Dockfouling at Ventura and Channel Islands harbors

I had never been dockfouling before, and when I learned of the activity, I immediately had to try it. I picked a cool, cloudy weekday and headed over to Ventura Harbor.

Now, I knew from my research that others had been foiled by the fact that Ventura's docks are private. (https://spain.inaturalist.org/projects/more-california-wild-women/journal/44251-dock-fouling) However, I had a simple plan: I rented a kayak, thanks to Ventura Boat Rentals. Please note that I did NOT use the kayak to trespass on private docks or examine the hulls of privately owned vessels, and I would ask that no one else do so either!

My initial thought was that I would take the kayak out to a road underpass where there would be pilings and possibly concrete walls to explore (that would not be private property), and I would suggest this approach to anyone attempting a group outing, as the docks by the kayak rental would be overcrowded by several people trying to explore them at once. I can't suggest any locations for group exploration, though -- I didn't go more than a couple hundred feet. I wound up staying close to the kayak rental facility and exploring their dock from the sea, which gave me access to a variety of locations that would have been blocked from the land side by equipment and overhangs. I did receive the attention of a few concerned passers-by who wanted to make sure I was not having a heart attack or other emergency event. I thanked them for checking on my safety.

I easily occupied the hour of the kayak rental examining the dock, then returned the kayak and settled down on an out-of-the-way corner of the rental dock with the camera to explore from the land. I figured they would not object to a paying customer taking up some space on their dock, and they did not seem to mind. The only attention I got was from a few passers-by who wanted to know if I was looking at an interesting fish. Upon learning that I was looking at invertebrates, they quickly lost interest. People have such a bias for creatures with backbones!

In the late afternoon, I drove over to Channel Islands Harbor. There, I visited the dock belonging to the Channel Islands Kayak Center. I didn't want to rent a kayak so late in the day, but the staff there were friendly and tolerant of my exploration of their dock. I asked for their info and prices, and will rent a kayak from them on my next visit. Channel Islands Harbor is beautiful and well worth exploring by kayak, and their prices are extremely reasonable.

If I inspire others to use this method of exploring the docks in areas where they are mostly private, I have a few suggestions:

1. The water clarity changes dramatically based on the current. I found it to be best during slack water. Predicting slack water can be tricky as it depends on the shape of the harbor; on the 10th I found that the water was too cloudy for photography just before the 12:36PM low tide, and was much clearer for the hours around halfway between low tide and high.
2. If you plan to rent a kayak (which I highly recommend, as it provides more opportunities to explore and also will help the kayak rental staff view your presence favorably) then you are going to want to bring a change of clothes. Ventura Harbor Village, where the rental agency is located, has public restrooms. I am not as sure about Channel Islands Harbor.
3. There is not much room on the dock. Only one person can lie down on the dock at a time without blocking pedestrian traffic (please don't block pedestrian traffic!)
4. Please be polite to the kayak rental staff so that the kayak rental agencies view us weird invertebrate lovers favorably and don't mind our visits. :) If they ask you to leave, please do. The dock is a private business and we can only use it if they permit us to.
5. Please do not trespass. You CAN access areas from the water that you couldn't access on land, such as private docks and privately owned vessels, but it doesn't mean you SHOULD. Trespassing could have serious legal consequences or even risk your life. Please exercise the same caution that you would when observing on land.
6. Be prepared to answer questions from people who want to know what you're fishing for and whether or not you are dying! :) Even on a quiet day, there are a lot of people at the harbor and they are very inquisitive.

Posted on June 12, 2022 04:30 PM by wildnettle