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 Portraits

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

paddleboarder over shipwreck
1st Place: A stand-up paddleboarder floats over the shipwreck of the steamer Albany in Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Bryan Dort
hiker above scorpion bay
2nd Place: A hiker pauses above Scorpion Bay in Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary at dawn. Photo: Doug Mangum
viw of fish underwater with silhouetted boys in the background
3rd Place: Boys fish for tarpon at sunset in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Katy Danca Galli

All submitted photos

sea kayakers
Kayakers paddle at Scorpion Anchorage in Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Sienna Streamfellow
kayakers
Kayakers paddle in Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Sienna Streamfellow
a jelly floating near kayakers
A purple-striped jelly floats near kayakers in Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Marina Bohn
kayakers and kelp
Kayakers paddle above the kelp forest at Santa Barbara Island in Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Nathan Coy
kayakers paddling over kelp forest
Kayakers explore the kelp forest in Scorpion Anchorage, Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Anna Jacobson
kayakers resting above a kelp forest
Kayakers paddle above the kelp forest in Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Sienna Streamfellow
diver behind large sponge
A diver swims behind a large barrel sponge encrusted in corals and sea grass at Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Beata Lerman
divers over a coral reef
Divers swim over corals in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Scott Bauer
diver over reef
A diver swims over Stetson Bank in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Scott Bauer
diver and mackerel scad
A diver swims through a school of mackerel scad. Photo: Bess Bright
kayaker and child
The photographer, her daughter, and her dog kayak in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Jessica Dockery
kayaker and child
The photographer and her daughter kayak in a shallow seagrass bed in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Jessica Dockery
kayaker with dog
The photographer and her dog kayak in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Jessica Dockery
kayaker with dog
The photographer and her dog kayak in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Jessica Dockery
people gathered together on a boat
MarineLab staff gather in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Jessica Dockery
people gathered in an expired liferaft
MarineLab staff train in an expired life raft in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Jessica Dockery
selfie of a person eating a sandwich
The photographer has lunch during a lionfish derby in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Jessica Dockery
people on a dock
Participants prepare for a lionfish derby in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Ricky Williams
two divers over a reef
REEF fish surveyors Nathan and Becky Collins conduct a fish survey near Grecian Rocks in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Daryl Duda
kayakers
Kayakers explore the coastline of Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Bruce Bowser
kayakers
Kayakers explore the coastline of Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Bruce Bowser
kayakers
Kayakers gather in Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Bruce Bowser
kayakers
Kayakers prepare for launch in Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Bruce Bowser
kayakers
Kayakers cook dinner on the shores of Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Bruce Bowser
two people fishing
A father and son fish for sheepshead at Tybee Island, near Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Jennie Newsome
kayakers
A father and son fish for sheepshead at Tybee Island, near Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Jennie Newsome
diver and turtle
A diver admires a sea turtle in Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Megan Sampiere Prochnow
fisherman on shore
A fisherman waits patiently for the right moment to cast his net in Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Chad Wiggins
hiker along the coast
A hiker takes in the view of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Allison Formica
couple watching waves
A couple watches waves hit the rocks in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Phil Arnold
diver in kelp forest
A diver explores the kelp forest in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Nathan Coy
person fishing into the surf
A fisher casts into the waves at Marine State Beach in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Lisa Carpenter
girl walking along the coast
A young girl walks along the surf at Seaside State Beach in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Sam Bailey
jogger and curlew on beach
A jogger approaches a curlew along Marine State Beach in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Lisa Carpenter
kayakers gathered on a beach
Kayakers gather on shore at Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Eric Palmer
kayaker near a whale
Humpback whales surface close to a kayaker in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Lisa Carpenter [NOTE: It is illegal to approach humpback whales and other marine mammals. Let them come to you.]
surfer on beach
A surfer walks along Moss Landing State Beach at Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Sam Bailey
diver near rocky reef
An underwater photographer poses with some large anemones off Monastery Beach in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Jon Anderson
photographer diving and looking at sea anemone
An underwater photographer explores a pristine cold-water reef along the Big Sur coast in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Jon Anderson
people watching whale
Whale watchers are treated to the sight of a feeding humpback whale and sea lions. Photo: Douglas Croft
people jumping on beach at sunset
Two people celebrate sunset on Shi Shi Beach in Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Deanna Butcher
paddleboarder over shipwreck
A stand-up paddleboarder paddles over the shipwreck Portland in Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Bryan Dort
snorkelers approaching shipwreck
Three snorkelers approach the shipwreck Portland in Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Bryan Dort
paddleboarder lying down over shipwreck
A resting stand-up paddleboarder floats over the shipwreck of the steamer Albany in Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Bryan Dort
paddleboarder over shipwreck
A stand-up paddleboarder peers down at the shipwreck of the steamer Albany in Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Bryan Dort

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.