One of the Largest Sea Caves in the World

Painted Cave is a remarkable sea cave located on Santa Cruz Island within Channel Islands National Park. Its enormous size makes it the twelfth-largest sea cave in the world and the second-largest in the United States. The cave stretches for 1,227 feet and features an entrance that rises more than 130 feet above the water.

Visiting Painted Cave is not particularly simple because there is no place to land at the cave itself. However, many trips operated by Island Packers to Santa Rosa Island attempt to make a stop at Painted Cave on the return journey when weather and sea conditions allow. Here is what you need to know about this impressive natural attraction.

Details

Painted Cave has no area where visitors can disembark, so the cave can only be reached from the water.

A profile map of the cave shows its extensive interior and illustrates just how far the cavern extends into Santa Cruz Island.

Getting There

The only practical way to reach Painted Cave is by boat. Island Packers operates excursions specifically focused on Painted Cave and Santa Cruz Island, which can be booked for visitors who want to explore the area.

Another option is to arrange a trip to Santa Rosa Island. When conditions are suitable, these excursions will often attempt to visit Painted Cave while returning to the harbor. During my own visit, I was able to see the cave during the return trip.

The Cave

We traveled in a fairly large boat, yet the entrance to Painted Cave was so enormous that the vessel could comfortably enter the cave by roughly 75 feet.

Seeing the huge opening from the water was an impressive experience. Once the boat passed through the entrance, the scale of the cavern became even more apparent as we continued farther inside.

The interior walls of Painted Cave display a remarkable range of colours and patterns. During the rainy season, I was told that a waterfall can also pour over the entrance of the cave, adding another dramatic feature to the scene.

We traveled as far into the cave as the boat could take us before stopping. We were then able to sit quietly for around five minutes and take in the surroundings. The combination of the enormous chamber, colourful rock walls and surrounding water made the experience especially memorable.

To travel deeper into the cave beyond the point reached by our boat, a much smaller vessel or kayak would be necessary. I hope to return someday and paddle farther into Painted Cave by kayak, but that will have to be a separate adventure.

Painted Cave is an extraordinary natural feature on Santa Cruz Island and a remarkable example of the scale and beauty that can be found along the Channel Islands coastline. Being able to enter one of the largest sea caves on Earth is an experience that is difficult to match.

If you have the opportunity to visit Painted Cave when conditions allow, it is well worth seeing this spectacular natural wonder from the water.