2024 Get Into Your Sanctuary Photo Contest - Sanctuary Recreation

National marine sanctuaries provide an idyllic setting for a variety of recreational activities. This category celebrates the people who visit them.

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.

Man camping near the water's edge with flashlight pointing up to the starry sky.
1st Place: Daniel Eidsmoe. Camping under the stars in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
Freediving into a school of fish.
2nd Place: Christian Crook. Freediving into a school of akule in Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.
Diver swimming next to the shocking spectacle of simultaneous mass egg bundle release from a large brain coral.
3rd Place: Gregory S Boland. Eyewitness to coral spawning of smooth brain coral (Pseudodiploria strigosa) in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.
Back to category winners

Honorable Mentions

Kayakers in near anchored boats as seen through a rocky archway frame.
Dustin Harris. Kayakers paddle into the sunset nearby anchored boats in Little Scorpion Anchorage on Santa Cruz Island, in Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuaries.
An underwater shot of a friend and a turtle.
Christian Crook. Hanging with one of the local green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) in Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.
Silhouette of kayaker exiting a rocky archway.
Dustin Harris. A kayaker paddles through a rocky archway while exiting a sea cave on Santa Cruz Island, in Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary.
Surfer's view of the bright orange sun setting over the horizon.
Larry Feder. Surfer's view at sunset from Silver Strand Beach looking out at Anacapa Island, near Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary.
The view from underneath a diver swimming near an offshore platform.
Gregory Boland. Looking underneath offshore platform HI-A-389-A in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.
Kayaks, swimmers, and sailboats by the beach and cliffs.
Jennifer Selgrath. People playing in the ocean near Santa Cruz Island.
Grouper and diver cruising the reef underwater.
Daryl Duda. Atlantic Goliath grouper (Epinephelus itajara) enjoying the calm waters at French Reef off Key Largo in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
Diver observing two red serpent brittle stars spawning on top of brain coral
Gregory Boland. Two red serpent brittle stars (Ophioderma rubicundum) spawning on top of brain coral during coral spawning night at the West Bank in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary.
Scuba diver swimming nextr to very famous underwater statue of Jesus Christ.
Daniel Eidsmoe. Scuba diving at the Christ of the Abyss statue in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
Sea turtle approaching a diver underwater within a vast kelp forest.
Bruce Sudweeks. Sea otter (Enhydra lutris) approaches a diver in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
Killer whale surfacing with a sightseeing boat in the distance.
Jane Mayer. Killer whale (Orcinus orca) in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
Freediving in a school of akule.
Christian Crook. Diver being one with the fish in Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.
Diver swimming next to coral.
Jack Teasley. Diver swimming past Elkhorn coral (Acropora palmata) at Elbow Reef in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary.
Baby pushing toy truck on the beach.
Maya Aquino. Playing on Kalepolepo Beach near Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.
Humpback whales lunge feeding on an unusually glassy ocean.
Jane Mayer. Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

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 recreation in the National Marine Sanctuary System. These photos are not for sale and are not for commercial use unless prior permission is arranged.