, and other sea life. The channel is also used by cargo ships and tankers. There is a major shipping lane to help companies reach Los Angeles and Long Beach.

The Channel is also a part of a few reserves like Ellwood, Summerland, Dos Cuadras Fields, and Carpinteria Offshore. Dos Cuadras was a site of an oil spill in 1969. This sparked the public to ask for environmental protection to cover hundreds of square miles of the channel in order to prevent such a disaster from occurring again.