NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries

National Marine Sanctuary System

Safeguarding America's Premier Marine Places

From Washington state to the Gulf of America and from the Great Lakes to the Pacific Islands, the National Marine Sanctuary System protects 18 underwater parks spanning over 629,000 square miles of ocean and Great Lakes waters. By investing in innovative solutions, we strengthen these iconic places to address 21st-century challenges while supporting America's commerce and tourism. These unique locations inspire people to visit, value, and steward our nation’s iconic ocean and Great Lakes waters.

Eastern Region

Florida Keys Flower Garden Banks Gray's Reef Hudson Canyon (in designation) Lake Erie (in designation) Lake Ontario Mallows Bay-Potomac River Monitor Stellwagen Bank Thunder Bay Wisconsin-Shipwreck Coast

West Coast Region

Channel Islands Chumash Heritage Cordell Bank Greater Farallones Monterey Bay Olympic Coast

Pacific Islands Region

American Samoa Hawaii Humpback Whale Pacific Islands Heritage (in designation) Papahānaumokuākea

Olympic Coast
National Marine Sanctuary

Washington Coast, USA

Sanctuary News

Illustrated poster of Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary. In the center, a large osprey with a fish in its talons flies over the water. In the background, an eagle soars over a sunset. The water is littered with sunken ship remnants and logs. A person in a kayak paddles through the debris. The text 'Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary' is at the top.

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Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary Poster

September 3, 2025

The Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary poster is here. Join us in celebrating the 6th anniversary of the designation of Mallows Bay as a national marine sanctuary, and dive into history, beauty, and adventure with this breathtaking new artwork!

Two technical divers equipped with cameras and lights explore a mesophotic reef slope in dark waters in Fagatele Bay, American Samoa. Several scientific instruments are deployed on the seafloor.

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Training Tomorrow's Workforce: Underwater Robotics in Alpena, Michigan

Sanctuary Shorts

Dive into the wonders of America’s national marine sanctuaries—one short story at a time. These bite-sized videos bring you face-to-face with the wildlife, people, and science that make these treasured waters so extraordinary. From learning about sharks, whales, and kelp forests, to discovering shipwrecks, and from community stewardship projects to cutting-edge research, each short offers a quick glimpse into the world of your national marine sanctuaries.

View more Sanctuary Shorts

Notes from the Field

Join us behind the scenes for a look at research taking place above and below the water.

A pod of orcas swims closely together at the ocean surface, their black-and-white bodies and tall dorsal fins visible against calm blue water

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Studying Southern Resident Killer Whales in Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary

Three women pose for a photo aboard a schooner vessel

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Sailing Into STEM with Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary

a large crane hauls a large fishing net out of the ocean onto the deck of a research vessel

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“Weeding” Marine Debris out of Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary

man preparing supplies in a laboratory for filtering water samples

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Surveying Life Above Davidson Seamount in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary

Fish Bits

Man camping near the water's edge with flashlight pointing up to the starry sky.

Get Into Your Sanctuary

Black and white albatross and brown bird on beach leaning over tray of multicolored discarded lighters

Marine Debris Resource Collection

Learn Your "ABC's" With Sanctuary Wildlife

National Marine Sanctuary System Posters

Illustrated poster of Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary showing scuba divers exploring a well-preserved wooden shipwreck underwater, with fish swimming nearby and a small sunken boat on the seabed.

During the National Marine Sanctuary System's 50th anniversary celebration in 2022, a commemorative poster series was launched to capture the beauty and diversity of each site in the system. The posters are two sided, featuring original artwork on the front and educational information on the back. Other posters created for the system over the years have also been added. Dive in and download your sanctuary posters today!

Virtual Dives

Immerse yourself in the ocean and your national marine sanctuaries without getting wet!

Dive Into Your Sanctuaries

Our planet is an ocean planet: Earth Is Blue. The National Marine Sanctuary System protects some of the most iconic underwater places throughout the United States, but we can't do it without you. No matter where you are, the ocean and Great Lakes are in your hands. We hope these images inspire you to help care for our ocean and to spread the word that Earth isn't green – it's blue.

Submit your own photos and join us on:

A Hawaiian monk seal mother and pup lying on a beach

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Stories from the Blue

Stories from the Blue celebrate the people at the center of national marine sanctuaries and marine national monuments. What does the National Marine Sanctuary System mean to you?

What does the National Marine Sanctuary System mean to you?

Sanctuary Nomination Process

NOAA invites communities across the nation to nominate their most treasured places in our marine and Great Lakes waters for consideration as national marine sanctuaries.

nominate.noaa.gov

a surfer and bodyboarder standing on the beach looking at the water

Visit

National marine sanctuaries are ideal destinations for travelers who enjoy a diversity of recreational activities.

Plan your visit

a pair of kayakers with marine debris they collected on their kayak

Get Involved

Volunteers help to ensure marine sanctuaries remain America's underwater treasures for future generations.

How you can help