2018 Get Into Your Sanctuary Photo Contest results
Thank you to all the photographers who shared their view of national marine sanctuaries with us! Click each photograph to see the full version.
Please note that we may use any of the photos we received for this contest on our website, on social media, and in other NOAA and National Marine Sanctuary Foundation publications. We will provide credit to photographers whenever we use any of the photos. Organizations other than NOAA and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation may use photographs submitted in this contest to promote sustainable and responsible activities in the National Marine Sanctuary System, as long as the photographer is credited. These photos are not for sale and are not for commercial use unless prior permission is arranged.
Sanctuary Life
From tiny krill to enormous gray whales, thousands of species call the National Marine Sanctuary System home! This category depicts the amazing marine life that you can find in your national marine sanctuaries.
1st Place: Humpback whales feed on anchovies in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Douglas Croft2nd Place: A brown pelican flies over Asilomar State Beach in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Sam Bailey3rd Place: A goldentail moray eel peeks out from under a blushing star coral in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Steve Miller
All submitted photos
A young California sea lion plays with kelp in Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Beata LermanA common dolphin leaps out of the water in Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Sarah RaskinA common dolphin leaps out of the water in Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Sarah Raskin
A territorial Garibaldi charges the camera in Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Beata LermanPneumatocysts of giant kelp curl in the currents at Santa Barbara Island in Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Nathan CoyA young California sea lion plays with kelp in Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Beata Lerman
A discarded double hook dangles from the mouth of a barracuda in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Beata LermanA French angelfish swims at Stetson Bank in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Jeff GuthrieFlower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary is one of the only places in the world to spot the golden smooth trunkfish. Photo: Steve Miller
A green moray eel rests at Stetson Bank in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Jeff GuthrieAn invasive lionfish swims at East Flower Garden Bank in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Bess BrightAn invasive lionfish swims at East Flower Garden Bank in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Bess Bright
A manta ray swims overhead in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Beata LermanA manta ray – with two remoras attached – swims over the reef at Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Beata LermanA moray eel pokes its head out from the coral in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: John Hearrell
A red lizardfish rests above the reef in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Steve MillerA red-spotted hawksfish swims near at long-spined urchin in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Steve MillerA rock beauty and green chromis swim over a bright sponge in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Jeff Guthrie
A spotted moray eel and scarlet cleaner shrimp look out from the reef in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Steve Miller An entourage of two-spot cardinal fish swim near a spotted moray eel in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Bess BrightA spotted scorpionfish rests on a sponge in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Steve Miller
Tube sponges and other invertebrates grow on an old rig structure in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Jeff GuthrieAtlantic spadefish swim above the reef at Horseshoe Reef in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Bess BrightAtlantic spadefish aggregate at Molasses Reef in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Daryl Duda
A balloonfish peers at the camera at Molasses Reef in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Daryl DudaA Caribbean reef shark swims over sandy rubble at Molasses Reef in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Alexander NeufeldThe wreck of City of Washington at Elbow Reef in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary provides structure that attracts an abundance and variety of fish. Photo: Daryl Duda
Two foureye butterflyfish swim in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Bess BrightA great barracuda swims over stands of endangered elkhorn coral at Horseshoe Reef in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Alexander NeufeldA green sea turtle gives itself a belly rub on soft coral at the wreck of Benwood in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Daryl Duda
A school of juvenile grunts rises toward the surface in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Alexander NeufeldA hawksbill sea turtle swims past a large barrel sponge at Molasses Reef in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Alexander NeufeldGroupers hide in Minnow Cave in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Daryl Duda
A moon jelly drifts in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Katy Danca GalliA moon jelly drifts in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Katy Danca GalliA queen angelfish swims at French Reef in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Daryl Duda
A squid hovers below the ocean surface at night in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Alexander NeufeldSea fans and other invertebrates grow at Molasses Reef in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Bess BrightSea fans grow at French Reef in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Bess Bright
Sea fans and other invertebrates grow at French Reef in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Bess BrightSea fans and other invertebrates grow at French Reef in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Bess BrightGrunts and snappers aggregate at Snapper Ledge in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Daryl Duda
Grunts and snappers aggregate at Snapper Ledge in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Daryl DudaSpanish hogfish swim together at Molasses Reef in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Daryl DudaA tarpon gulps up a baitfish in Islamorada, Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Alexander Neufeld
A trumpetfish peeks out from behind fire coral in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Beata LermanA stingray rests in the nearshore waters of Florida Bay in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Alexander NeufeldA common murre floats on the surface in Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Patrick Sysiong
Common murres and a pigeon guillemot float on the surface in Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Patrick SysiongCommon murres float on the surface in Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Ioana SeritanSeabirds cover the slopes of the Farallon Islands in Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Ioana Seritan
A tufted puffin swims in Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Patrick SysiongA Hawaiian monk seal rests along a road near Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Doug Boyd`Ōpelu, or mackerel scad, school in Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Chad Wiggins
Two years after a community-driven effort to protect the reef, surgeonfish swim at Ka`ūpūlehu in Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Chad WigginsA black oystercatcher walks along the shoreline in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Jenni PetersBlue rockfish hang out under a kelp canopy in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Michael Alyono
Blue rockfish hang out under a kelp canopy in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Michael AlyonoBlue rockfish hang out under a kelp canopy in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Michael AlyonoA brown pelican opens its beak at San Simeon State Park, Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Phil Arnold
Brown pelican, harbor seals, and other animals gather along Elkhorn Slough in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Lisa CarpenterA bull California sea lion takes an inquisitive pass in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Jon AndersonA double-crested cormorant skims the water of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary during take-off. Photo: Richard Formica
An egg yolk jelly pulses through the kelp forest at Monstery Beach in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Jon AndersonAn egg yolk jelly pulses through the water at Monstery Beach in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Michael AlyonoAn egg yolk jelly pulses through the water at Monstery Beach in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Michael Alyono
A gray whale leads her calf through the kelp forests of Big Sur in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary as they migrate north from Baja California to Alaska. Photo: Douglas CroftA gray whale leads her calf through the kelp forests of Big Sur in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary as they migrate north from Baja California to Alaska. Photo: Douglas CroftA great egret snatches an anchovy from the waters of Elkhorn Slough in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Douglas Croft
A gull plucks its breakfast from the sea in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Phil ArnoldA harbor seal lazes on a rock in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Mary BruzzeseA mother and pup harbor seal nuzzle one another at Fitzgeral Marine Reserve in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Clarice Soleil
A harbor seal mother and pup rest on the beach at Elkhorn Slough in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Vicki SarrisA harbor seal mother gazes at her pup at Lovers Point State Marine Reserve in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Hanna McWethyA harbor seal mother and pup snooze together at Lovers Point State Marine Reserve in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Hanna McWethy
An inquisitive harbor seal pup swims in the shallows in Moss Beach in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Rob CalaA group of harbor seals enjoy the sunny shores of Elkhorn Slough in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Vicki SarrisA curious harbor seal peeks out of the waves at Moss Beach in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Clarice Soleil
A Heermann's gull poses in front of the turquoise waters of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Richard FormicaA Hermissenda nudibranch roves a tide pool in Half Moon Bay in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Clarice SoleilA pair of Hermissenda nudibranchs meet face to face in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Michael Alyono
An opalescent nudibranch emerges from the algae in a tidepool at Moss Beach in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Arial BaumanA great blue heron looks pensive as it's reflected in the waters of Roberts Lake, near Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Lisa CarpenterA humpback whale captures a huge mouthful of food from the waters of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, while sea lions and seabirds dive in to join the feast. Photo: Ellen Roland
A trio of humpback whales in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary team up to corral krill and fish before lunging through the water to scoop them up. Photo: Ellen RolandThree humpback whales break through the surface while lunge feeding on a school of northern anchovies in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Patrick SysiongThis young California sea lion was taking part in a mass merging of sea lion colonies at Moss Landing in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary at the start of mating season. Photo: Brett M. Frager
A pair of juvenile northern elephant seals test their battle skills by sparring at the Piedras Blancas elephant seal rookery in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Phil ArnoldAn endangered leatherback sea turtle slurps up a brown sea nettle in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Douglas CroftA long-billed curlew forages on the sandy shore of Elkhorn Slough in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Richard Formica
Long-billed curlews, marbled godwits, and other seabirds forage along the shore of Marina Beach in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Vicki SarrisA humpback whale pops out of the water as it lunge feeds in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Gordon J. GatesA group of humpback whales splashes through the surface while lunge feeding in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Gordon J. Gates
A large school of small fish signals the dinner bell for seabirds and humpback whales at Marina State Beach in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Lisa CarpenterA brilliantly-colored McDonald’s dorid feeds on bryozoan invertebrates in the tidepools of Fitzgerald Marine Reserve of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Arial BaumanA lone metridium anemone seems to glow 50 feet below the surface in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Nathan Coy
A moon jelly drifts through Whaler's Cove in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Jon AndersonThis harbor seal pup is only a few hours old and is taking in its new world at Lovers Point State Marine Reserve in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Hanna McWethyA newborn harbor seal pup gains its strength on the beach of Lovers Point State Marine Reserve in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Hanna McWethy
This newborn harbor seal is tuckered out after its first day in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Hanna McWethyA Pacific white-sided dolphin launches into acrobatic backflips in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Douglas CroftA kaleidoscope of creatures covers a reef at Monastery Beach in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Michael Alyono
Strawberry anemones blush and brighten a reef at Mono Lobo Wall in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Michael AlyonoA Risso's dolphin surfaces in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Allison FormicaA Risso's dolphin leaps through the water in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Douglas Croft
A Risso's dolphin breaks through the surface to grab a breath in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctaury. Photo: Gordon J. GatesA Risso's dolphin displays amazing acrobatics in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Patrick SysiongA sandpiper searches for food at Twin Lakes State Beach in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Jenni Peters
A Scrippsea pacifica jelly drifts along the edge of the kelp forest at Monastery Beach in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Jon AndersonA jolly-looking sea clown nudibranch peeps out of a tidepool in Half Moon Bay in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Arial BaumanA sea lion relaxes in the kelp in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Mary Bruzzese
A group of sea lions idle above the kelp in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Mary BruzzeseA colony of sea lions crowd a rocky shoreline in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary against a backdrop of highways and farmland. Photo: Lisa CarpenterSea lions hang out fins-up in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Mary Bruzzese
A southern sea otter shakes it off after a grooming session in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Jenni PetersA southern sea otter seems to be grinning happily after grooming at Moss Landing State Beach in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Jenni PetersA southern sea otter is dwarfed by the giant head of a northern elephant seal popping up from the kelp in San Simeon State Park in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Phil Arnold
A mother sea otter cuddles her pup in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Douglas CroftA sheep crab stands over a sea star at Monastery Beach in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Michael AlyonoA snowy egret pauses from grooming to fluff its feathers at Elkhorn Slough in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Lisa Carpenter
A snowy egret silently paces along the edge of a mussel bed in Santa Cruz in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Dan KillamA snowy plover scans the dunes of Carmel River State Beach in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Allison FormicaA southern sea otter relaxes in the waters of Morro Bay near Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Sam Greenstone
This southern sea otter is looking sly at Morro Bay near Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Sam GreenstoneA southern sea otter floats at Morro Bay near Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Sam GreenstoneA southern sea otter clutches a strand of kelp near Morro Bay near Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Sam Greenstone
A southern sea otter chows down on a crab in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Jenni PetersA sunburst anemone looks like a flower blooming beneath the waves in Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Clarice SoleilA Thetys vagina salp chain drifts along the edge of a kelp forest off Big Sur in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Jon Anderson
A Velella velella, or by-the-wind sailor, is washed up on algae in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Arial BaumanA white dendronotus nudibranch crawls along a tide pool at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Arial BaumanA yellowfin fringehead peeks its head out of a crack in the rocks at Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Nathan Coy
Many tiny larvae lie in a jelly's cap in the black waters of the Gulf Stream near Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Gian D' AndreaSeveral brown noddies swoop above the coast of Fagatale Bay in National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa. Photo: David HerdrichA solitary brown noddy skims the cloudy horizon above Fagatale Bay in National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa. Photo: David Herdrich
An eel relocates between rocks in Fagatale Bay in National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa. Photo: David HerdrichA school of surgeonfish swims through the reef at Fagatale Bay in National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa. Photo: David HerdrichA school of surgeonfish clusters together at Fagatale Bay in National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa. Photo: David Herdrich
A green sea turtle glides gracefully along the sandy bottom of Fagatale Bay in National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa. Photo: David HerdrichA snowy egret explores the shoreline during a low tide in Pismo Beach, California. Photo: Allison FormicaA pair of Atlantic white-sided dolphins travel through the glassy ocean in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Mackenzie Meier
A pair of Atlantic white-sided dolphins glide along the surface of Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Mackenzie MeierA pod of Atlantic white-sided dolphins skim just below the surface of Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Mackenzie MeierA pair of Atlantic white-sided dolphins show their stripes as they ride the bow of a whale-watching vessel. Photo: Mackenzie Meier
Seabirds and humpback whales feed together in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Mackenzie MeierA humpback whale surfaces in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Mackenzie MeierA humpback whale crests through the sunny surface of Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Mackenzie Meier
Nile, a humpback whale, flips her fluke from the water at Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Mackenzie MeierA humpback whale known as Pixar lifts its fluke from the water at Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Mackenzie MeierA humpback whale surfaces in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary with a misty sigh. Photo: Mackenzie Meier
Please note that we may use any of the photos we received for this contest on our website, on social media, and in other NOAA and National Marine Sanctuary Foundation publications. We will provide credit to photographers whenever we use any of the photos.
