FROM THE INSIDE—A lone kayaker paddles by a sea cave at Santa Cruz Island on a sunny Friday afternoon. There are approximately 300 caves scattered along the island’s rugged cliffs. Photo courtesy of Shilind Wheaton Fifteen seconds outside the Ventura Harbor and you really start to feel alive.

As the bow of our 64-foot vessel, the Islander, crashed into the incoming wind-swell waves on a sun-drenched Friday morning, a vociferous collection of “ohhs” and “ahhs” bellowed from bundled-up tourists strewn about the bobbing ship.

The sea was angry that day, friends, but our steel-nerved captain pushed straight through the rolling waves toward a most alluring destination: Santa Cruz Island, one of five land structures that encompass the Channel Islands National Park.

Pods of playful dolphins and packs of slippery seals highlight the one-hour boat ride from Ventura to Santa Cruz via Island Packers, a travel company that’s been shuttling folks to and from the islands since 1968.

Upon arriving at the Scorpion Anchorage pier at Santa Cruz, passengers exited the ship to embark on various journeys though mostly untapped nature reserves. Hiking, snorkeling, kayaking, surfing and camping are just a few of the items on peoples’ agendas on this summer day.

The Wheaton family of Wildomar—10-year-old Raef and his parents, Shilind and Darrin— were part of our nine-person kayaking crew that was led by Camarillo resident Dan Phillips, a nine-year tour guide veteran from Aquasports, a water adventure business.

“Those were some of the biggest swells we’ve had in a long time,” said Phillips, referring to the bumpy ride from the mainland. “Everyone should take a moment to catch up and regroup.”

With a headlamp strapped to his forehead, Raef Wheaton was more than ready to go. The others, including 18-year-old Jake Magness and his father, Darren, as well as their neighbors from Menifee, Alicia and Dwayne Donohue, were also champing at the bit to explore the crystal-clear water and deep, dark caves the island has to offer.

During a series of kayaking details from Phillips, the instructor explained the proper technique for reentering the kayak in the event of a spill overboard—basically a belly flop followed by a quick rollover.

“If you don’t do it the right way, you’ll just lose your balance and fall over again and everyone will laugh at you,” Phillips joked.

“Then it’ll happen again, and we’ll still laugh.”

Call it a premonition.

As we entered the water and paddled under the pier no more than 200 yards away, one of the grown men in the group—names will not be used in order to protect the guilty—lost his balance and toppled over right in front of a large contingent of passengers milling around the dock.

Thinking it was the funniest thing he’s seen in some time, the man’s buddy paddled over and began snapping pictures of his fallen friend. Then someone dropped a water bottle into the ocean and the buddy/photographer tossed it back up to the pier.

One problem: On the toss back, the buddy/photographer lost his balance and fell off his kayak, too, taking his camera with him into the ocean. Two men were down, and those of us still aboard our kayaks laughed until our stomachs ached.

Paddling along the side of the rugged cliff, the group entered Elephant Cave in a single-file line to explore a potpourri of nooks and crannies.

From there we headed to Shark Tooth Cave, where the exit is so tiny that explorers have to lean back almost flat on the kayak just to squeeze through the opening.

Crabs and razor-sharp barnacles litter the cave walls. When sunlight crept through, a magical green hue emanated from the water below, where orange starfish and purple sea urchins sat in wait. There were points on the trip where the water was as clear as anything you’ll find in Indonesia or the Caribbean.

After Shark Tooth Cave we visited Seal Beach Cave and In-N-Out Cave. Overhead, meanwhile, a lone snake scaled the steep cliff, almost defying the laws of gravity.

“That’s the first time I’ve ever seen a snake out here,” Phillips said. “That was a treat.”

There are roughly 300 caves on Santa Cruz. Some have names and others have numbers.

The second-largest cave on the island is Neptune’s Trident, which we visited after paddling west to Cavern Point. Neptune’s Trident is several hundred yards deep and takes a back seat in size only to Painted Cave on the island’s far west side, well past Prisoner’s Harbor.

After the journey to Cavern Point, the group doubled back to visit Scorpion Rock and take a short break at a tucked-away cove.

While others rested, Jake Magness, on a two-day camping trip with his dad and neighbors, took the opportunity to dive down into an underwater sea cave.

“I duck-dove about 5 or 6 feet into the water, avoiding the barnacles at the top,” Magness said.

“As I swam through the cave, there were all these schools of fish, little minnows and stuff. I just held my breath as long as I could, and when I saw the light, I headed back to the top. It was pretty cool, definitely something you don’t do every day.”

After close to four hours in the kayaks, the sun-soaked group paddled against the wind and current toward Scorpion Anchorage, arriving with about an hour to spare before the return boat trip to Ventura.

“I didn’t expect it to be easy, and it wasn’t,” Raef Wheaton said. “But it was a lot of fun.”

Island Packers single-day boat trips to the various islands range from $45 to $75 for non-camping adults and $28 to $50 for noncamping kids 12 years old and younger. In addition, there are discounts for seniors 55 and older.

Campers can expect to pay a bit more for boating trips. Visit www.islandpackers.com for more information.

The one-day kayaking adventure from Aquasports is $175 for adults and $150 for kids with 14 days advance reservations. All gear is included.

The company also does trips to Anacapa and Santa Barbara islands, as well as multiple-day adventures. Their website is www.islandkayaking.com.