Tallulah Bates '25
In the cool month of October, over twenty members of the Cate Community ventured across the channel to the grey pebble shores of Santa Cruz Island. At 96 square miles in area, it is the largest of the Channel Islands and steeped in rich agricultural and natural history.
The island is frequented by ocean-dwelling megafauna, including great white sharks, blue whales, humpback whales, orcas, and over twenty different species of dolphin. Furthermore, Santa Cruz is home to over 100 endemic species of animals and plants, including the island scrub-jay and island foxes.
At the dawn of their voyage over the waves, Cate students and faculty witnessed multiple pods of common dolphins, reaching from some five to ten thousand members. “Their innate intelligence is manifested in their ability to have fun”, the captain remarked. Indeed, they are among the most intelligent beings on the planet. Soon, the cliffs of Santa Cruz rose before the ferry, accompanied by seabirds flitting in and out of their homes embedded in the rock.
Upon docking, the students and faculty who were staying overnight continued up the rocky paths about two miles inland to the campground, while the day-trippers changed into wetsuits to sea-kayak and snorkel along the shoreline. In bright blue kayaks, they paddled in and out of caverns and attempted to skillfully manoeuvre their way through the long arms of kelp. The water was impossibly clear that one could even spot the fiery-scaled Garibaldi fish swimming in the depths below. Once returned to shore, some students went snorkelling while others read about the history of the island.
Maritime explorer Juan Roodríguez Cabrillo first observed the island in 1542 and estimated there to be between two and three-thousand Chumash inhabitants. At the time the Chumash people had developed a highly sophisticated society dependent on marine harvest, craft specialisation and trade across the islands. Replicas of artefacts and further information were proudly on display at the information centre at Scorpion Anchorage.
As the afternoon sun began to gently warm the island, some day-trippers commenced their hike up towards Smugglers’ Bay. Its name was derived from the convenient and isolated hideaways the Channel Islands provided to smugglers, poachers and bootleggers in the mid-nineteenth century. The dusty walking path wound up sides of the bluffs that towered over the sapphire sea and led students into grassy hills shining golden in the sun. The little bushels of wildflowers here grow free and uninhibited by order, spilling out onto the path. As they trudged through their hike, Cate students were lucky enough to have encountered an island fox: these creatures are approximately the size of a housecat and have a beige and ruddy brown coat. The little guy showed no fear, approaching the students as casually as they would a stranger on the street. After a few minutes of cautiously sniffing around the shrubbery, he continued, unbothered, on his way. Once students climbed high enough, the small summits of the hills gave them an outstanding view of the island and sea. From there, one could even see the beaches of Ventura.
Day-trippers returned to the ferry by a quarter past three, but the day wasn’t over yet. Mere minutes after leaving the harbour, they approached none other than two humpback whales, heading south for the winter. The ferry followed the pair for a while, witnessing their dives and spectacular breaches. Not long after separating from these marvellous marine mammals, the boat found itself smack in the middle of another pod of dolphins. Just when one thought the day’s luck must have ran out, three more magnificent whales appeared on the horizon. The silhouette of their tails against the setting sun painted a breathtaking picture; the perfect closing to this day across the waves. Valerie ‘25 commented that “everything about the trip was so special” that she couldn’t pick her favourite moment.
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