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If you want to dive in the Tajiguas kelp forest, you gotta hump that tank.
-By Brandon D. Cole
Just 15 minutes north of Santa Barbara's celebrity-studded beaches, we stopped by the road and I stared out at a thick amber snarl of giant weeds adrift offshore. This kelp bed in the string of reefs known as Tajiguas has long been considered one of the best shore dives in Santa Barbara County. And all that stood between the kelp bed and me was a scree-covered cliff, a curving goat path, a challenging surf entry and a healthy hundred-yard kick.
"Down that? And out to there?" I asked incredulously, as Jim, my local dive buddy, began unloading gear.
"It's not as bad as it looks, and it's worth it," he assured me - more than once - as we followed the little trail, carefully wending our way down the slope like ersatz dive sherpas. It was a relief to wade into the cool Pacific, where on hands and knees we traversed the surf zone's shifting cobblestones and tumbling waves.
Dodging tangles of kelp during our surface swim, Jim explained how this "challenging, off-the-beaten-path" entry keeps the number of visitors down to a hardy few, and that I would be impressed by the abundance of marine life.
He wasn't kidding. We sank beneath the canopy and began our tour through a gently swaying forest. Scintillating rays of sunlight lanced through the kelp's cathedral ceiling, illuminating schools of small kelp perch and kelp bass, and the colorful reef 20 feet below.
The forest floor is a series of rocky ledges swathed in bright red club-tipped (a.k.a. strawberry) anemones and tufts of coralline algae. Atop these painted boulders sit black and yellow rockfish and the occasional lingcod. The hairy legs of brittle stars in rainbow hues protrude from underneath rocks and kelp holdfasts, and you'll find an assortment of eye-catching nudibranchs - like ringed dorids, pugnacious aeolids and strikingly beautiful Spanish shawl nudibranchs - crawling across the sponges.
Take a flashlight to peer underneath the overhangs where you'll find reclusive California spiny lobsters or an occasional napping swell shark. Another 50 yards farther out, in a valley created by a circle of boulders and kelp, a bed of red, brown and golden gorgonians grows in 35 feet of water. Scattered among their stalks are sea urchins, starfish, spotted rose anemones, and countless gobies and greenlings.
Swimming along a sand channel on our way back toward shore, we were escorted by a bat ray that emerged from the kelp forest to our left. Like a stealth fighter, the ray swooped low over the bottom and closed to within 10 feet of us before banking up, dipping his wing in salute, and soaring gracefully back into the forest.
On the way back up the "challenging, off-the-beaten-path" trail, we stopped for a much-needed breather. Turning to look back at the kelp tangle below, I let great gulps of air fill my lungs and memories of the dive play through my mind.
"Great dive, Jim," I managed between huffs and puffs. "Great dive."
Location
Take Hwy. 101 north from Santa Barbara and through Goleta. Four miles north of the Refugio State Beach exit, use the middle turn lane to U-turn back onto southbound 101. Pull off the highway immediately and park on the dirt shoulder on the ocean side. Gear up, follow the path leading into the trees, and work your way down to and across the railroad tracks. Continue the descent down and to the right; the kelp bed lies directly ahead of you.
Because of the hike, the surf entry and the swim out to the kelp, only experienced divers in extremely good physical condition should attempt this strenuous dive. There are no facilities and only limited roadside parking.
Water Temperature
58F in winter and 65F in the summer.
Profile
Visibility averages 15 feet but peaks at 30 feet on calm summer and fall mornings. A strong incoming swell, possible at any time of the year, can reduce visibility to less than 10 feet and make the surf entry difficult if not dangerous. Maximum depth is 45 feet.
Operators
Marine biologist Brandon D. Cole is a freelance underwater photographer.
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