Monterey Bay
National Marine Sanctuary
Multimedia Gallery

Travel to the “Serengeti of the Sea” to see whales, seals, sharks, sea otters, and more.

Northeast and Great Lakes Region

Mallows Bay-Potomac River Monitor Stellwagen Bank Thunder Bay

West Coast Region

Channel Islands Cordell Bank Greater Farallones Monterey Bay Olympic Coast

Pacific Islands Region

American Samoa Hawaii Humpback Whale Papahānaumokuākea

Southeast Region

Florida Keys Flower Garden Banks Gray's Reef
An elephant seal barking

Northern Elephant Seal
Two divers work to remove an old fishing net from under water

Ghost Net Removal
An urchin and anemone on a rock

Invertebrates
A sea otter floating on its back

Meet the Southern Sea Otter
waves crash against rocks on a rocky coast

Climate Change in your Sanctuaries
a seal swims underwater

Get Into Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
many sea nettles

Pacific Sea Nettles
many urchins on the seafloor

Urchin Barrens
octopus feed on a whale carcass

Creatures of a Whale Fall
Rocks and kelp with sealions swimming in the background

360 Photography
A seal underwater watching fish swim

Curious Harbor Seals
A group of children and adults posing for a photo

Ocean Guardian School Program
Octopuses and other sea creatures feed on a whale carcass

Whale Fall
Many octopuses on the sea floor

E/V Nautilus 2018 Expedition
an octopus on the ocean floor

Deep-sea Octopuses
cliff swallows on the beach

Cliff Swallows
Elephant Seal resting on the beach

Elephant Seals
view from a leatherback turtles shell as it swims through the water

What are Microplastics?
A sea turtle

The Pacific Leatherback Sea Turtle
john armor diving in monterey bay national marine sanctuary

John Armor Diving in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
view from a leatherback turtles shell as it swims through the water

Turtle Talk: Leatherback Sea Turtles
many seals on a beach

Elephant Seals
A humpback whale breaches near a whale watching boat

Stellwagen Bank and Monterey Bay
many small red crabs on a beach

Pelagic Red Crabs
An elephant seal lies on a beach

Elephant Seals
The deck of a ship

Exploring the Davidson Seamount
A scuba diver swims through kelp

Central Coast Experience - Santa Cruz
A swimmer takes a breath

Swimming Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
A golfer finishes his swing with water in the backdrop

Pebble Beach - Where Green Meets Blue
A girl removes dirt from the roots of a plant

Ocean Guardian
woman sitting on a bench looking at the ocean

Emily Aiken
Sea lions swim through kelp

Elephant Seals
Juvenile fishes swim on edge of kelp forest

Juvenile Fishes swim on Edge of Kelp Forest
Lone kelp grows atop rocky rubble

Lone Kelp Grows atop Rocky Rubble
urchins on coral

An Urchin-Dominated System
four california sea lions swimming in a kelp forest

Four Acrobatic Sea Lions Glide Through Kelp Forest
two white-spotted anemones are surrounded by at least two encroaching tunicate species

Anemones and Tunicates Dominate Rocky Surface
dozens of orange sea cucumbers dot a rocky reef

Sea of Orange Cucumbers
a rocky reef

Breakwater is the most visited dive site in Monterey Bay
Bat stars and strawberry anemones on a rocky reef

Bats Stars and Strawberry Anemones
urchins dotting a rocky reef

Urchin-Dominated Systems are Not Quite Barren
divers examining a rocky reef

Middle Reef at Point Lobos State Park
A gray puffball sponge looms above red urchins and orange cup corals on a rocky outcrop

Rocky Outcrop Covered with Invertebrates