Monterey Bay
National Marine Sanctuary

  1. ONMS
  2. MBNMS

Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary is located along 276 miles of California's coast, stretching from seven miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge south to Cambria. The 6,094 square miles of sanctuary waters contain extensive kelp forests, underwater canyons, and an underwater mountain teeming with life—Davidson Seamount. Known as the "Serengeti of the Sea," the sanctuary harbors incredible marine life, diverse habitats, and offers spectacular opportunities for diving, fishing, whale watching, and more. The sanctuary's seafloor contains a living museum with significant archaeological, historical, and cultural resources.

Learn more about Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary at montereybay.noaa.gov.

Graphic map of the California coastline titled 'Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.' A large teal shape in the Pacific Ocean marks the sanctuary's area, stretching from just north of San Francisco down past Monterey. Black arrows label key coastal landmarks: San Francisco, Santa Cruz, and Monterey.
Graphic map of the Central California coast showing the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in relation to San Francisco, Santa Cruz, and Monterey.

Quick Facts

Location: California central coast

Protected Area: 6,094 square miles

Designation: September 1992

Habitats:

  • Bays and estuaries
  • Continental shelf and slope
  • Deep-sea floor
  • Kelp forests
  • Open ocean
  • Rocky and sandy shores
  • Seamounts
  • Submarine canyon

Key Species:

  • Deep-sea corals
  • Giant kelp
  • Gray whale
  • Humpback whale
  • Market squid
  • Northern elephant seal
  • Pacific harbor seal
  • Pacific leatherback sea turtle
  • Risso's dolphin
  • Rockfish
  • Southern sea otter

Sanctuary Highlight

man preparing supplies in a laboratory for filtering water samples
Read

Surveying Life Above Davidson Seamount in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary

Sanctuary staff are aboard the NOAA Ship Rueben Lasker conducted visual surveys of marine mammals, and using cutting-edge technology to collect environmental DNA (eDNA) samples from the water column. These efforts aim to better understand how the seamount influences biodiversity in the waters above and around it.

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 Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary inspire you to help care for our ocean and to spread the word that Earth isn't green—it's blue.

Coastal mangroves and seagrass are nurseries for many species of fish, invertebrates and birds that inhabit Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. These calm, shallow waters are ideal for paddle sports, snorkeling, and fishing for species like tarpon. The offshore coral reef features elkhorn and brain corals, sponges, and other invertebrates which create habitat for spiny lobster, urchins, and many other species of reef fish like sergeant major and larger fish like sharks, rays, barracuda, and snapper.
a sea lion swimming gracefully, silhouetted against the bright sun shining through the water's surface. Dark fronds of a kelp forest are visible in the background.
Octopuses and other sea creatures feed on a whale carcass
A sea otter floating on its back
four california sea lions swimming in a kelp forest
A gray puffball sponge looms above red urchins and orange cup corals on a rocky outcrop

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.