NOAA's National Ocean Service

Explore sea floor habitats, aerial imagery, dive photos, video, and more for St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands National Park, and the Virgin Islands Reef National Monument with a powerful new online mapping tool.
Where is the largest protected area in the National Marine Sanctuary system? Find out in the latest Ocean Fact.
NOAA’s Marine Debris Program gathers and recycles tons of trash from Hawaii’s Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, in efforts to protect the ‘Dogs that Run in the Rough Sea.’
Meet Kathyrn Simmons, leader of Navigation Response Team 3, one of seven teams around the country that responds to navigational emergencies requiring hydrographic surveys.
On October 30, the T/V Dubai Star spilled 400-800 gallons of oil into San Francisco Bay. NOS was on the scene with the U.S. Coast Guard and state and local officials, responding to the spill.
On the latest Making Waves, learn about a study that sheds light on how harmful algal blooms (HABs) form, a new HAB forecasting system for Lake Erie, and a new mobile phone app to help identify HABs.