R y l A n d G r i v e t t i a n d I were in the midst of a five-day 120-mile kayaking and surfing trip to explore mostly inaccessible North County and maybe score some uncrowded surf along the way. Eventually, we’d finish our local journey on Santa Barbara’s eastern fringe. Characterized by remote beaches, wind-sculpted sand dunes, sheer cliffs and guano-covered rock outcroppings, North County also posed a real threat of great white shark activity. Launching and landing became another issue due to Vandenberg Air Force Base limiting where we could land, so stretching stiff legs became an afterthought. Humble Beginnings
We began our journey in the shadows of GuadalupeNipomo Sand Dunes National Wildlife Refuge. It was raining, and our legs burned as we dragged our heavy, gear-laden kayaks to the shoreline. The surf was clean but closing out in the three-to-five-foot range; there were lulls between sets, so timing was everything. My wife, Lori, dropped us off and watched us launch, along with a bevy of surfers checking the conditions. “No one has ever tried this here before,” claimed one onlooker, Lori well within earshot. “They’re not going to make it.” “You have to stay positive,” rebutted Lori. “They’ve done this sort of thing before.” I had my doubts while watching a sand-sucking fourfoot wave unloading on top of Ryland, catapulting him into a backward summersault. Beyond that initial ejection, we made it outside the surf and enjoyed the solitude of paddling along the breathtaking 500-foot-tall dunes to Mussel Rock. After gliding past Paradise Beach, we dodged some frothy rollers exploding over barnacle-encrusted crags at Point Sal, amid bellowing sea lions. From there, it was at least a 10-mile stretch to Purisima Point, that sharky feeling sweeping over us like a dewy fog bank. We stayed as close to the shoreline as we could, narrowly avoiding being picked off by several cresting waves before reaching the point.
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E y e s i n t h e B ac k o f O u r H e a d s
One week before our excursion, a large great white shark attacked two kayakers who were fishing, ejecting them from their kayaks right inside Purisima Point. Fortunately, a nearby fishing boat rescued them. Needless to say, we were on full alert rounding the point and hugging the long stretch of sand at Surf Beach. We worked our way to the shoreline, weaving our way through six-foot surf in an undefined lineup. When we got closer to shore, we located something resembling a channel, and so we beached our kayaks and dried soggy gear on a rocky slab. This also served as our campsite, where throughout the night dark waves clapped well offshore.
Graham and Grivetti started their expedition at GuadalupeNipomo Sand Dunes (far right), spotting wild flowers and wildlife like the purple sand verbena and sea otters (near right), as well as signs of other people, like this capsized boat found off of the dunes (above).