Channel Islands, California
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242 ¢ U.S. Coast Pilot 7, Chapter 5 Chapter 7, Pilot Coast U.S. 120° S 119° A N T Port Hueneme A B S A E A R G N E B A G A S T A R S A S A A S San Miguel Island P C A C R Santa Cruz Island P H L U A Point Dume E A N 34° Z U P N G A C Anacapa Island E I C L M Santa Rosa Island H A A N N N A A SANTA MONICA N 18729 Los Angeles S E BAY L 18728 18727 SANTA MONICA BASIN 18744 SANTA CRUZ BASIN S A N P E D R O C H A N N E L 18756 Santa Barbara Island Santa Catalina Island NORTH PACIFIC OCEAN Avalon 18757 San Nicolas Island R S A N T A O U T E B A R B A R A P A S S A G E 18755 18763 33° SAN NICOLAS BASIN San Clemente Island 18764 Chart Coverage in Coast Pilot 7—Chapter 5 19 SEP2021 NOAA’s Online Interactive Chart Catalog has complete chart coverage 18762 http://www.charts.noaa.gov/InteractiveCatalog/nrnc.shtml 19 SEP 2021 U.S. Coast Pilot 7, Chapter 5 ¢ 243 Channel Islands, California (1) This chapter describes the eight Channel Islands the northern Channel Islands and Santa Barbara Island. that extend for 130 miles in a northwest direction off the The sanctuary encompasses the waters within six nautical coast of southern California from San Diego to Point miles of Santa Barbara Island and the northern Channel Conception. They include the four islands of the southern Islands (Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa and San group: San Clemente, Santa Catalina, San Nicolas and Miguel Islands), including Castle and Richardson Rocks. Santa Barbara; and the four islands of the northern group Visitor use is encouraged for boating, diving, snorkeling, also referred to as the Santa Barbara Islands: Anacapa, fishing, swimming, kayaking and wildlife viewing. (See Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa and San Miguel. Also described 15 CFR 922.70 through 922.74, chapter 2, for limits and are the passages and channels between these islands regulations.) including Outer Santa Barbara Channel, San Pedro (11) Channel, Anacapa Passage, Santa Cruz Channel, San Area to be Avoided, Channel Islands Miguel Passage, Santa Barbara Passage and Avalon Bay (12) The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has on the southeast side of Santa Cataline Island, the most adopted the waters surrounding the Channel Islands as active harbor in the area, as well as many smaller harbors areas to be avoided. In order to avoid risk of pollution and landings. in the area designated as the Channel Islands National (2) Marine Sanctuary, all ships, except those bound to and COLREGS Demarcation Lines from ports on one of the islands within the area, engaged (3) The lines established for this part of the coast are in the trade of carrying hazardous cargo, including but described in 33 CFR 80.1102, chapter 2. not limited to tankers and other bulk carriers and barges, (4) should avoid the areas in the region of San Miguel, Santa Blue, fin and humpback whales Rosa, Santa Cruz and Anacapa Islands bounded by a line (5) All whales are protected under the Marine Mammal connecting the following points: Protection Act (MMPA) and, when in Sanctuary waters, (13) 33°58.7'N., 119°12.8'W. under the National Marine Sanctuaries Act (NMSA). (14) 33°54.0'N., 119°17.0'W. Certain large whales, including blue, fin and humpback (15) 33°46.3'N., 120°07.8'W. whales, are also listed as endangered under the Endangered (16) 33°59.0'N., 120°39.5'W. Species Act (ESA). See chapter 3 for more information. (17) 34°10.4'N., 120°39.5'W. (18) 34°14.0'N., 120°31.3'W. (6) (19) 34°10.0'N., 119°56.4'W. ENC - US2WC05M (20) 34°01.4'N., 119°18.6'W., and the area surrounding Chart - 18022 Santa Barbara Island contained within a circle of radius 7.5 nautical miles, centered on the following point: (7) San Clemente, San Nicholas and San Miguel Islands (21) 33°28.6'N., 119°02.2'W. are military reservations and, except for San Miguel (22) Island, off limits to the public. Local magnetic disturbance (8) Santa Barbara, Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa (23) Differences of 4° or more from the normal magnetic and San Miguel Islands form Channel Islands National variation have been observed within a radius of 8 miles Park. The park was created in 1980 to protect the of Sixtymile Bank. extensive flora and fauna of the islands. The park is under the supervision of the National Park Service, Department (24) of the Interior. ENC - US3CA70M (9) In the approach from the south, several banks Chart - 18740 are encountered before reaching the Channel Islands. Sixtymile Bank, 62 miles south-southwest of Point (25) Bishop Rock, in about 32°27'N., 119°08'W. and Loma (32°39.9'N., 117°14.5'W.), has a least depth of 53 which the clipper ship BISHOP struck in 1855, is awash fathoms over it. and marked by a lighted bell buoy. The rock, about 40 miles (10) Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary southwest of San Clemente Island, is the farthest outlying has been established to protect and preserve the natural, danger along the coast. A wreck, covered ½ fathom and cultural and historical resources in the waters surrounding about 0.1 mile southeast of the rock, is the shallowest 244 ¢ U.S. Coast Pilot 7, Chapter 5 19 SEP 2021 point on Cortes Bank. The currents are largely nontidal VHF-FM channel 16. (See 33 CFR 165.1131, 165.1141, in character; velocities between 1 and 2 knots have been 334.920, 334.921, 334.950, 334.960 and 334.961, chapter measured. These currents cause considerable swell, and 2, for limits and regulations.) Regulation violations of the even in moderate weather the sea usually breaks at this safety and security zones may carry fines up to $40,000 rock. and criminal Class C or D felony violations. (26) The area for about 2.5 miles east-southeast of Bishop (32) Rock should be avoided because of the broken bottom. Local magnetic disturbance Deep-draft vessels should also avoid a 9-fathom spot (33) Differences of as much as 5° from normal variation 5 miles west-northwest of the rock where the bottom have been observed up to 3 miles offshore along the is extremely broken, although no breakers have been north, east and south coasts of the island. reported. (34) The top of the island appears as a tableland from (27) Tanner Bank covers an area about 12 miles long in a distance. A prominent white radar dome (32°53.1'N., a west-northwest direction and about 5 miles wide. The 118°27.0'W.), on the highest part of the island, is visible least survey depth over it is 9 fathoms. The northwest end from both the east and west sides of the island. of the bank is about 28 miles southeast of San Nicolas (35) The northeast side of the island is bold, with rocky Island. cliffs. The water is generally deep close inshore, and kelp (28) A bank covered 45 to 70 fathoms is 18 miles grows close to the beach. On this side of the island a northwest of Tanner Bank. The bank extends 9 miles in a prominent white rock is close inshore, 6 miles northwest northwest-southeast direction and has an average width of Pyramid Head. On the beach behind this rock is a of 2 miles. The bottom is hard with fine gray sand and freshwater spring, the only one available during the dry shells. The bank is fished extensively during the winter. season. (29) (36) The southwest side of the island is more irregular, ENC - US5CA78M but it is lower and has more gentle slopes. Here the kelp Chart - 18762 extends several hundred yards offshore, and generally to or beyond the 10-fathom curve. Rocks are numerous close inshore and inside the kelp, but outside the kelp line, (30) San Clemente Island is 43 nautical miles south- southwest of Point Fermin and 57 nautical miles west- the bottom slope is more gradual than on the other side of northwest of Point Loma. The island is oriented in a the island, and there are many places where vessels might northwest direction and is 21 miles long and 4 miles wide anchor safely in the lee of the island during the northeast at the widest part and reaches an elevation of 1,965 feet. storms, known as the Santa Anas. Since 1934, the island has been owned and operated by (37) Seal Cove, on the southwest side of the island various naval commands. More than a dozen range and midway between the two ends, affords a boat landing operational areas are clustered within a 60-mile radius and indifferent anchorage for small craft in northwest of the island. The island is closed to the public, and the weather. waters around the island may be restricted at any time to (38) Outer Santa Barbara Passage lies between San non-military users. Vessels including yachts and fishing Clemente and Santa Catalina Islands. craft are warned that these waters may be dangerous (39) at any time due to naval activities, including gunfire, ENC - US5CA79M bombing and rocket fire. Non-military users wishing to Chart - 18764 navigate through these waters should refer to scisland.