Flower Garden Banks
National Marine Sanctuary

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  2. FGBNMS

Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary encompasses 17 reefs and banks located approximately 80–125 miles off the Texas and Louisiana coasts. These banks are a combination of small underwater mountains, ridges, troughs, and hard-bottom features formed as a result of dynamic salt domes beneath the seafloor. The habitats associated with these banks range from thriving coral reefs and coral communities, to deeper mesophotic reefs filled with black corals, octocorals, algal nodules, and sponges. These varied habitats provide havens for reef fish and invertebrates, as well as manta rays, sea turtles, and sharks.

Learn more about Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary at flowergarden.noaa.gov/.

A graphical map showing the location of the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. The map shows a grey coastline with Santa Barbara and Los Angeles labeled and indicated by black arrows. A large teal-colored area surrounds several islands off the coast of Santa Barbara, representing the main sanctuary. A smaller teal circle surrounds an additional island located further south.
This graphic map of the Southern California coast highlights the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary in teal.

Quick Facts

Location: 80–125 miles south of the Texas and Louisiana coasts in the Gulf of America

Protected Area: 160 square miles

Designation: January 1992, Expansion 1996, 2021

Habitats (shallow to deep):

  • Coral reefs and communities
  • Sand flats
  • Coralline algae zones
  • Mesophotic reefs
  • Mud volcanoes
  • Open ocean

Key Species:

  • Boulder corals (brain and star)
  • Black corals
  • Groupers
  • Hammerhead sharks
  • Manta rays
  • Octocorals
  • Sea turtles

Sanctuary Highlight

Sunset from the back deck of a large vessel at sea
Read

Restoring Deep Habitats In and Around Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary

A team of experts embarks on an unprecedented restoration expedition

Multimedia

Our Planet is an Ocean Planet: Earth Is Blue.

No matter where you are, the ocean and Great Lakes are in your hands. We hope these images and videos from Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary inspire you to help care for our ocean and to spread the word that Earth isn't green—it's blue.

ship and divers at the water surface, manta ray swimming a coral reef teeming with fish and other marine life, a turtle and ROV in the background
An image showing a coral reef at night, where numerous small, white egg and sperm bundles are being released into the dark water during a mass spawning event.
a mobula gliding through the water
a morel eel with, peering out from beneath a rocky crevice on a coral reef.
Barrel sponge at East Garden Bank
large bleached brain coral

National Marine Sanctuary System

national marine Sanctuary system map

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.