As sea level rose from the glacial maximum toward its present position over the period from approximately 20,000 to 7,000 years ago, this minimum distance increased.

By the time of the Arlington Springs individual, approximately 13,000 years ago, sea level had risen from its lowest glacial position but had not yet reached the modern level.

The precise channel width at that date depends on the specific sea-level reconstruction used.

What all reconstructions agree on is that there was water.

Even at the most favorable sea-level position, crossing from mainland California to Santarosae required navigating several miles of open ocean.

The channel was not a calm, protected body — it is the Santa Barbara Channel, an exposed coastal waterway subject to wind, waves, and currents.