2023 Get Into Your Sanctuary Photo Contest results

Thank you to all the photographers who shared their view of national marine sanctuaries with us! Click each photograph to see the full version.

Please note that we may use any of the photos we received for this contest on our website, on social media, and in other NOAA and National Marine Sanctuary Foundation publications. We will provide credit to photographers whenever we use any of the photos. Organizations other than NOAA and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation may use photographs submitted in this contest to promote sustainable and responsible activities in the National Marine Sanctuary System, as long as the photographer is credited. These photos are not for sale and are not for commercial use unless prior permission is arranged.

Sanctuary Life

From tiny krill to enormous gray whales, thousands of species call the National Marine Sanctuary System home! This category depicts the amazing marine life that you can find in your national marine sanctuaries. All photographers followed marine life viewing guidelines while taking photos.

snorkelers are watching three turtles hover around a cleaning station. — **1st Place: Douglas Hoffman.** Beautiful green sea turtles (*Chelonia mydas*) floating elegantly in Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary.

After gobbling down a fish delivered by its mom, the young Elegant Tern is asking for more in the slough in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. — **2nd Place: Jean Zuo.** Elegant tern (*Sterna elegans*) mother brought back a fish for her baby in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

Two elephant seals fighting in the water — **3rd Place: Douglas Croft.** Big, but not big enough to compete for a harem of females, these young male northern elephant seals (*Mirounga angustirostris*) take their frustrations out on each other in a tidal pool near Drake's Beach near Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary.

Back to category winners

Honorable Mentions

Black-footed albatross chick with parent in Papahanaumokuakea — A black-footed albatross (*Phoebastria nigripes*) chick sits in nest while a parent stands guard. Called Ka'upu in Hawaiian, these birds spend most of their lives at sea, but return to some Hawaiian Islands to mate and nest. The linguistic parts of the marine national monument's name can be translated as: "Papa" (earth mother), "hānau" (birth), "moku" (island), and "ākea" (open). This is a culturally significant name for the people of Hawai'i, and also apt for the birds that nest here. Photo: Emily Louina Cook

A newly hatched green sea turtle baby is at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean in South Florida — Baby green sea turtle (*Chelonia mydas*) tasting the ocean in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Jean Zuo

Scorpionfish with fishing line and hook in it's mouth as it is wrapped around a coral head — Scorpionfish (*Scorpaena plumieri*) on Stetson Bank in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Scott Bauer

An encounter with 3 rarely seen offshore killer whales in calm blue waters with Big Sur ca in the background — Killer whales (*Orcinus orca*) in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Image shot 33km offshore Big Sur, California. Photo: Jane Mayer

A close-up image of a bearded fireworm — Don't touch a fireworm (*Hermodice carunculata*)! While pretty and fluffy to observe, the fireworm can deliver a painful sting. Photo: Paul Cater Deaton

Osprey in flight holding prey — Osprey (*Pandion haliaetus*) with catfish in talons, Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Reed A. George

Nurse shark separating a school of snappers — Nurse shark (*Ginglymostoma cirratum*) and ubiquitous gray snappers (*Lutjanus griseus*) and grunts (*Haemulon*) in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Daniel Eidsmoe

A jellyfish in the shape of a saucer with a sunball above it — A moon jellyfish (*Aurelia aurita*) in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Michael Schilling

A diver swimming behind a large, eroded reef outcropping covered in colorful sponges — A colorful variety of sponges cover a reef outcropping in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Justin Wallace

A diver experiences coral spawning in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary — A giant barrel sponge (*Xestospongia muta*) spawning in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Justin Wallace

Harbor seal, half grey and half black from recent waves, sits on volcanic rock above the water — A harbor seal (*Phoca vitulina*) smiles at passing visitors while hauled out on a rock offshore of Santa Cruz Island, in Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Dustin Harris

Moon Jellyfish basking in the light of the sunset — Sunset moon jellyfish (*Aurelia aurita*) in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Ashley Reesor

Two male subadult elephant seals mock fighting — Male subadult elephant seals (*Mirounga angustirostris*) mock fighting at Piedras Blancas, in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Irene Reti

Brown pelican feeding in Elkhorn Slough — Brown pelican (*Pelecanus occidentalis*) in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Irene Reti

A bigfin squid hanging out under our boat, dark pin with many white spots — Bigfin squid (*Sepioteuthis lessoniana*) in Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Daniela Escontrela Dieguez

A beige flounder with blue spots lays on the sand — A panther flounder (*Bothus pantherinus*) lies in sand in Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Daniela Escontrela Dieguez

A baby octopus sits on a cone snail with arms propped up like it's ready to fight — A baby octopus in Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Daniela Escontrela Dieguez

Viewing a dive boat eclipsing the sun from the deck of a shipwreck in the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary as a sand tiger shark passes by — Viewing a dive boat eclipsing the sun from the deck of a shipwreck near Monitor National Marine Sanctuary as a sand tiger shark (*Carcharias taurus*) passes by. Photo: Bruce Sudweeks

Sea otter resting on its back in seagrass — A southern sea otter (*Enhydra lutris nereis*) taking a snooze in seagrass (*Zostera marina*) in Proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Samantha Hamilton

Flamingo Tongue snail feeding on a gorgonian. Ambient Lightgrowing on the bow of the Benwood — Flamingo tongue snail (*Cyphoma gibbosum*)in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Sam Enos

A mostly submerged killer whale exhales in very clear water — "Just breathe. Louise rises to the surface for a breath as she approaches our boat. One of the more famous killer whales (*orcinus orca*) that visits Monterey Bay, Louise is also one of the most friendly, and will often do some people watching, coming to visit stationary boats." Photo: Douglas Croft

Orca breaching breaching the surface of the ocean with mountains in the background — Orca (*orcinus orca*) breaching along the Big Sur coastline in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Amanda Urena

Beautiful and colorful cleaner shrimp in it's anemone home — Spotted cleaner shrimp (*Periclimenes yucatanicus*)in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Sam Enos

An osprey caught a big fish in the Atlantic Ocean. As the osprey is coming out of the water, it appears like it's surfing with its catch over the ocean waves — Osprey (*Pandion haliaetus*) fishing and surfing in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Jean Zuo

Queen Angelfish darts in and out of the overhangs for protection at Conch Ledge near Key Largo,Queen Angelfish (<em>Holacanthus ciliaris</em>) at Conch Ledge near Key Largo in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary — Daryl Duda

Young southern sea otter with purple sea urchin — Sea otter (*Enhydra lutris nereis*) holding a sea urchin (*Strongylocentrotus purpuratus*) in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Peter Monteforte

Southern sea otter with pup on her belly — Sea otter (*Enhydra lutris nereis*) with pup in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Peter Monteforte

Young southern sea otter in kelp bed — Sea otter (*Enhydra lutris nereis*) smiling at the camera in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Peter Monteforte

Sea lion basking in the sun at Breakwater Cove — Sea lion (*Zalophus californianus*) at Breakwater Cove, in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Tyler Smith

A large male orca breaching from the surface of the water — "Breach! Male killer whales (*Orcinus orca*) are so impressive with their tall dorsal and huge paddle pectoral fins. I captured this photo in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary." Photo: Douglas Croft

A cute balloonfish looks safe and secure with a portion of his smile covered by a coral at Pickles Reef near Key Largo — Balloonfish (*Diodon holocanthus*) at Pickles Reef near Key Largo in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Daryl Duda

Mom and baby humpback whales with their flukes up together — Synchronized mom and baby humpback whale (*Megaptera novaeangliae*) tails. Photo: Kelly Hardy

Harbor seal curiously peering into camera surrounded by giant kelp which is growing up to the surface — A harbor seal (*Phoca vitulina*) swims up and curiously inspects the camera dome in the kelp forests off of Monterey, CA. Seal approached the photographer. Photo: Kayvon Malek

Lucky shot of a 'yawn'. This scorpionfish was on the move and stretching its jaws — Spotted scorpionfish (*Scorpaena plumieri*) in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Sam Enos

Sea palms engulfed by waves on a tiny offshore rock — Sea palms (*Postelsia palmaeformis*) in Great Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Irene Reti

Sea turtles rest in the sand under a reef — Green turtles (*Chelonia mydas*) in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Jorge Medina

Sea stars clumped together and clinging to a wet rock — Ochre sea stars (*Pisaster ochraceus*) at Bodega Bay, in Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Irene Reti

A black and white image of the whorl of a large emperor helmet snail resting on a sandy seafloor — An emperor helmet snail (*Cassis madagascariensis*) crawls across the sand near Hen and Chickens Reef in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Karen Neely

A fangblenny pokes its head out of a hole to show a goofy, smiling face — A fangblenny (*Plagiotremus ewaensis*) rests after a day of trying to bite other fish in Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Daniela Escontrela Dieguez

Local yellow fringe head up close and personal — Yellow fringehead (*Neoclinus stephensae*) in the Channel Islands. Photo: Bill Van Antwerp

Tiny hopkins rose with a black background — A tiny hopkins rose (*Okenia rosacea*) on a reflective substrate in the Channel Islands. Photo: Bill Van Antwerp

Several small silvery fish inside the bell of a box jelly lying sideways on a gravelly patch of reef — Juvenile fish inside a box jellyfish at Stetson Bank, in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Penny Hammer

A newly hatched green sea turtle baby running to the Atlantic Ocean on a beach in South Florida — Green sea turtle baby (*Chelonia mydas*) going home in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Jean Zuo

Pederson cleaner shrimp in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary — "I love this photo because of the perfect pose - putting in an earing or cheering something on. This pederson cleaner shrimp (*Periclimenes pedersoni*) was outside its typical hole." Photo: Sam Enos

A cormorant and sun rays burst through the kelp canopy at San Carlos Beach in the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary — A Brandt's cormorant (*Urile penicillatus*) and sun rays burst through the kelp canopy at San Carlos Beach in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Bruce Sudweeks

Snoozing california sea Lions pile up while sleeping on a harbor beach — California sea lions (*Zalophus californianus*) pile up as they snooze on a Monterey harbor beach in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Christina Parsons

A Snowy Plover is resting in its nest in the sand dunes on a beach in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary — A snowy plover (*Charadrius nivosus*) is resting in its nest in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Jean Zuo

Green heron feeding on crayfish at Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary — Green heron (*Butorides virescens*) feeding on crayfish in Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Reed A. George

Osprey holding prey — Osprey (*Pandion haliaetus*) with prey in Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Reed A. George

A school of silver fish in blue water — A school of Sphyraena helleri (*Hellers barracuda*) off of Tau Island, National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa. Photo: Raymond Boland

Juvenile centropyge flavissima pokes out between a space in a mounding coral head — A juvenile *Centropyge flavissima* peaks out from underneath a coral head to observe fish biologists conduct fish surveys in National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa.,Nathan Hayes

By-The-Wind-Sailors (Velella velella) on the glass looking surface of the water — We've had a huge bloom of By-The-Wind-Sailors (*Velella velella*) along the West Coast this spring. These beautiful hydrozoans were photographed on glassy waters in Monterey Bay.,Douglas Croft

A dolphin exhales while swimming just below the surface — "Such a treat when dolphins rush to the boat to play in the bow wave. This northern right-whale dolphin (*Lissodelphis borealis*) was swimming just below the surface directly beneath the bow and exhaled just prior to surfacing." Photo: Douglas Croft

An octopus navigating through the cracks and crevices of Stetson Bank in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary — Octopus (*Octopus americanus*) on Stetson Bank, in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Scott Bauer

Scorpion fish perched on a ledge — Spotted Scorpion Fish (*Scorpaena plumieri*), in Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. "They are usually closer to the bottom so this was a good opportunity for a more interesting shot." Photo: Sam Enos

River otter with head out of the water in Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary — River otter (*Lontra canadensis*) in Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Reed A. George

Ruby octopus crawls through tide pool in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary — Ruby octopus (*octopus rubescens*) in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Tyler Smith

Sea otter pup lying in kelp checks out camera man while her mom bathes her — Sea otter pup (*Enhydra lutris nereis*) in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Tyler Smith

A diver is seen hovering, surrounded by a school of crevalle jacks — Crevalle jacks (*Caranx hippos*) at Stetson Bank in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Mohannad Aljishi

A pair of divers are floating motionless as a school of jacks and a barracuda swim around them, sillouetted by the sun — Crevalle jacks (*Caranx hippos*) and a great barracuda (*Sphyraena barracuda*) at Stetson Bank in Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Mohannad Aljishi

A humpback whale breaching the surface on the horizon — "On June 10, 2023, a humpback whale (*Megaptera novaengliae*) named "Dross 2023 Calf" is observed breaching while aboard M/V *Sanctuary*, a whale-watching catamaran for the New England Aquarium." Photo: Evan Barruzza

Humpback whale diving — A humpback whale (*Megaptera novaengliae*) dives as their group continues its afternoon feeding in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Photo: Drew Bryden

Group of humpback whales with tails and fins showing above the surface of the water — Group of humpback whales (*Megaptera novaengliae*) with tails and fins breaking the surface, in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Jeremy Taylor

Humpback whale head poking out water with seagulls standing ontop — Humpback whale (*Megaptera novaengliae*) in Cape cod in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Oliver Robert Smissen

A closeup shot of blue mussels with a blurry image of a person walking in the background — Exposed blue mussels (*Mytilus edulis*) during a king tide at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Jake Rennert

Dark grey elephant adult elephant seal moving from the ocean to shore on a calm glassy day. The seal is moving from the right to left side of the frame — An adult elephant seal (*Mirounga angustirostris*) wandering onto shore at Drake's Beach looking for a mate near Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Jake Rennert

A dark colored reticulated blenny perches on a yellow coral — A reticulated blenny (*Cirripectis stigmaticus*) perches on a coral.,Raymond Boland

A close-up shot of a yellow-morph spotted pufferfish getting cleaned by a red-lipped cleaner wrasse — A yellow-morph spotted pufferfish (*Arothron meleagris*) getting cleaned by a red-lipped cleaner wrasse (*Labroides rubrolabiatus*) in National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa. Photo: Nathan Hayes

An orange spotted filefish hides among the branches of an Acropora field — A shy orange spotted filefish (*Oxymonacanthus longirostris*) hides among *Acropora* branches during monitoring surveys conducted for NOAA's National Coral Reef Monitoring Project in National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa. Photo: Daniela Escontrela Dieguez

Three very colorful fish over the reef of different species — "A beautiful school of juvenile paletail chromis (*Chromis xanthura*) graces me with their presence while doing surveys for the National Coral Reef Monitoring Project in National Marine Sanctuary of American Samoa." Photo: Daniela Escontrela Dieguez

A colorful pink giant nudibranch sits on the ocean floor — Giant nudibranch (*Dendronotus iris*) in Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. Photo: Amanda Ho

Please note that we may use any of the photos we received for this contest on our website, on social media, and in other NOAA and National Marine Sanctuary Foundation publications. We will provide credit to photographers whenever we use any of the photos. Organizations other than NOAA and the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation may use photographs submitted in this contest to promote sustainable and responsible recreation in the National Marine Sanctuary System. These photos are not for sale and are not for commercial use unless prior permission is arranged.