Gaviota
State Beach
Halibut is now on the minds of many an underwater hunter. Spring and early summer is the season when tasty "flatties" move into shallow waters. For shore divers, the trick is not so much to find that "secret spot," but rather to find the spot with less diver traffic. Gaviota might just be that spot. And Gaviota offers access to rarely visited dive sites just up the coast.
Leaving Santa Barbara, traveling north on 101, the highway follows along the coast, approaching ever closer to the bluffs as the mountains increasingly crowd the ocean. There are the great dives at El Capitan and Refugio State Beaches and Tajiguas, but after those sites, access to the sea becomes difficult, down steep bluffs with no trails. Then the mountains finally crowd the ocean too close, and the highway must make a 90-degree turn inland, to the north and away from the sea. It is at this point you'll find the last in a string of state parks, Gaviota.
Human activity is not new to Gaviota. Remains of a Chumash Indian village have been found here. In 1542 the famous explorer Cabrillo visited and then again in 1769 by Portola. In his diary, one of his soldiers shot a seagull, or gaviota, hence the name.
Gaviota is now a state park and contains more than just five and one-half miles of beautiful coast. There is a pretty and lush canyon stream, hiking trails, and a hot spring. A recently improved campground is located just back from the beach and beside the stream.
Unlike most campgrounds along this section of coast, you cannot get reservations for this one. This is not necessarily because it is all that wonderful. On the contrary, Gaviota is a bit barren and nearly always windy. But there is access to a quiet, secluded beach and because the winds are almost always offshore, the waters here are clear and often quite calm.
Directly out from the main beach is a sloping sand bottom. To the east there are sporadic low-lying reefs but nothing with any substance to harbor marine life, except for halibut that like to lie in wait for the schools of bait fish that frequent the shallows. This is your halibut hunting grounds.
On the west side of the beach is a long pier with a launch hoist for small boats. Diving under or around the pier is prohibited. Boaters can disconnect their trailered small boats from their vehicles at the base of the pier and wheel them out to the hoist for launching. From here it is only a short run to the west for remote reefs not often visited by divers. For the sightseer and photographer, this is your best bet as directly off Gaviota has little to offer. Kelp will mark the larger reefs with beds extending far offshore. In these kelp forests you will find rockfish, cabezon, and sheephead, all of respectable size. There are also spotty kelp patches to the east but with less fish.
The kayaking diver can also use Gaviota as a jumping-off point for reefs to the east and west. A word of caution, however; winds here are usually strong and blow out to sea. Kayaks can be very difficult to control in a strong wind.
Location: At the bend in Highway 101, east of Refugio State Beach in Santa Barbara County.
Access and Entry: Easy across sand beach. Reefs to the east and west require boat or kayak.
Skill level: All.
Depths: To 30 feet 200 yards out.
Visibility: Generally good, averaging 20 feet. Can get messy after a good rain because of run-off.
Photography: Poor. Little subject material. Fair on reefs to the west.
Hunting: Good for halibut. Better for various fish on reefs to the west.
Snorkeling: Halibut in shallows gives good opportunities for free-diving spearfishers.
Restrictions: Diving under or around pier prohibited.
Hazards: Beware of boats moving in and out of pier.
Facilities: Boat hoist on pier for launching of small boats (6,000 pounds maximum) that can be wheeled out by hand. Campground. Camping and day use fee.
