Picture this: you’re floating on the surface of Monterey Bay, looking down through crystal-clear water at what should be a vibrant underwater forest. Instead, all you see is barren rock covered in purple spiny orbs stretching as far as the eye can see. This devastating transformation has become all too common along California’s coast over ...
Picture this: you’re casting your fishing line into the murky waters off Louisiana’s coast, expecting maybe a red snapper or speckled trout. Instead, something that looks like it swam straight out of a fairy tale breaks the surface. That’s exactly what happened to Thurman Gustin last summer, and his video has marine biologists buzzing. The ...
Night falls on the Southern Bight and the water turns to polished slate, quiet enough to hear a gull’s wingbeat. Somewhere beyond the surf line, small great white sharks cruise a warm, sandy corridor that scientists long suspected existed but couldn’t delineate. The mystery has never been the sharks themselves – people see them – ...
Picture this: you’re diving beneath the ocean’s surface, surrounded by what appears to be complete darkness. Suddenly, you switch on a special blue light and the underwater world transforms into a spectacular light show. Fish glow in brilliant neon greens, sharks pulse with ethereal patterns, and sea turtles emit stunning red and green auras. This ...
The waters off Georgia’s coast are playing host to one of nature’s most precious spectacles this winter. North Atlantic right whales have returned to their vital calving grounds, bringing hope amidst struggle for one of the world’s most endangered large whales. These magnificent creatures, weighing up to sixty tons, are making their annual journey to ...
The crystal-clear waters of Florida’s natural are once again welcoming their beloved winter visitors. Manatees are making their annual journey to these warm-water refuges, creating one of nature’s most heartwarming spectacles. As temperatures drop across the Sunshine State, these gentle giants seek out the constant warmth that provide. This year’s return has been nothing short ...
Alaska’s marine ecosystem is witnessing something quite remarkable. Sea otters, those playful marine mammals that once faced near extinction, are making an impressive comeback across many regions of the Last Frontier. It’s a story that began centuries ago when fur traders hunted these animals to the brink of disappearance. Now, decades of protection and ...
A slick shape spills from a tide pool at dusk, arms questing like living ropes, and then – shockingly – it walks. Coastal scientists once treated such sightings as colorful footnotes. Now, amphibious behavior is moving center stage, reshaping how we think about life at the water’s edge. From octopuses that crawl across slick rocks ...
Picture thousands of massive marine mammals scattered across pristine California beaches, their deep bellows echoing across the sand. These gentle giants weigh as much as small trucks yet they almost disappeared from our planet forever. Today, experiencing what scientists call one of the most remarkable conservation comebacks in modern history. These incredible animals were once ...
Picture this: a crab carefully tending to its own underwater garden, harvesting like a meticulous farmer. While this might sound like something from a children’s story, the reality is far more fascinating. Marine scientists have discovered that certain crab species have developed remarkable relationships with and algae that resemble agricultural practices more than typical predator-prey ...
