Magazine Spring 2024 Chuck's Wild, Wild World
Nine times, CHUCK GRAHAM ’92 has paddled his kayak 27 miles from the Santa Barbara coast to the Channel Islands — and all the way back. On four occasions, he traveled solo. Knowing the potential for rough and unpredictable weather and conditions in this notoriously difficult stretch of water, Chuck plans his times and trips carefully.
He finds rewards worth the risk as he encounters whales, seals, dolphins, sharks, bald eagles and island foxes. Chuck leads backpacking tours for Channel Islands Adventure Company in the Channel Islands National Park and kayaking expeditions in the Channel Island National Marine Sanctuary. As his love for the area has grown, he has actively promoted conservation of these remote regions.
A longtime surfer, lifeguard, guide, writer and photographer, Chuck drew on all his interests and talents in producing “Paddling into a Natural Balance: Stories of Kayaking and Conservation around Channel Islands National Park.” Through 10 chapters and 170 stunning photographs, he recounts the efforts he’s observed to conserve a region he has explored for nearly 30 years.
Chuck grew up in Carpinteria, where he learned to surf and love the ocean. He left for a time to compete as a professional surfer, but something pulled him back, and he’s been based there since 1975. His love of adventure has taken him around the world, but he always comes home.
When Chuck left the tour, his father encouraged him to go to college, so he completed two years at Santa Barbara City College before earning a degree in history at Westmont. He enjoyed the research and writing required in his classes and decided to pursue a writing career.
By mail, an institute on the East Coast taught him how to formulate ideas for stories and send proposals to editors. “I developed a thick skin for rejection letters,” Chuck says. “I continued lifeguarding and leading kayak tours, which kept me in the loop for stories.” He has since contributed many articles and award-winning photographs to a long list of publications celebrating the outdoors, and he edits DEEP Surf Magazine. He plans to feature island foxes in his next book.
Chuck’s stories recount his adventures in a dozen African countries and his experiences surfing, rafting, kayaking and
mountain climbing in places such as Iceland, Costa Rica, the Falkland Islands, Chile and Argentina. He also writes regularly for the Santa Barbara Independent, most recently about hiking the Cerro San Luis Mountain Trail to San Luis Obispo.
About 150 days a year, Chuck stays on the island, living in a tent with access to showers and a cooking area. In bad weather, he can retreat to a shed. “I never get enough time there — I need to be in wild places,” he says. “We have one of the wildest places in the world right here. I’ve visited more than 30 countries, but I can’t leave the islands. And kayaking is the best way to see them as so much is inaccessible. It feels like you’re thousands of miles away from anything.”
The marine sanctuary ranks as one of the best places in the world to see whales. Chuck’s girlfriend, marine biologist and naturalist Holly Lohuis, spent more than two years establishing the Santa Barbara Whale Heritage Area in the channel, the ninth such sanctuary in the world. One-third of all whale and dolphin species have been documented there.
“I can walk out the door, go to the beach, kayak the channel and backpack all the way to the Carrizo Plain,” Chuck says. “I’m fortunate to live in Carpinteria, take photos and write about something I love.”
PHOTOS BY CHUCK GRAHAM
