When a whale dies, its descent to the seafloor builds an ecosystem on bones. Deep-sea creatures move through the shadows to find a great food source. Swipe, if you dare, to learn about creatures of a whale fall.👻
Learn more marinesanctuary.org/blog/wha… and sanctuaries.noaa.gov/spooky/
ALT A graphic of various ocean animals. Text reeds "Creatures of a whale fall"
ALT Photographs of rattail fish. Text reads "rattail fish"
ALT Photographs of hagfish. Text reads "hagfish"
ALT Photograph of a whale skeleton on the sea floor. Text reads "learn more if you dare in the caption below"
Even in the fall and winter months, national marine sanctuaries, like this underwater peace in Hawaiian Island Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, need YOUR help.
Head to marinesanctuary.org/get-invo…
Content by David Ruck/NOAA
ALT Young girl joyfully playing by rocky ocean shore on National Marine Sanctuary Day poster. text reads "Celebrate National Marine Sanctuary Day on October 23!"
We asked you to speak up for marine sanctuaries by urging your elected officials to join the National Marine Sanctuary Caucus, and you all came through! We reached a total of 43 Representatives.
Don’t see your Representative? It's not too late! Go to marinesanctuary.org/campaign…
ALT Map of the U.S. highlighting members of the National Marine Sanctuary Congressional Caucus with portraits and state labels over a water background.
Gearing up for #NationalMarineSanctuaryDay with @sanctuaries volunteer program! In 2025, volunteers contributed 66,806 hours across the system, which is equivalent to 37 full-time employees!
Want to volunteer with sanctuaries? Go to marinesanctuary.org/national…
Photos: NOAA
ALT Four individuals standing in front of various posters holding up pins.
ALT People standing around an outreach booth with various informational materials displayed. Text on the tablecloth reads “Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary”
ALT People in red kayaks huddled together looking at a data sheet.
ALT People talking around an outreach table. Pop-up banners are surrounding the table.
On Indigenous Peoples' Day, the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, Makah Tribe, and @NOAADebris are proud to share that the story of the removal of 3,700 tons of marine debris from Neah Bay, WA, is online! Watch "Neah Bay: Restoring Ancestral Waters": marinesanctuary.org/neahbayf…
ALT A poster titled “Neah Bay Restoring Waters”. Multiple laurel awards are featured and an image of marine debris at the surface of a bay is in the background.
Who's ready to shout #GoBirds? 🦅
The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and Philadelphia Eagles have teamed up for the "Birds Supporting Birds" partnership.
Learn more at marinesanctuary.org/birds-su…
The National Marine Sanctuary Foundation aims to get resources sanctuaries need to discover & share our nation's history. YOU can help by urging your Representative to join the National Marine Sanctuary Caucus at ow.ly/UuFw50ZQZrw
📸Josephsfay-bryandort
Our award winning film Neah Bay: Restoring Ancestral Waters, showing the cleanup of 3,700 tons of marine debris in Neah Bay, WA, in partnership with the Makah Tribe and @NOAADebris, will be playing at the River and Ocean Film Festival.
Event details at ow.ly/4sn450ZRu5l
ALT A calm bay at sunset with floating platforms and a crane, promoting Neah Bay's River & Ocean Film Festival screening on October 2, 2026.
🪸After being studied in NOAA laboratories, 56 lab-reared corals, originally collected from the twilight zone, were loaded onto the RV Pelican and transported offshore near @FGBNMS.
👉Learn more about this project in our latest #NoteFromTheField: sanctuaries.noaa.gov/notes/2…
ALT Members of the science team prepare the coral elevator to deliver coral fragments to the seafloor for outplanting.
ALT Callogorgia coral fragments are outplanted on the seafloor near other Callogorgia corals at Ewing Bank
ALT Coral fragments are placed on the coral elevator, ready to be lowered to the seafloor for outplanting.
Waters For All 🌊
Over 25 years, @MarineSanctuary has expanded & deepened people’s connections & access to our ocean, coasts, & Great Lakes, & built partnerships with coastal communities & businesses along over 629,000 sq mi of public waters. Join us at MarineSanctuary.org!
CHOW STARTS NOW! 🌊
#CHOW2026 begins with our opening keynote from @NOAA & @NFWFnews.
Tune in to hear from an incredible list of speakers including explorers, scientists, Indigenous and community leaders, & industry innovators.
Join us at CapitolHillOceanWeek.org!
Our new web story takes a deep dive with last year’s winners to reveal how they captured powerful images responsibly for last year's Get Into Your Sanctuary Photo Contest. 📸
Full story: sanctuaries.noaa.gov/news/20….
Get your cameras ready! Our 2026 Photo Contest opens this FRIDAY!
ALT Four headshots collaged together in vertical columns. A person with long reddish hair smiling, a man with a light blue shirt holding a large underwater camera housing to his face, a man smiling in front of a black background, a man sitting on a dock in snorkeling gear and wetsuit holding an underwater camera
The Foundation is delighted to wish Sir David Attenborough a happy 100th birthday!
To commemorate his birthday, dive into the depths of America’s national marine sanctuaries in this article published in The Flow Trip magazine's David Attenborough issue! ow.ly/Ybx150YWO3O
#FUNFACT: Marine protected areas can help marine life rebound, protect at-risk species, and support our coastal communities.
As many countries work to expand ocean protections, hope for a thriving ocean grows.
Add your name to keep the momentum going: oceana.ly/4d490i7
🎊 Our newest #SaveSpectacular poster is definitely worthy of the beauty and history of Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary!⚓️
Celebrate #GreatLakesAwarenessDay and check out this stunning poster (both sides!) by visiting: sanctuaries.noaa.gov/posters….
🎨: Matt McIntosh/NOAA
ALT An illustration of an underwater shipwreck surrounded by divers, fish, and an anchor.
[repost by @wwf]
Take two breaths… did you do it? 👀
Now thank the ocean, because it produces half the oxygen you breathe – all day, every day!
🌏 It also absorbs heat and CO2 from the atmosphere. Really, it’s working round the clock to keep our climate in balance.
But our ocean is in trouble. Since the 1970s, populations of oceanic sharks and rays have plummeted by over 70%.
It’s vital we reduce the pressure from overfishing and climate change, protect habitats and reduce plastic pollution 💙Share this post to give our ocean a voice!