#savespectacular

Just in time for World Ocean Day, we are unveiling the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary commemorative poster!

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 offer spectacular opportunities for diving, fishing, whale watching, and more. The sanctuary's seafloor contains a living museum with significant archaeological, historical, and cultural resources.

Take a look for yourself and download the poster today:

The inspiration behind our upcoming #SaveSpectacular commemorative poster 😍

Which Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary species is your favorite? See these cool critters featured in our new poster that will be released in early December.

1: Bluehead wrasse (Credit: Emma Hickerson/NOAA)

2: Brittle sea star (Credit: G.P. Schmahl/NOAA)

3: Christmas tree worms (Credit: G.P. Schmahl/NOAA)

4: Blue angelfish (Credit: G.P. Schmahl/NOAA)

5: Creolefish (Credit: G.P. Schmahl/NOAA)

6: Marble grouper (Credit: G.P. Schmahl/NOAA)

Need some tips for getting the perfect underwater shot? We’ve got you covered!

Always let the underwater life you encounter dictate the interactions. Never chase or feed wildlife. You are in their home, and we are just spectators. There is nothing more humbling than seeing a shark or sea lion glide effortlessly underwater, and there is nothing more exciting than capturing these animals on camera and bringing that footage home to share that experience. When you have all of your equipment, diving, and camera dialed in and you slow down and let the action come to you, that is when you capture magic in your photos and videos. Who knows, maybe your photograph or video will inspire someone to want to help protect these amazing creatures and places that call the underwater world home.

We look forward to seeing your incredible photos above and below the waters of your National Marine Sanctuary System during this year’s Get Into Your Sanctuary Photo Contest! Our contest closes TOMORROW (Monday, September 4, 2023). Submit your entries now!

Signed, sealed, and delivered to you on National U.S. Postage Stamp Day 📬

How much do you love #NationalMarineSanctuariesStamps?

Today is the anniversary of the Endangered Species Act! 🎉

The National Marine Sanctuaries Act is not the only piece of legislation that’s important to your sanctuaries. On this day, December 28, the Endangered Species Act was signed in 1973. Considered to be one of the world’s strongest conservation laws, the ESA provides a framework to conserve and protect endangered and threatened species and their habitats.

Learn more about the timeline of the Office of National Marine Sanctuaries:

New Release: Climate Change Resource Collection

As part of our 50th anniversary campaign, we've launched a new resource collection. In this new era of ocean conservation, we encourage formal and informal educators and other interested people to take advantage of these robust educational materials found in the Climate Change Resource Collection.

A rapidly changing climate brings challenges to our underwater parks in ways we have never seen before. Climate-related impacts, like changing weather patterns and storm events, warming seas, ocean acidification, and sea level rise, are becoming more prevalent around the globe. Changes in climate will affect national marine sanctuaries and the overall health of the ocean, which is vital to our quality of life and, ultimately, our survival.

What do you see in this photo? 🔬

Students across the nation in all 50 states looked up at their class projector screen this year and witnessed what some describe as “alien-like life decked out in discoware grooving across the dance floor!”

While kids have access to a lot of interesting content these days, it's not often a student can watch microscopic life magnified and projected over the internet by plankton experts. The featured plankton was collected from surface waters just off of San Francisco, and shared nationwide as part of the celebration of NOAA’s National Marine Sanctuary System’s 50th anniversary.

Read the full story:

What's going on in this clip?

This tiny free-swimming jellyfish larva is called an ephyra. As it feeds and grows it will develop the stinging tentacles of an adult jellyfish. Visual description: Translucent, microscopic living organism pulses several times.

As part of our 50th anniversary campaign, we've launched the new Dolphin Resource Collection.

Learn more about the intelligent mammals that inhabit our ocean, the problems they face, and their importance in the marine ecosystem. Read to explore NOAA’s efforts to protect dolphin populations and how national marine sanctuaries benefit dolphins.