Elephant seal photos
National Marine Sanctuary contest
I love sharing the elephant seal viewpoint, because it’s so unexpected and most people don’t know about it. Even visitors often stumble on it, after they drive up to see Hearst Castle.
The viewpoint is within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, which extends from north of San Francisco to south of Cambria.
I also enter King Tide photos every year in the Coastal Commission’s King Tides Project, putting the viewpoint on the map.
I’ll enter some photos in this contest and see what happens.
Get Into Your Sanctuary Photo Contest
May 23, 2025 through September 1, 2025 (Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend)
Winning photos will be featured in the Earth Is Blue social media campaign.
Congratulations to the winners of the 2024 Get Into Your Sanctuary Photo Contest! To view the winners of this year's and previous photo contests, click on the images below.
Show the world what the ocean and Great Lakes mean to you.
In celebration of national Get Into Your Sanctuary activities, NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries holds a photo contest annually from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day weekend. We will be accepting submissions in the following categories:
Sanctuary Views: Share your photos of beautiful sunsets or scenic shots of your favorite national marine sanctuary.
Sanctuary Life: Send us your best photos of sanctuary inhabitants like fish, birds, marine mammals, and other amazing ocean creatures.
Sanctuary Recreation: Enter your best images of people responsibly enjoying national marine sanctuaries, whether they're boating, kayaking, diving, swimming, or just hanging out on the beach.
Sanctuaries Around the World: Ocean connection can happen anywhere, not just in the National Marine Sanctuary System. Following the guidance of Sanctuary Recreation, Sanctuary Life, and Sanctuary Views, show us where you connect to the ocean by submitting your photos, from anywhere in the world, to the "Sanctuaries Around the World" category of our photo contest. Submissions to this category can include photos taken in the United States, but outside of a national marine sanctuary, as well as photos taken outside of the United States. We recommend that these images consist of photos taken in the wild of marine life or bodies of water close to you. Submissions of photos from zoos, aquariums, or other indoor establishments are not encouraged.