Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, Marine reserve off Santa Barbara County, United States

The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary is an ocean reserve off the California coast that protects several islands and the surrounding marine waters. The area supports diverse marine life and allows visitors to engage in activities like diving, snorkeling, and wildlife watching in specific zones.

The sanctuary was designated on October 2, 1980, by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, following heightened concerns after a 1969 oil spill in the Santa Barbara Channel. It was expanded in 2007. It surrounds five of the eight Channel Islands and is part of the National Marine Sanctuary program.

The sanctuary protects living Chumash culture; the islands are part of the ancestral homeland of the Chumash people, who have lived along this coast for thousands of years. The sanctuary's visitor center interprets these living and maritime heritage resources for the public.

The sanctuary lies in the Santa Barbara Channel, 95 miles (153 km) north of Los Angeles and 350 miles (563 km) south of San Francisco, reached by boat from Santa Barbara and Ventura harbors; the islands themselves have no public ferry. Its waters extend six nautical miles (about 11 km) from the mean high tide line of each of the five islands, and a network of 13 state and federal marine reserves inside the boundary restricts or bars fishing in set zones. Check current fishing rules and sea conditions before setting out.

The sanctuary protects more than 150 historic shipwrecks, and its waters hold living Chumash culture. Within its boundaries lie a network of 13 state and federal marine reserves and conservation areas. In the photo, two killer whales surface off a pale shoreline and rocky hills.