Photo: NOAA/GFNMS/CBNMS
Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary is one of 18 federally designated underwater areas protected by NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries and represents a remarkable offshore ecosystem shaped by migration, ocean currents, and seafloor geography.
Located about 42 miles north of San Francisco and spanning 1,286 square miles, the sanctuary centers around Cordell Bank — a dramatic rocky undersea feature that rises from the continental shelf toward the ocean surface, creating ideal conditions for marine life. Seasonal upwelling and the southward flow of the California Current fuel nutrient-rich waters that attract migrating whales, seabirds, fishes, and invertebrates, making the sanctuary a dynamic crossroads of ocean movement and biodiversity.
These migrations — from feeding marine mammals to traveling seabirds and the countless creatures that depend on this productivity — define the sanctuary’s ecological importance and underscore why protecting this living seascape is critical. Learn more about the sanctuary’s oceanography, habitats, and wildlife:
