Feeding Frenzy Found off the Coast of Ventura

A visit to Channel Islands National Park means an hour or longer boat ride across the Santa Barbara Channel. Your travel takes you over the National Marine Sanctuary where without a doubt--unless the weather is treacherous--you're bound to see some amazing ocean wonders. In two recent trips, we've seen hundreds of dolphins, seals, birds, a whale, a sun fish and last weekend, something very unusual, a feeding frenzy.

Basically, small fish prey is pushed to the surface up by larger predators closing in, but once at the surface, birds become predators, too, and they come by the hundreds. It's a pretty amazing spectacle to see. According to boat operators from Island Packers, seeing one so close to shore is more unusual, so we had to take some photos to share.

Previously
- Like Sea Kayaking? Channel Islands National Park is the Way to Go
- New Visitor Center Opens at Channel Islands National Park on Scorpion Ranch