Island hopping

The islands of Southern California, mere dots on a map of the state, are nothing less than jewels in a naturalist’s eye. What Darwin discovered at the Galapagos -- a unique profusion of flora and fauna -- can be found in our own backyard and all within a day’s trip.

Santa Catalina Island is the most popular, and the Channel Islands National Park -- a disparate archipelago of Santa Barbara, Anacapa, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa and San Miguel islands -- runs a distant second. Each, virtually frozen in time by their watery isolation, provides a glimpse at what is still wild in California.

An authoritative guide to these islands can be found in “Natural History of the Islands of California,” published by the University of California Press, and a number of groups offer naturalist-guided excursions to the islands and to the marine life. Here are just a few:

The Aquarium of the Pacific: The Long Beach aquarium hosts a floating classroom aboard the Conqueror from January through March. The half-day tour seeks out gray whales, bottlenose dolphins, sea lions and migratory waterfowl. There is an on-board multimedia presentation by a marine naturalist and a demonstration of a plankton tow. For more information, call (562) 951-1664.

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American Cetacean Society and the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium offer training for volunteers 18 and older who’d like to narrate whale-watching excursions. Guides learn about gray whales and other marine life off the Southern California coast and then share their knowledge with others aboard whale-watch vessels and in classrooms. The two-hour classes begin the first Tuesday in October and continue through March. Classes are free. For more information, call (310) 548-8397 or go to www.cabrillowhalewatch.com.

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Condor Cruises out of Santa Barbara runs daily blue whale-watching excursions through November (or until the whales leave the channel). The half-day cruises on the Condor Express feature a naturalist and visit the waters around Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa and San Miguel islands. Later in the season, from December through the end of April, Condor offers excursions to watch the gray whale migration. For more information, call (805) 882-0088.

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Island Packers offers a variety of trips that depart out of Ventura Harbor and Channel Islands Harbor. For hikers, the outfit offers year-round landings at Anacapa and Santa Cruz islands, and seasonal landings at San Miguel, Santa Rosa and Santa Barbara islands. Excursions to watch the gray whale migration are offered from December through April. For more information, call (805) 642-1393.

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Harbor Breeze Cruises offers two daily whale-watching departures out of Long Beach. The company also offers excursions Dec. 26 through April to observe the annual migration of gray whales. For more information, call (562) 432-4900.

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Ocean Institute in Dana Harbor offers a variety of excursions such as whale-watching trips and night cruises to witness bioluminescence. For more information, call (949) 496-2274.