Farallon Islands, Rocky archipelago 30 miles west of San Francisco, United States
Farallon Islands form a chain of bare granite rocks about 30 miles (48 kilometers) offshore from the Golden Gate, surrounded by deep cold waters and protected as a national wildlife refuge. Southeast Farallon, the largest in the group, rises steeply with barren slopes, a lighthouse, and a small research building perched on its peak.
Russian and American hunters arrived in the early 1800s and killed seals and sea lions nearly to extinction for their pelts and oil. President Theodore Roosevelt declared the rocks a protected reservation in 1909 after egg collectors had also harvested seabird eggs for decades.
The name Farallon comes from Spanish, meaning "small pointed rocks," which describes the sharp granite formations rising from the ocean. Researchers live on Southeast Farallon during field seasons, recording data about white sharks and elephant seals in a working laboratory setting.
Boats cannot land on the islands because they are a closed wildlife refuge, but tour vessels circle the rocks and offer views of seals and nesting birds. The ocean can be rough, so bring motion sickness medicine and dress warmly even in summer.
White sharks arrive in the waters around the islands between September and December to hunt seals, and passengers on boats sometimes witness attacks. The islands also host the only known colony of tufted puffins south of Alaska along the Pacific coast.
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