As you drive south on Highway 1 from Carmel (or north from San Simeon) on the central California coast, you enter a majestic stretch of coastline called Big Sur. This rugged area, known for its breathtaking views and pristine coastline, is wild yet easy to view from the highway. Although access to the water’s edge […]
Tag Archives: mpa
Sixgill Shark Encounter Inside a North Coast MPA
January 4th, 2016
**This blog entry orginally appeared on the website oceanspaces.org.**/p> While surveying a series of planned transect lines within the Reading Rock SMR off the coast of Northern California this last October, a female bluntnose sixgill shark (Hexanchus griseus) suddenly appeared right in front of our ROV Beagle. The shark’s arrival startled everyone watching the live […]
Exploring California’s Marine Protected Areas: Point Reyes State Marine Reserve
December 8th, 2015
Many recreational activities associated with marine protected areas (MPAs) require a visitor to at least get their feet wet, but Point Reyes State Marine Reserve (SMR) offers visitors the opportunity to view and enjoy a wide diversity of animals from shore, and a bathing suit isn’t even required!
Exploring California’s Marine Protected Areas: Anacapa Island State Marine Reserve
October 22nd, 2015
Off the coast of the densely populated Los Angeles metropolitan area resides one of California’s great wildlife treasures: the Northern Channel Islands. Often considered the “Galapagos of North America” this small archipelago hosts one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world.
Reef Check on the Radio
October 9th, 2015
Reef Check, a worldwide organization dedicated to monitoring the health of reef ecosystems, has been busy here in California. They are training volunteer divers to study some of the coast’s most remote marine protected areas in Big Sur, the Channel Islands, and off the rugged North Coast. Their work was the subject of a […]