"When I am down there, I'm not a man anymore. I'm a sea creature... a diving mammal. I belong to the sea."
Jacques Mayol

Ocean Facts on Safe Navigation

California has 1,100 miles of shoreline, ranging from dramatic cliffs to sandy beaches. Experience the ocean by swimming, diving, boating, surfing, playing, birdwatching, photographing, or contemplating its vast beauty and power. To know our ocean is to love it, and to love the ocean is to protect it.


Visit the Ocean

The California Coastal Access Guide describes all public coastal access areas in California.
Also check out the California Coastal Trail system and the Wheelchair Rider's Guides to the California Coast.

To discover special ocean and coastal places, visit:

California State Parks
Channel Islands National Park
Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve
NOAA Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
NOAA Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary
NOAA Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary
NOAA Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
NOAA National Marine Sanctuary Program
Point Reyes National Seashore
San Francisco National Estuarine Reserve

Explore the Ocean

There are many different ways to connect with the ocean. You can take a naturalist-led coastal hike or a whale watching trip. To learn more about the kind of ocean adventure you’d like to have, visit Ocean Communicators Alliance members’ websites under “Recreation.”

Enjoy Ocean Film, Photography, and Media

Check out the Ocean Communicator Alliance members who specialize in capturing the ocean in language and on film.

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