Island Packers Cruises — Attraction in Ventura

Island Packers is the only boat concessionaire approved to run trips to and from the islands within Channel Islands National Park. But it's still a family owned company- with two children of the founder still operating the company! And even though you're a captive audience, they still strive to provide an excellent experience - I've loved every trip I've taken with them!

Their main office and departure location is in the Ventura harbor marina. They do also offer trips out of Oxnard to certain islands so be sure to check your location when booking online - bc there are options sometimes where you can book to leave from Ventura and return to Oxnard and vice versa.

Check in is a breeze - the staff are super friendly and knowledgeable and give you tons of info. After checking in and getting your boarding pass, you'll board in an orderly fashion with clear instructions and help from the staff. Once on board, the staff give a brief safety orientation, open the galley, and you're free to move around as you see fit.

There's lots of booths and tables inside, as well as rows of seating outside in the back of the lower level and more on the upper level. The galley offers all sorts of snacks and hot food, as well as hot coffee, tea, and cocoa. Prices are really inexpensive - the drinks and packaged snacks are decent. I tried a breakfast burrito on my last trip but it was not that great - just a standard microwave variety so I probably wouldn't get that again.

Their catamaran style boats are designed to navigate through inclement weather and handle the huge rolling waves of the Pacific to give a smoother ride. I've taken numerous trips with them over the years and all have been relatively smooth.

The waves can get quite large, especially on the way out - but it's absolute mad fun to stand on the front of the boat when it's like that - feels like a roller coaster!! If you suffer from sea sickness, I recommend taking your medicine.

Most (if not all!) of the staff on board are trained naturalists who love to educate on any wildlife we may come across while on our journey. The captains do a fabulous job of looking out for and getting close (safely) to any pods of dolphins, seals, and whales we may come across. I've seen dolphins and seals on every trip!!

Prices for the trips run around just over $60 depending on the length and landing. I've been to both ports on Santa Cruz Island (Scorpion Cove & Prisoner's Harbor) and Santa Rosa Island for day trips and I did a half day boat-only trip to Anacapa. I tried to do the day trip landing at Anacapa once but the seas were too rough to land so we just did extra cruising around the islands instead.

They give you plenty of time on the islands. And there are some options to extend your trip and camp as well. They do tell you to arrive at least 30-45 minutes before departure. The office Same for your return departure- and they always say they leave on time - but honestly I've never seen them leave an island without making sure every single ticket holder is either on board or accounted for - so I don't think they'll just up and leave you if you're running behind.

The main office has clean bathrooms, limited supplies, and some concessions as well as plenty of parking in a private lot. I love the boat rides over to the islands - Someday I'll make it to...

We booked a Painted Cave via Prisoners Harbor on Santa Cruz Island, one of the Channel Islands in CA. Prior to the trip anytime we had a question someone, frequently Addison, cheerfully took the call, patiently listened, and answered all of our questions! She also helped us rebook a week later, when a family event came up unexpectedly, cheerfully, politely, gratuitously! We had seen a review saying parking could be limited, but a call the day before alleviated all concerns, parking is plentiful in Ventura at least! Our trip was on a day with a swell, and it was like a slow roller coaster at times, but I could tell our Captain expertly slowed the boat to ease the motions for some larger swells, nicely done! We had the good fortune of seeing a large Basking Shark which the boat detoured to on the way out. The Captain shared interesting facts about these rare encounters and the shark. The Captain and crew seem to appreciate and honor sea life and love to share this with their passengers. They mentioned that the Channel area is now designated as a whale refuge I believe. The crew and Captain made it clear the best place to be was at the back on the lower deck if feeling queasy. That helped me a lot, and though the crew were attentive, I did alright along the back railing. The Captain let us know as we stopped at Prisoners that the rest the trip to painted cave would be rough, so the crew allowed anyone not up for that to depart at this stop, which we opted for. The crew keeps careful records of passengers whereabouts so nobody is left behind! We enjoyed a delightful hike along the Pelican Point Trail part way to marker 11. In early June there were still quite a few varieties of wild flowers in bloom, and many spectacular views. This trail is single track and requires some agility here and there. Hiking poles might be good if you know they help you. We stopped and ate our lunch along the way with a great view. There was zero trash on the island and everyone is encouraged to keep it that way in a nice way. There was a docent, a crew member, and a ranger or two to answer questions and guide people! Felisha was very kind in answering questions about the trail and giving good advice on timing our return! It was much calmer ride on the return, and we were treated to some quality time with Blue and Humpback whales. The Captain said it was a little rare to see Blues, and there seemed to be several of them. We even saw their tail at one point! On return, the assistant manager said anyone not completing the Painted Cave were already refunded for that portion of the trip which was very kind, thank you! Arriving home I discovered I had left a fleece jacket behind somewhere. I called and spoke with Lareen who said they had it, and would send it back to me! Amazing!

Island Packers is a classy outfit, with exemplary customer service, great captains, well maintained boats, that are fairly quick. Great crews and support staff!

It was a pleasure taking the journey with them from buying tickets to lost and found!

Scott...

We planned a hiking day trip to Santa Cruz Channel Island on Saturday, 9/1/2024, and we were on the 10 AM Island Packers boat leaving from Ventura. We had to show up about an hour early to claim our reserved tickets, but we talked to some guys who didn't reserve and went across on standby seating. They had also tried to get on the 9 AM sailing.

There were many open seats, but not for three folks together, so we went outside up front. It was our best decision even though we had to stand the ride out. I had only a sweater over a mesh water-wicking shirt, and I wasn't cold. Not even my hands. While we had a significant marine layer, the temp was slated to be the upper sixties that day.

It was great, the water was calm, and the wind up front was nice because the inside felt a little humid and stuffy. The boy scout trying to get his troop member to jump overboard for $5 was not so great, but I kept an eye on him.

There was a volunteer on-board to answer all questions about the island. He was very informed and helpful. The boat crew were knowledgeable and provided information about the dolphins and birds that we saw on the way over.

Dolphins! So many common dolphins, as they are called, because they can be found all over the world. They were jumping and rounding up fish and then the birds would get in on it too. That was pretty amazing. Looking down from the side of the boat, you could see them swimming underwater alongside.

The boat ride itself was worth the trip. Even if we weren't planning on hiking the rest of the day, I would have been happy with the trip.

About 40 or 50 minutes in, we passed out of the marine layer. It was like a wall of clouds stretching to our left. The Santa Cruz island lay ahead of us, the upper part still shrouded in layers of mist, making it look like a magical island that popped out of nowhere.

Disembarking was a breeze. It was a little slow because we had to wait for the kayakers for some reason, but the time was well spent because the island volunteers gave us the info we needed to stay safe and ensure we didn't damage...