Whale-Watching by Air?

I’ve been lucky enough during the past decade to explore the Channel Islands in myriad ways: by boat, of course, but also by plane, jeep, raft, kayak, snorkel, and on foot. So when I heard there was now a company offering helicopter tours of the national park—and the surrounding wonders of the Santa Barbara Channel—I was duty-bound to investigate.

On a windy afternoon in November, I found myself at the Oxnard Airport chatting with Channel Islands Helicopters owner Dan Casey, who studied engineering at San Jose State and is certified as an aircraft repairman—and pilot, of course—by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). “We’re the only helicopter tour company going out there,” said Casey, who moved to our area less than two years ago after running a successful chopper maintenance business in Burbank, where he watched helicopter tours crisscross the Los Angeles basin.

Not that there isn’t room for more commercial chopper offerings out of Santa Barbara, apparently, because FAA’s license for tour operators—as compared to airline carriers—only grants Casey permission to cover a 25-mile radius, which allows him to fly from, roughly, Malibu to Carpinteria (where he lives) and out toward Anacapa and the east end of Santa Cruz Island. He offers a number of trips, none of which are cheap, but all of which are enhanceable with a $25 champagne boost.