Channel Islands Live

Take a 20-minute dive – right at your desk.

THE WONDERS OF technology now bring you the wonders of the kelp forest, in living color. Every summer California’s Channel Islands National Park presents a live and interactive underwater video program. You can catch it online at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. every Wednesday from Memorial Day to Labor Day. It can also be seen in the Park Center’s main auditorium, located in Ventura Harbor, or on Anacapa Island.

This is not a recorded program. What you see online is happening real-time live. The video feed is sent through a cable to the surface and then micro-waved back to the mainland where it’s plugged into the Internet. The on-camera diver wears a full-face mask with a communications set-up, so viewers at the auditorium and on the island can ask the diver questions as they tour the kelp forest in Anacapa’s Landing Cove. Lobsters, sheep crabs, horn sharks and octopuses are just some of the local residents that often make on-screen appearances.

The purpose of the underwater video program is to bring the Park to the people and let them in on all those underwater secrets that usually only scuba divers get to enjoy. It doesn’t matter how many times you watch this program, it’s still amazing to see a live image from 30 feet down and 100 miles away as clearly as if you were there blowing bubbles yourself.

So next time you feel the need for seaweed but you’re anchored to your desk, don’t despair; instead, just put on your mask, put up your feet, click on the following link and tune in to the Channel Islands “Live.” SGR

http://www.nps.gov/chis/planyourvisit/live-programs.htm

For more on the Channel Islands National Park’s underwater video program, check out this video!