Carrington Point

Carrington Point is the rocky headland that forms the northeast corner of Santa Rosa Island, a long extension of cliff and reef that runs out from the main shoreline. The dive site wraps the headland and the offshore reef that extends from it, with depths from fifteen feet on the shallow shelf to sixty in the sand channels between rock fingers. Carrington carries less charter traffic than the back side of Santa Rosa because the northwest weather makes the position rough on most days, but the reserve protection and the rich reef have kept the fish life abundant and the site rewarding on the days the weather cooperates.

The site sits in the lee of the prevailing wind only briefly, on the few days when the weather settles enough for charter boats to round Brockway Point. The northeast position catches the Channel Islands current and the upwelling that follows it, and the cold, nutrient-rich water feeds the kelp and the dense fish life inside the reserve. CDFW lists kelp forests, eelgrass beds, and rocky intertidal as the protected habitats inside the reserve, and a single dive crosses all three.

Giant kelp anchored on the rocky reef around the headland and growing up through the water column to the surface makes Carrington Point a kelp forest biome. A rocky reef biome runs between the kelp patches, across the cliff base and the offshore rock fingers. A sandy flats biome fills the sand channels between the rock fingers, where the dive reaches its greatest depth at 60 feet. The seagrass biome is the eelgrass that holds in the calmer pockets on sand at the base of the headland.

Access is boat only. Charter dive boats run to Carrington Point from Santa Barbara and Ventura, with the crossing from Santa Barbara about three hours. The northeast position catches the prevailing northwest wind on most days, and the dive is typically a calm-day pick rather than a routine stop. Currents around the headland are moderate on a tide change, and the deeper reef on the seaward side is more sensitive to swell.

Fishing and spearfishing are not legal here. The Carrington Point State Marine Reserve covers the headland, the surrounding reef, and the offshore waters out to the matching federal reserve. All take inside the reserve has been prohibited since the 2003 designation. Standard California recreational rules apply only outside the reserve boundary box, which the dive site falls well inside.