Sanctuary Habitats

Rocks poke out of calm water
Photo: NOAA

The sanctuary includes six major habitat types extending seaward from the intertidal to deep submarine canyons. Sand and gravel beaches interspersed with rocky headlands and tidepools harbor a diversity of organisms along the coastline. Rocky shores and reefs border portions of the coast and surround offshore islands, in places providing substrate for lush kelp forests. Sandy seafloor habitats harbor creatures that burrow and scurry. Deep seafloor and open ocean habitats comprise the majority of the sanctuary, supporting many species of ecological, economic, and cultural importance.