For the past 25 years my home and place of work has been
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. I have a strong
connection to this special body of water. My work on dive
charters and research boats, on deep, mixed-gas dives and as
a technical adviser on dozens of film and TV productions has
shaped who I am and has given me a unique perspective on
the sanctuary.
Many people have described Monterey Bay diving in many
different ways. On good days it can be heaven on earth,
and on bad days the environment can be brutally hostile.
Thankfully, we tend to forget the bad days.
The extraordinary biological diversity in this cool, deep
Pacific realm is unlike any place I’ve ever seen. In Monterey
Bay, plankton blooms feed communities of fish. Strong
upwelling of nutrients from the bay’s deep canyons combined
with its remarkable inshore geology and topography helps
make Monterey Bay prolific.
It’s only when you dive in the sanctuary that you can truly
experience the beauty of its kelp forest, one of the largest
in the nation. The amber glow cast by the kelp canopy sets
the mood and provides shelter for all the inhabitants below.
Multitudes of rockfish, sculpins, wolf eels and octopuses
make their homes here. Beyond the kelp, deeper than 100
feet, the colors and invertebrate life are equally stunning.
Massive schools of fish, soft corals and large vase sponges are
some of the rewards that await.
The sanctuary supports one of the world’s most diverse
marine ecosystems and is home to numerous mammals,
seabirds, fishes, invertebrates and plants. An abundance of
life — from tiny plankton to huge blue whales — thrives in
these waters.
In some of the more remote areas of the sanctuary, such as
Point Lobos State Reserve and the Big Sur coast, long rocky
coastlines create some of the most prolific reefs in the world, as
well as my favorite dive spots. Here, encrusting marine life in all
shapes and colors drape canyon walls more than 150 feet high,
and large schools of rockfish cruise through beds of towering kelp.
The sanctuary’s relatively healthy kelp forest suggests
that the ocean ecosystem here is in relative balance. Sea
otters, our iconic keystone species, eat sea urchins and other
invertebrates that gorge on giant kelp. Without sea otters to
keep them in check, these grazing animals can destroy the
kelp forests that many animals — including California sea
lions, harbor seals and migrating whales — depend on for
food or use to escape from storms or predators.
Divers have a vested interest in keeping special places like
Monterey Bay healthy for future generations. The quality
of the diving here in the place I call home has improved
dramatically since I arrived nearly 30 years ago. It’s a trend I
hope continues for the next 30 years and beyond.
www.alertdiver.com
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Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
Beyond the Kelp
By Capt. Philip Sammet
Above: Forests of
giant kelp filter
sunlight, but
underneath these
canopies hundreds
of species of fishes,
invertebrates and
algae thrive in
Monterey Bay NMS.
Left: A sea otter
floats among kelp
at the Monterey
Breakwater,
Monterey Bay NMS.
STEVE ROSENBERG
STERLING ZUMBRUNN