Ocean conditions don’t always allow us to adventure into sea caves, but those rough conditions are the forces that create the caves. Ocean waves are the dominant creating force of the sea caves off of the Mendocino coast. Caves start as faults or cracks in the cliff face. Waves slam against the cliff forcing water in the faults, expanding them and cracking the surrounding rock. Slowly over time waves chip away at the faults and and open them up in to sea caves. A large sea cave can be eroded by wind as well. As strong winds blow into sea caves they can erode softer rocks and loosen others until they fall from the ceiling.
When the creating forces aren’t actively expanding our caves we can explore them. The views and sounds from inside a sea cave can’t be captured by words, photos or a video. The only way to truly experience a sea cave is to adventure into them. Kayaking is the perfect way to explore sea caves. Entering a sea cave without a guide or the proper knowledge and experience can be extremely dangerous. Not all caves are explorable even on the calmest of days. If you want to experience Point Arena’s sea caves sign up for our Caves and Coves Kayaking tour.
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