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Aerial view of a rugged kelp coastline — dark kelp forest canopies visible below clear turquoise water along rocky headlands

The Coastal Atlas

A field guide to the kelp coastlines of the world.

Kelp forests ring the temperate ocean — a necklace of green from the Aleutians to Tasmania, Brittany to the Humboldt. The atlas charts them coast by coast: the ecology, the seasons, the wildlife and how to see it for yourself.

Browse 257 coastline guidesMeet the species
Stylised world map marking the approximate locations of 257 Coastal Atlas guidesAleutian Islands — Otters, urchins and the far-western arc of bull kelpHaida Gwaii — Kelp forests at the edge of the continentVancouver Island — The wild west coast — swell, wolves and kelpOlympic Coast — Washington’s wilderness kelp below the Olympic rainforestPoint Reyes — Where the upwelling engine feeds a forestMendocino Coast — Life — and loss — on California’s bull kelp frontierMonterey Bay — The submarine canyon that feeds kelp, otters and whalesChannel Islands — California’s kelp forest crown jewelsCatalina Island — Clear water, garibaldi and a living kelp laboratoryBaja California — The warm-water southern frontier of giant kelpKangaroo Island — Kelp, seadragons and serious southern swellGreat Southern Reef — Australia’s forgotten kelp continentTasmania, east coast — The front line of southern-hemisphere kelp lossTasmanian giant kelp — What happened to the vanishing forests — and what’s being doneMaria Island — Tasmania’s island kelp sanctuaryJervis Bay — Kelp, seagrass and famously white sandMornington Peninsula — Melbourne’s kelp — dragons, piers and the HeadsStewart Island / Rakiura — New Zealand’s southernmost kelp strongholdHokkaido — Kombu grades, kelp roads and the Shiretoko wildsSanriku Coast — Ria-coast kelp, recovery and resilience after the tsunamiLofoten — Kelp forests under the northern lightsWest Scotland — Oarweed forests among the HebridesBrittany — Europe’s largest kelp forests — and its seaweed harvestRías of Galicia — Where kelp meets the harvest — and the mussel raftsCape Peninsula — Kelp at the edge of Africa, in two oceans at onceChile, Humboldt coast — The world’s richest kelp frontier, run by fishersStrait of Magellan — Subantarctic kelp at the end of the worldFalkland Islands — Mind-bending kelp beds that feed the Southern OceanSitka Sound — Herring, kelp and cultures beneath Mount EdgecumbePuget Sound — Bull kelp in the inland sea, at a city doorstepHood Canal — A natural fjord of octopus dens, wolf eels and breathless depthsSonoma Coast — Abalone country, after the bull kelpCasino Point — A kelp cathedral in a protected underwater parkFortescue Bay — Tasmania’s deep kelp gardens on the Tasman PeninsulaWellington south coast — Kelp at the capital’s doorstep, inside a marine reserveFiordland — Kelp beneath the mountains; black coral in the shallowsIse-Shima — Kelp gardens and the ama divers of JapanShakotan Peninsula — Hokkaido’s blue-water kelp coastInner Hebrides — Sea lochs, otters and kelp on Mull and SkyeFalse Bay, Cape — Snorkelling the Cape kelp beside a penguin colonyGarden Route — South Africa’s sunny kelp coastParacas, Peru — Kelp and anchoveta where desert meets upwellingGulf of Maine — Kelp meeting one of the fastest-warming seas on EarthNova Scotia — Kelp beds of the North Atlantic lobster coastNewfoundland & Labrador — Cold-water kelp and old cod grounds on Canada’s far eastVancouver Island — Sea otters, bull kelp and First Nations stewardshipOregon Coast — Bull kelp holding on at the upwelling edgeBass Strait — The rough water between two seas — kelp on the island reefsOtago — New Zealand’s southern swell forestsFiordland fiords — Cold-water diving beneath the rain-shadowed peaksBrittany — Europe’s great laminaria bedsOrkney & Shetland — Kelp at Britain’s northern rimNorway, taretrawling coast — How industrial kelp harvest shaped a nation’s coastNorway, mid-coast — Trondheim to the tangle kelp frontierSouth Africa — Where two oceans grow one forestSaldanha & Langebaan — South Africa’s quiet west-coast kelpSkeleton Coast, Namibia — Kelp at the desert’s edge on the Skeleton CoastMonterey Breakwater — The easy kelp forest shore dive, step by stepCornwall — Britain’s Celtic edge — seals, spring blooms and golden kelpShetland Islands — Otters, wrecks and clear Atlantic water at 60° NorthSenja, Arctic Norway — Kelp forests where mountains dive into the Barents SeaLoch Carron, Scotland — Maerl beds and kelp mazes in a sheltered Highland sea lochMilford Sound, Fiordland — A kelp forest that never sees the sun — under a freshwater ceilingOtago Peninsula — Royal albatross overhead, bull kelp and sea lions belowRickett’s Point, Melbourne — Melbourne’s pocket marine sanctuary of the Great Southern ReefCape Point, Cape Town — Two-ocean kelp diving among sharks and granite coresSydney — The crayweed comeback on the city coastKamchatka — Kelp forests on the Pacific’s wild far shoreIceland — Kelp forests where warm and Arctic currents collideFaroe Islands — Kelp in one of the world’s strongest tidal landscapesHelgoland — Germany’s only kelp island — and a century of marine recordsGreenland, southwest coast — The kelp frontier — forests expanding in a warming ArcticHudson Bay — Churchill coast — Sugar kelp under half a year of sea ice, belugas in the estuarySvalbard — Kelp in polar light — the High Arctic’s underwater forestsBanks Peninsula — Drowned-volcano harbours, kelp and Hector’s dolphinsCook Strait — Kelp in the torn narrows between two islandsChatham Islands — Bull kelp forests alone in the roaring fortiesSnares & Antipodes — New Zealand’s most remote kelp wildernessAmakusa, Kyushu — Nori and wakame craft on Kyushu’s island fringeBay of Fundy — Kelp and rockweed under the highest tides on EarthGulf of St Lawrence — Green kelp under the Magdalen tidesMagdalen Islands — Red sandstone, seals and kelp in the island gulfHakai Passage — Cold green water, sea otters and a living kelp laboratoryIreland, west coast — Storm kelp and harvest memory on the Wild Atlantic WayIsle of Man — An island-scale kelp census in the Irish SeaPortugal — The southern edge of the European kelp rangeLundy Island — England’s original marine reserve and its kelp wallsWhite Sea — Kelp forests under ice in a sheltered Arctic seaBruny Island — Tasmania’s southern kelp garden at the bottom of the mapWilsons Promontory — granite reefs and kelp forests at mainland Australia’s southern tipPortsea Pier — A shallow weedy-seadragon shore dive under a working timber pier at the edge of the HeadsRapid Bay Jetty — Leafy seadragons under twin jetties on the Fleurieu PeninsulaMontague Island — Australia’s fur-seal snorkel capital on kelp-fringed granite off NaroomaHead of Bight — Whales above the cliffs, kelp at their feetLeeuwin Capes — Kelp at the warm edge where the Leeuwin Current beginsPort Phillip Bay — Melbourne’s sheltered kelp and seadragon city gardenEsperance & the Recherche — Granite islands, white sand and golden kelpSydney, crayweed coast — The city that planted its forest backGough Island — World Heritage kelp beds at the world’s loneliest weather stationKerguelen Islands — Giant kelp in one of Earth’s most remote archipelagosTristan da Cunha — Kelp ringing the remotest inhabited island on EarthPrince William Sound — Kelp recovery in Alaska’s great fjorded seaKodiak Archipelago — Bears above, kelp below on Alaska’s emerald coastWhytecliff Park, Vancouver — Vancouver’s front-yard kelp wall, an easy shore diveDeception Pass, Washington — Current, wharf piles and bull kelp in the narrowsPoint Lobos, Monterey — The reserved slot at California’s crown-jewel cove diveMacquarie Island — Subantarctic giant kelp on a celebrated recovery storyBicheno, Tasmania — Tasmania’s quiet red-rock reef — sponges, kelp and clear waterKapiti Island — A marine reserve inside Wellington’s wild weatherPoor Knights Islands — Golden kelp in clear subtropical water at the boundary currentNorthland — Where New Zealand’s warm and cold currents meet — kelp, kina and the recovery lessonAuckland & Campbell Islands — The kelp kingdom nobody visits — New Zealand’s subantarctic wildsKorea, East Sea coast — Ecklonia cava forests and the haenyeo of the east coastJeju Island — The haenyeo coast and Korea’s living seaweed cultureKuril Islands — Kelp forests on the Pacific’s fiercest volcanic arcTaiwan, northeast coast — Kelp, Longdong’s dive reefs and the Kuroshio edgeMoray Firth — Dolphins, salmon and kelp on Scotland’s northeast shoulderPembrokeshire — Kelp, islands and tidal races on the Welsh frontierIsles of Scilly — Kelp, seals and clear Atlantic water off England’s far westChannel Islands, UK — Kelp at the warm edge of the English Channel rangeChiloé Island — Kelp, salmon country and the working coast of southern ChileChilean Patagonian channels — Kelp inside Chile’s drowned Andes — fjords, corals and whalesBeagle Channel — Kelp where Darwin first saw the forestSouth Georgia — Giant kelp at the edge of the iceGreat Bear Rainforest — Kelp forests beneath the world’s largest intact temperate rainforestHowe Sound — Vancouver’s fjord — glass sponges and recovering kelpBarkley Sound — Broken islands, kelp and a living laboratoryGerstle Cove, Salt Point — Sonoma’s reserve cove — abalone country turned sanctuaryPoint Loma, San Diego — One of the world’s great giant kelp forests at a city’s edgeGoat Island, Leigh — New Zealand’s first marine reserve and its easy kelp snorkelFoveaux Strait — Oyster grounds and bull kelp in New Zealand’s torn southern straitMurmansk coast — Arctic kelp where the Gulf Stream finally runs out of heatBohuslän, Sweden — Granite skerries and kelp on Sweden’s west coastBornholm — The Baltic’s last real kelp, clinging to a granite islandDevon — Kelp along England’s southwest peninsulaIroise Sea, Finistère — France’s great kelp reserve at the corner of BrittanyCantabria, Spain — Kelp at the southern edge of its European rangeAzores — Deep golden kelp gardens on mid-Atlantic volcanoesAzores — Volcanic shores holding the Atlantic’s oceanic kelp frontierRhode Island — Kelp on New England’s warm southern edgeCape Ann — Granite ledges and cold-water kelp on Boston’s doorstepGaspé Peninsula — Cold clear kelp water at the mouth of the St LawrencePenínsula Valdés — Kelp, whales and orcas on Argentina’s Patagonian shoreGulf of San Matías — Patagonia’s sea within a sea — giant kelp, scallops and seven-metre tidesCrozet Islands — Giant kelp wrapping the subantarctic’s loneliest archipelagoAmsterdam Island — A narrow giant-kelp ring on one of Earth’s most isolated specks of landThe Snares / Tini Heke — Storm-built bull kelp and endemic penguins on granite you may not touchTristan da Cunha — Giant kelp ringing the most remote inhabited archipelago on EarthPrince Edward Islands — Kelp, albatross and seals in the roaring fortiesGulf St Vincent — Adelaide’s shallow inverse-estuary sea of kelp and seadragonsAlgoa Bay — Where the great Cape kelp forest reaches its eastern limitAnglesey — Kelp, tidal races and bird islands off North WalesBig Sur — Giant kelp clinging to California’s steepest coastlineCape Breton Island — Kelp where the Gulf meets the open AtlanticThe Catlins — Bull kelp on New Zealand’s forgotten southern coastSecond Valley, SA — Shore-diving leafy seadragon country on the FleurieuCounty Donegal — Storm kelp on Ireland’s wild northwest cornerDorset, Jurassic Coast — Kelp ledges beneath England’s fossil cliffsFirth of Clyde — A grand sea on Scotland’s west coast, slowly recoveringNorthern Gulf of California — Kelp holding its warm-water edge in the Sea of CortezHeard & McDonald Islands — Kelp in the shadow of an active subantarctic volcanoIzu Peninsula — Japan’s warm kelp coast within reach of TokyoKing George Sound, Albany — A sheltered kelp jewel on Western Australia’s south coastLabrador — The subarctic kelp coast almost nobody seesMarion Island — Kelp, mice and albatross in the roaring fortiesMarlborough Sounds — Kelp in the drowned valleys at the top of the South IslandCotentin Peninsula — Normandy’s tidal kelp races at the corner of the ChannelNoto Peninsula — Home of satoumi, Japan’s art of coastal stewardshipOuter Hebrides — Tangle kelp on Scotland’s Atlantic frontierSado Island — Kelp, tub boats and the gold-mining coastYellow Sea (Shandong) — The farming heartland where kelp feeds a nationAzores — Volcanic reefs and kelp at the Atlantic’s midpointCanary Islands — Kelp forests on the edge of the SaharaCook Inlet, Alaska — Kelp beds in the land of bore tides and glacial siltGulf of Alaska — A thousand leagues of wild kelp shoreThe Kattegat — Kelp forests holding on in brackish waterKermadec Islands — Where New Zealand’s kelp reaches toward the tropicsLüderitz, Namibia — Benguela kelp growing against a desert shoreNewfoundland, east coast — Kelp and cold water in Iceberg AlleyRías Baixas, Galicia — Kelp, harvesters and the Galician tideSan Juan Islands — Bull kelp in the Salish Sea’s racing channelsHoutman Abrolhos — Where kelp and coral share the same reefDalmatian Coast — Cystoseira forests on the drowned karst of CroatiaEden, Twofold Bay — Kelp, whales and whaling history on the Sapphire CoastBoston Harbor Islands — Rockweed shores and kelp minutes from downtown BostonCape Arago, Oregon — Tidepools and bull kelp on Oregon’s rugged headlandFalkland kelp belt — Kelp so dense it damps the wavesKaikōura — Kelp, canyon currents and whales on one coastCalifornia’s Lost Coast — Roadless kelp wilderness under the King RangeCascais coast — Kelp on Lisbon’s rocky doorstepSaltstraumen — Kelp in the world’s strongest tidal currentShetland Islands — Britain’s far-north kelp, otters and sea cavesSicily — Where canopy Cystoseira still rules the rocksAsturias — Green Spain’s kelp cliffs and cider-coast reefsThe Baltic coasts — Bladderwrack meadow seas at the edge of salinityBasque Coast — Kelp ledges and fishing ports between Geopark cliffsEast Lothian — Kelp, castles and fulmars on Scotland’s southeast shoreGalápagos — A kelp forest rediscovered at the equatorIsle of Man (flora) — Species by species through the Manx tide racesScottish sea lochs — Sheltered kelp down the long, still lochsShikoku — Kelp brooms and a warm current on Shikoku’s Pacific shoreStrait of Juan de Fuca — Bull kelp standing in the gateway to the Salish SeaSydney platforms — Sandstone platforms striped with seaweedWestfjords, Iceland — Iceland’s kelp wilderness of seals and eiderSeto Inland Sea — Seaweed gardens inside Japan’s island seaBantry Bay, West Cork — Kelp forest in a drowned valley — and Ireland’s great harvest battleBasque surf coast — Swell, flysch and the kelp beneath the surf breaksBrowns Bank — An offshore kelp bank science has watched for fifty yearsCorsica — Cystoseira canopy, Posidonia meadows and the Med’s deep-water kelpZhoushan archipelago — A legendary fishing ground where the Yangtze meets the seaEsperance, remote east — Expedition kelp beyond the postcards — Cape Arid to Israelite BayBahía Magdalena — A gray-whale lagoon with kelp holding the outside shoreMagdalena Bay — Standing on the cold–warm seam of kelp’s southern worldIsla Guadalupe — White sharks, fur seals and kelp at the southern edgePribilof Islands — Fur seals, seabird cities and shelf-edge kelp far at seaCommander Islands — Fog-bound kelp wilds at the Aleutian arc’s western endAcadia coast, Maine — Rockweed shores and cold kelp ledges beneath Acadia’s graniteArraial do Cabo, Brazil — Deep, upwelled kelp growing where kelp should not beGreat Barrier Island — Auckland’s wild outer-gulf island of kelp reefs and dark skyPortland–Discovery Bay — Golden kelp in heavy swell on Victoria’s far westWestern Port — Mangroves, mudflats and kelp in Melbourne’s quiet second bayAlaska Peninsula — An 800-km volcanic finger splitting two seas, fringed in kelpPhillip Island — Little penguins above, golden kelp forests belowBlack Sea coast — No true kelp — but ancient Cystoseira forests on brackish reefsSardinia — The Mediterranean’s Cystoseira canopy at its most beautifulNorthumberland coast — Castles on crags, eider ducks and kelp along England’s empty northeastBay of Plenty — Warm-current kelp at its subtropical limit, with volcanic islands offshoreCoromandel Peninsula — Golden kelp, snapper nurseries and the Cathedral Cove marine reserveDerwent Estuary — Kelp restoration in Hobart’s front yard — an industrial estuary healingPort Stephens — The northern hinge of the Great Southern Reef — kelp beside sponge gardensSulu Archipelago — Eucheumatoid seaweed farms staked across Coral Triangle shallowsMontenegro coast — Cystoseira forests beneath the drowned canyon of the Bay of KotorAlbanian Riviera — Karst reefs and algal forests on the Mediterranean’s least-studied coastChonos Archipelago — Chile’s drowned coastal range — kelp channels beside mussel farms and whalesArraial do Cabo — a wind-driven upwelling that parks cold, nutrient-rich water on Brazil’s warm coastBahía de Concepción — Humboldt-fed kelp beds beside Chile’s industrial coast and artisanal dive fisheriesEnsenada — giant kelp at its warm southern range edge, off Bahía de Todos SantosSt Helena Bay — The upwelling heart of the West Coast kelp fringeAbel Tasman / Golden Bay — Split-apple granite, golden-sand anchorages and fern-hung kelp coastAntarctic Peninsula — Seaweed forests clinging to the frozen edge of the kelp worldBig Sur — Vertical cliffs, deep kelp and the steepest shelf in CaliforniaLa Jolla — Kelp canopy growing above the twin submarine canyonsMalibu coast — Historic Hollywood kelp beds, restored beside the cityWest coast, Vancouver Island — Surf-beaten outer coast of glassy swells, canyons and bull kelpBarkley Sound & Bamfield — Broken Group islands, tongue of ocean swell and a century of marine scienceStrait of Georgia — The Salish Sea’s deep central basin between island and mainland mountainsKachemak Bay — Tide-raced Alaskan bay of bull kelp at the end of the roadResurrection Bay — A glacial fjord of kelp walls within easy reach of AnchorageSt Abbs–Eyemouth — Britain’s celebrated marine reserve — kelp walls in East Coast swellAleutian Islands — The wildest, loneliest kelp arc on EarthAnacapa Island — Compact kelp gardens in lee and surge, close to a million peopleBodega Head — A granitic hammerhead of bull kelp and marine-lab memoryCarmel Bay — Four decades of protection under the cypressesClayoquot Sound — Kelp beds at the feet of the ancient rainforestGlacier Bay — New kelp forests colonising the wake of retreating icePoint Lobos — The crown-jewel reserve of American kelp divingPoint Reyes — Wind, fog and upwelling at a continental corner

Stylised position plot, not to scale — each dot is a coastline guide in the atlas below.

The Northeast Pacific

From the Aleutians to Baja — the longest temperate kelp coastline on Earth, watched by otters and tested by heatwaves.

59 guides · View region →

North Pacific / Bering Sea divide

The Alaska Peninsula: Where Two Seas Collide over Kelp

An 800-km volcanic finger splitting two seas, fringed in kelp.

8 min read · The Northeast Pacific

Santa Barbara Channel

Anacapa Island: Kelp Forests in the Shadow of the Mainland

Compact kelp gardens in lee and surge, close to a million people.

8 min read · The Northeast Pacific

North Pacific / California Current margin

Bahía Magdalena: Lagoon Life and Kelp at the Pacific's Edge

A gray-whale lagoon with kelp holding the outside shore.

9 min read · The Northeast Pacific

A bull kelp forest in cold green water off Barkley Sound, long blades streaming toward the sunlit surface above a rocky reef with white plumose anemones.

North Pacific

Barkley Sound: Kelp, Broken Islands and a Living Laboratory

Broken islands, kelp and a living laboratory.

7 min read · The Northeast Pacific

North Pacific / Vancouver Island

Barkley Sound and Bamfield: A Working Fjord of Kelp and Research

Broken Group islands, tongue of ocean swell and a century of marine science.

8 min read · The Northeast Pacific

North Pacific

Big Sur: Vertical Kelp Country on California's Wildest Coastline

Vertical cliffs, deep kelp and the steepest shelf in California.

8 min read · The Northeast Pacific

North Pacific

Cape Arago: Oregon's Sandstone Kelp Gardens

Tidepools and bull kelp on Oregon’s rugged headland.

8 min read · The Northeast Pacific

Sunbeams slanting through a towering giant kelp forest in Carmel Bay, California, with silvery surfperch between the stipes and an orange garibaldi near a granite reef

North Pacific / Monterey Peninsula

Carmel Bay: Stillwaters, Giant Kelp and Four Decades of Protection

Four decades of protection under the cypresses.

8 min read · The Northeast Pacific

North Pacific / Vancouver Island

Clayoquot Sound: Kelp Beds Beneath the Ancient Rainforest

Kelp beds at the feet of the ancient rainforest.

9 min read · The Northeast Pacific

Salish Sea

Dive Guide: Deception Pass — Current, Wharf Piles and Kelp

Current, wharf piles and bull kelp in the narrows.

9 min read · The Northeast Pacific

North Pacific

Dive Guide: Point Lobos — The Slot in the Reserve That Fits You

The reserved slot at California’s crown-jewel cove dive.

6 min read · The Northeast Pacific

Salish Sea / Howe Sound

Dive Guide: Whytecliff Park — Vancouver's Front-Yard Kelp Wall

Vancouver’s front-yard kelp wall, an easy shore dive.

6 min read · The Northeast Pacific

Giant kelp canopy floating at the surface of Bahía de Todos Santos below sea cliffs at Ensenada, with surf on a rocky headland and desert islands on the horizon.

Northeast Pacific / California Current

Ensenada and Bahía de Todos Santos: Kelp at the Southern Edge

giant kelp at its warm southern range edge, off Bahía de Todos Santos.

7 min read · The Northeast Pacific

Gulf of Alaska / Inside Passage

Glacier Bay, Alaska: New Kelp Forests on the Front Lines of Retreating Ice

New kelp forests colonising the wake of retreating ice.

9 min read · The Northeast Pacific

North Pacific / BC Central Coast

Kelp Forests of the Great Bear Rainforest: A Coastal Atlas Guide

Kelp forests beneath the world’s largest intact temperate rainforest.

11 min read · The Northeast Pacific

Split-level view of a giant kelp forest rising from volcanic rock below the waterline, with the bare cinder-cone slopes of a remote offshore island above.

North Pacific / California Current

Guadalupe Island: Kelp Edges of Mexico's Far-Offshore Rock

White sharks, fur seals and kelp at the southern edge.

7 min read · The Northeast Pacific

Gulf of Alaska

The Gulf of Alaska: A Thousand Leagues of Kelp Shore

A thousand leagues of wild kelp shore.

10 min read · The Northeast Pacific

North Pacific / BC Central Coast

Hakai Passage: Cold Green Water on British Columbia's Central Coast

Cold green water, sea otters and a living kelp laboratory.

12 min read · The Northeast Pacific

Salish Sea / Howe Sound

Howe Sound: The Kelp Comeback Fjord at Vancouver's Doorstep

Vancouver’s fjord — glass sponges and recovering kelp.

11 min read · The Northeast Pacific

North Pacific

Kelp Forests of the Oregon Coast: Bull Kelp on the Edge

Bull kelp holding on at the upwelling edge.

8 min read · The Northeast Pacific

Cold green water around a bull kelp bed off Kodiak Island, with rocky islets and forested mountain slopes under low grey light.

Gulf of Alaska

Kodiak: Bears Above, Kelp Below on Alaska's Emerald Coast

Bears above, kelp below on Alaska’s emerald coast.

9 min read · The Northeast Pacific

North Pacific / California Current

The Lost Coast: California's Last Wild Kelp Shore

Roadless kelp wilderness under the King Range.

8 min read · The Northeast Pacific

North Pacific / California Current margin

Magdalena Bay: Kelp at the Edge of the Mangroves

Standing on the cold–warm seam of kelp’s southern world.

9 min read · The Northeast Pacific

North Pacific / San Diego

Point Loma: San Diego's Giant Kelp Forest at the City's Edge

One of the world’s great giant kelp forests at a city’s edge.

8 min read · The Northeast Pacific

Bering Sea

The Pribilof Islands: Kelp in the Middle of the Bering Sea

Fur seals, seabird cities and shelf-edge kelp far at sea.

8 min read · The Northeast Pacific

Gulf of Alaska

Prince William Sound: Kelp Recovery in a Fjorded Sea

Kelp recovery in Alaska’s great fjorded sea.

8 min read · The Northeast Pacific

Salish Sea

San Juan Islands: Bull Kelp in the Salish Sea's Racing Channels

Bull kelp in the Salish Sea’s racing channels.

9 min read · The Northeast Pacific

Gulf of Alaska / Inside Passage

Sitka Sound: Herring, Kelp and Cultures of the Inside Passage

Herring, kelp and cultures beneath Mount Edgecumbe.

8 min read · The Northeast Pacific

North Pacific

The Sonoma Coast: After the Bull Kelp

Abalone country, after the bull kelp.

8 min read · The Northeast Pacific

Salish Sea

Strait of Georgia: Kelp, Islands and Estuary Water Between Vancouver Island and the Mainland

The Salish Sea’s deep central basin between island and mainland mountains.

7 min read · The Northeast Pacific

Split-level view of a golden bull kelp forest swaying in tidal current beneath the forested cliffs of the Strait of Juan de Fuca

Salish Sea / North Pacific

The Strait of Juan de Fuca: Bull Kelp Where Two Seas Mix

Bull kelp standing in the gateway to the Salish Sea.

8 min read · The Northeast Pacific

North Pacific / Pacific Rim

Vancouver Island's Wild West Coast: Kelp, Surge and the Edge of the Shelf

Surf-beaten outer coast of glassy swells, canyons and bull kelp.

9 min read · The Northeast Pacific

Dawn light over a remote Aleutian kelp bed: dark volcanic shore, dense floating kelp canopy on slate-blue water, lifting fog and a misted volcano beyond

Bering Sea / North Pacific

The Aleutian Islands: Where Science Learned What Otters Are For

Otters, urchins and the far-western arc of bull kelp.

10 min read · The Northeast Pacific

North Pacific / California Current

Baja California: The Southern Frontier of Giant Kelp

The warm-water southern frontier of giant kelp.

8 min read · The Northeast Pacific

North Pacific

Dive Guide: Gerstle Cove and Salt Point's Bull Kelp, Sonoma Coast

Sonoma’s reserve cove — abalone country turned sanctuary.

9 min read · The Northeast Pacific

North Pacific / Hecate Strait

Haida Gwaii: Kelp Forests at the Edge of the Continent

Kelp forests at the edge of the continent.

10 min read · The Northeast Pacific

North Pacific

Kelp Forests of Monterey Bay: A Coastal Atlas Guide

The submarine canyon that feeds kelp, otters and whales.

8 min read · The Northeast Pacific

North Pacific

The Olympic Coast: Washington's Wilderness Kelp Frontier

Washington’s wilderness kelp below the Olympic rainforest.

10 min read · The Northeast Pacific

North Pacific / Salish Sea

Vancouver Island's Wild West Coast: Kelp, Otters and the Pacific Rim

The wild west coast — swell, wolves and kelp.

10 min read · The Northeast Pacific

Aerial view of Cook Inlet's vast grey glacial tidal flats curving toward open water, with snow-streaked mountains under soft overcast light and a faint bore-tide front on the far arm.

Gulf of Alaska

Cook Inlet, Alaska: Kelp Beds in the Land of Bore Tides

Kelp beds in the land of bore tides and glacial silt.

9 min read · The Northeast Pacific

Salish Sea

Hood Canal: The Salish Sea's Quiet Fjord of Kelp, Squid and Great Octopus

A natural fjord of octopus dens, wolf eels and breathless depths.

8 min read · The Northeast Pacific

North Pacific

Point Reyes: Wind, Upwelling and Bull Kelp at the Edge of the Continent

Wind, fog and upwelling at a continental corner.

9 min read · The Northeast Pacific

Bering Sea / North Pacific divide

The Aleutian Islands: The Wildest Kelp Frontier in the Pacific

The wildest, loneliest kelp arc on Earth.

9 min read · The Northeast Pacific

North Pacific

Dive Guide: Monterey Breakwater — the Easy Kelp Forest Shore Dive

The easy kelp forest shore dive, step by step.

10 min read · The Northeast Pacific

North Pacific / Santa Barbara Channel

The Channel Islands: California's Kelp Forest Crown Jewels

California’s kelp forest crown jewels.

8 min read · The Northeast Pacific

Underwater view inside a golden kelp bed in Resurrection Bay, Alaska, looking toward a sheer rock wall covered in white plumose anemones beneath sunlit green fjord water

Gulf of Alaska / Kenai Fjords

Resurrection Bay: Seward's Deep-Water Fjord of Kelp and Glaciers

A glacial fjord of kelp walls within easy reach of Anchorage.

9 min read · The Northeast Pacific

Cook Inlet / Gulf of Alaska

Kachemak Bay: Where the Tides Race and the Kelp Runs Deep

Tide-raced Alaskan bay of bull kelp at the end of the road.

9 min read · The Northeast Pacific

North Pacific / San Pedro Channel

Kelp Forests of Catalina Island: A Coastal Atlas Guide

Clear water, garibaldi and a living kelp laboratory.

8 min read · The Northeast Pacific

Split-level view of a bull kelp forest off Vancouver Island's foggy northwest coast: golden kelp stipes rising toward the light below, misty headlands above

North Pacific / Salish Sea

Kelp Forests of Vancouver Island: Sea Otters, Bull Kelp and First Nations Stewardship

Sea otters, bull kelp and First Nations stewardship.

11 min read · The Northeast Pacific

North Pacific

Point Reyes: Where Upwelling Feeds a Forest

Where the upwelling engine feeds a forest.

7 min read · The Northeast Pacific

A Northern California reef covered in dense purple sea urchins grazing bare rock, with a few surviving bull kelp fronds rising behind

North Pacific

Mendocino: Life on the Lost Bull Kelp Coast

Life — and loss — on California’s bull kelp frontier.

7 min read · The Northeast Pacific

Golden afternoon light over a Point Lobos granite cove, cypress trees leaning above glassy green water and a raft of giant kelp canopy in the kelp fringe.

North Pacific / Monterey Bay

Point Lobos: The Crown Jewel of California's Marine Reserves

The crown-jewel reserve of American kelp diving.

8 min read · The Northeast Pacific

North Pacific / Sonoma coast

Bodega Head: Where Wave-Battered Rock Meets the Bull Kelp Fringe

A granitic hammerhead of bull kelp and marine-lab memory.

8 min read · The Northeast Pacific

Salish Sea

Puget Sound: Bull Kelp in the Inland Sea

Bull kelp in the inland sea, at a city doorstep.

7 min read · The Northeast Pacific

North Pacific / San Diego coast

La Jolla Cove and the San Diego Kelp Beds: Canopy Beside the Canyons

Kelp canopy growing above the twin submarine canyons.

8 min read · The Northeast Pacific

Santa Monica Bay / North Pacific

Malibu's Kelp Coast: Giant Kelp Beside the City

Historic Hollywood kelp beds, restored beside the city.

8 min read · The Northeast Pacific

San Pedro Channel

Diving Casino Point: A Kelp Cathedral on Catalina

A kelp cathedral in a protected underwater park.

9 min read · The Northeast Pacific

Gulf of California

Kelp at the Edge: The Northern Gulf of California's Warm-Water Forests

Kelp holding its warm-water edge in the Sea of Cortez.

9 min read · The Northeast Pacific

North Pacific

Kelp Forests of Big Sur: California's Vertical Coastline

Giant kelp clinging to California’s steepest coastline.

9 min read · The Northeast Pacific

Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Eight thousand kilometres of temperate reef that most Australians have never heard of — golden kelp, seadragons and lobsters.

35 guides · View region →

Indian Ocean / Leeuwin Current

The Abrolhos: Where Kelp and Coral Share the Same Reef

Where kelp and coral share the same reef.

9 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Tasman Sea

Bruny Island: Tasmania's Kelp Garden at the Bottom of the Map

Tasmania’s southern kelp garden at the bottom of the map.

6 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Sunlight shafts between the sponge-covered pylons of a timber jetty, where a weedy seadragon drifts over the sandy seabed among weed fringes and a school of small silver fish.

Port Phillip Heads / Bass Strait

Dive Guide: Portsea Pier, Victoria — A Weedy Seadragon Shore Dive at the Edge of the Heads

A shallow weedy-seadragon shore dive under a working timber pier at the edge of the Heads.

9 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Gulf St Vincent

Dive Guide: Rapid Bay Jetty, South Australia — Leafy Seadragons Beneath the Old Limestone Jetty

Leafy seadragons under twin jetties on the Fleurieu Peninsula.

9 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Port Phillip Bay / Bass Strait

Dive Guide: Rickett's Point — Melbourne's Pocket of Great Southern Reef

Melbourne’s pocket marine sanctuary of the Great Southern Reef.

7 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Tasman Sea / East Australian Current

Eden & Twofold Bay: Whaling History, New Kelp Forests

Kelp, whales and whaling history on the Sapphire Coast.

9 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Southern Ocean / Great Australian Bight

The Esperance Coast: Remote Kelp of the Recherche Archipelago

Expedition kelp beyond the postcards — Cape Arid to Israelite Bay.

8 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Great Australian Bight / Southern Ocean

Head of Bight: Whales, Cliffs and the Great Australian Kelp Edge

Whales above the cliffs, kelp at their feet.

8 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Indian / Southern Ocean corner

The Leeuwin Capes: Kelp at the Edge of the Tropics

Kelp at the warm edge where the Leeuwin Current begins.

10 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Underwater photograph of a giant kelp belt bending in Southern Ocean swell above dark volcanic rock, with king penguins porpoising in the distance through cold green light

Southern Ocean / subantarctic

Macquarie Island: Giant Kelp on the World's Most Remote Threatened Listing

Subantarctic giant kelp on a celebrated recovery story.

11 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Tasman Sea

Montague Island (Barunguba): Seals, Seabirds and Kelp off the NSW South Coast

Australia’s fur-seal snorkel capital on kelp-fringed granite off Narooma.

8 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Bass Strait

Phillip Island: Kelp Beds Below the Penguin Parade

Little penguins above, golden kelp forests below.

8 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Southern Ocean / western Bass Strait

Portland to Discovery Bay: Windblown Kelp of Western Victoria

Golden kelp in heavy swell on Victoria’s far west.

9 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Tasman Sea

Sydney's Coast: The Crayweed Comeback Story

The crayweed comeback on the city coast.

9 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Tasman Sea

Sydney's Kelp Coast: A Walker's Guide to the City's Intertidal Rock Platforms

Sandstone platforms striped with seaweed.

8 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Bass Strait / Western Port

Western Port: A Bay of Mangrove, Seagrass and Drift Kelp

Mangroves, mudflats and kelp in Melbourne’s quiet second bay.

8 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Bass Strait

Wilsons Promontory: Kelp Forests at Mainland Australia's Southern Tip

granite reefs and kelp forests at mainland Australia’s southern tip.

8 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Tasman Sea

Jervis Bay: Kelp, Seagrass and the Whitest Sand in Australia

Kelp, seagrass and famously white sand.

6 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Indian Ocean / Great Australian Bight

Kangaroo Island: Kelp, Seadragons and Southern Swell

Kelp, seadragons and serious southern swell.

8 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Tasman Sea

Maria Island: Tasmania's Island Kelp Sanctuary

Tasmania’s island kelp sanctuary.

6 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Bass Strait / Port Phillip

Port Phillip Heads and the Mornington Peninsula: Melbourne's Kelp

Melbourne’s kelp — dragons, piers and the Heads.

8 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Bass Strait / Port Phillip

Port Phillip Bay: Melbourne's Giant Kelp Garden

Melbourne’s sheltered kelp and seadragon city garden.

8 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Tasman Sea

Sydney's Crayweed Coast: The City That Planted a Forest Back

The city that planted its forest back.

9 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Split-level view off Tasmania's east coast: granite headlands above the waterline, sparse kelp fronds and a pale urchin barren below

Tasman Sea

Tasmania's East Coast: The Front Line of Kelp Loss — and Recovery

The front line of southern-hemisphere kelp loss.

7 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Low-angle underwater view inside a Tasmanian giant kelp forest, long amber stipes rising toward a bright silvery canopy, granite reef boulders below

Tasman Sea

Tasmania's Vanishing Giant Kelp: What Happened and What's Being Done

What happened to the vanishing forests — and what’s being done.

11 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Bass Strait / Tasman Sea

Kelp Forests of Bass Strait: The Rough Water Between Two Seas

The rough water between two seas — kelp on the island reefs.

11 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Tasman Sea

Dive Guide: Bicheno — Tasmania's Quiet Red-Rock Reef

Tasmania’s quiet red-rock reef — sponges, kelp and clear water.

9 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Sunlit golden kelp meadow on a temperate granite reef, with a weedy seadragon drifting camouflaged among the fronds

Southern Ocean margins

The Great Southern Reef: Australia's Forgotten Kelp Continent

Australia’s forgotten kelp continent.

9 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Golden kelp swaying over pale sand in clear turquoise water beside pink granite boulders, Esperance coast, Western Australia

Southern Ocean / Great Australian Bight

Esperance and the Recherche: Granite Islands, White Sand, Golden Kelp

Granite islands, white sand and golden kelp.

8 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Tasman Sea / East Australian Current

Port Stephens: Where the Great Southern Reef Meets the Warm North

The northern hinge of the Great Southern Reef — kelp beside sponge gardens.

9 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Storm Bay / Tasman Sea

The Derwent Estuary: Kelp Restoration in a City's Front Yard

Kelp restoration in Hobart’s front yard — an industrial estuary healing.

9 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Tasman Sea

Diving Fortescue Bay: Tasmania's Deep Kelp Gardens

Tasmania’s deep kelp gardens on the Tasman Peninsula.

9 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Southern Ocean / Gulf St Vincent

Dive Guide: Second Valley, South Australia — Leafy Seadragon Country

Shore-diving leafy seadragon country on the Fleurieu.

10 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Southern Ocean / Gulf St Vincent

Gulf St Vincent: Adelaide's Shallow Kelp Sea

Adelaide’s shallow inverse-estuary sea of kelp and seadragons.

9 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

Southern Ocean

King George Sound: Albany's Sheltered Kelp Jewel

A sheltered kelp jewel on Western Australia’s south coast.

10 min read · Australia & the Great Southern Reef

New Zealand

Aotearoa’s southern kelp — bull kelp surf zones, kina barrens and fiords where the forest meets the mountains.

22 guides · View region →

Tasman Sea / Golden Bay

Abel Tasman & Golden Bay: Granite Arches, Scallop Sands and Northern South Island Kelp

Split-apple granite, golden-sand anchorages and fern-hung kelp coast.

7 min read · New Zealand

Southwest Pacific / East Auckland Current

Bay of Plenty: Warm-Current Kelp on New Zealand's Northern Edge

Warm-current kelp at its subtropical limit, with volcanic islands offshore.

8 min read · New Zealand

Cook Strait / Tasman Sea

Cook Strait: Kelp in the Middle of New Zealand

Kelp in the torn narrows between two islands.

10 min read · New Zealand

Golden kelp forest glowing in clear turquoise water off New Zealand's Coromandel coast, sunbeams slanting through the canopy as a school of silver snapper drifts along a white sand channel.

Southwest Pacific / Hauraki Gulf margin

The Coromandel Coast: Kelp, Snapper Nurseries and New Zealand's Marine Reserve Frontier

Golden kelp, snapper nurseries and the Cathedral Cove marine reserve.

8 min read · New Zealand

Tasman Sea / fiord

Dive Guide: Milford Sound — the Kelp Forest That Never Sees the Sun

A kelp forest that never sees the sun — under a freshwater ceiling.

11 min read · New Zealand

Tasman Sea fiords

Fiordland: Black Coral Trees and Kelp Beneath a River of Rain

Kelp beneath the mountains; black coral in the shallows.

9 min read · New Zealand

Hauraki Gulf / Pacific

Great Barrier Island: Auckland's Wild Kelp Frontier

Auckland’s wild outer-gulf island of kelp reefs and dark sky.

8 min read · New Zealand

Southwest Pacific / Hikurangi Margin

Kaikōura: Kelp Forests Above a Canyon, Lifted by an Earthquake

Kelp, canyon currents and whales on one coast.

8 min read · New Zealand

Cook Strait

Kapiti Island: A Marine Reserve Inside Wellington's Weather

A marine reserve inside Wellington’s wild weather.

9 min read · New Zealand

Golden kelp fronds over dark volcanic rock in clear subtropical water, with a steep green volcanic island visible above the surface.

Southwest Pacific

The Kermadec Islands: Where New Zealand's Kelp Meets the Tropics

Where New Zealand’s kelp reaches toward the tropics.

11 min read · New Zealand

Cook Strait / Tasman Sea

The Marlborough Sounds: Kelp in the Drowned Valleys

Kelp in the drowned valleys at the top of the South Island.

8 min read · New Zealand

Pacific / Southern Ocean

The Otago Peninsula: Royal Albatross Above, Bull Kelp Below

Royal albatross overhead, bull kelp and sea lions below.

12 min read · New Zealand

Golden kelp forest glowing in clear deep-blue South Pacific water beneath a submerged volcanic arch, sunbeams slanting through the canopy and small reef fish schooling above the fronds.

South Pacific / Tasman Sea

The Poor Knights Islands: Kelp at the Subtropical Boundary

Golden kelp in clear subtropical water at the boundary current.

9 min read · New Zealand

Cook Strait

Wellington's South Coast: Capital City Kelp at the Edge of Cook Strait

Kelp at the capital’s doorstep, inside a marine reserve.

8 min read · New Zealand

Southern Ocean / Foveaux Strait

Stewart Island / Rakiura: New Zealand's Southern Kelp

New Zealand’s southernmost kelp stronghold.

8 min read · New Zealand

Pacific / Canterbury Bight

Banks Peninsula and Akaroa: Volcano Rims Under Water

Drowned-volcano harbours, kelp and Hector’s dolphins.

8 min read · New Zealand

A school of large snapper swims through a sunlit golden kelp forest over boulder reef at Goat Island marine reserve, New Zealand.

Hauraki Gulf / Tasman Sea

Dive Guide: Goat Island Marine Reserve, New Zealand

New Zealand’s first marine reserve and its easy kelp snorkel.

9 min read · New Zealand

Southern Ocean / Foveaux Strait

Foveaux Strait: Oyster Dredges and Kelp at the Bottom of New Zealand

Oyster grounds and bull kelp in New Zealand’s torn southern strait.

8 min read · New Zealand

Southern Ocean / Pacific

Kelp Forests of Otago: New Zealand's Southern Swell Forests

New Zealand’s southern swell forests.

11 min read · New Zealand

Southwest Pacific / East Auckland Current

Kelp Coasts of Northland: Where New Zealand's Warm and Cold Currents Meet

Where New Zealand’s warm and cold currents meet — kelp, kina and the recovery lesson.

9 min read · New Zealand

A wall of pale black corals beneath dark green water inside a New Zealand fiord, shafts of sunlight filtering down from the surface

Tasman Sea fiords

Cold-Water Diving in New Zealand's Fiordland: Doubtful, Milford and the Wild Fiords

Cold-water diving beneath the rain-shadowed peaks.

9 min read · New Zealand

South Pacific / subantarctic edge

Kelp Forests of the Catlins: New Zealand's Forgotten Coast

Bull kelp on New Zealand’s forgotten southern coast.

11 min read · New Zealand

East Asia

The kombu coasts — Hokkaido and the Sanriku ria, where kelp has been food, trade and identity for centuries.

19 guides · View region →

East China Sea / Ariake Sea

Amakusa: Seaweed Craft on Kyushu's Island Coast

Nori and wakame craft on Kyushu’s island fringe.

8 min read · East Asia

Bering Sea / Northwest Pacific

The Commander Islands: Russia's Kelp Outpost of Otters and Fog

Fog-bound kelp wilds at the Aleutian arc’s western end.

9 min read · East Asia

East China Sea / Yangtze plume

The East China Sea: Kelp, Raft Farms and the Zhoushan Fishing Ground

A legendary fishing ground where the Yangtze meets the sea.

12 min read · East Asia

Northwest Pacific / Kuroshio

The Izu Peninsula: Japan's Warm Kelp Coast Within Reach of Tokyo

Japan’s warm kelp coast within reach of Tokyo.

8 min read · East Asia

Korea Strait / East China Sea

Jeju Island: The Haenyeo Coast and Korea's Seaweed Culture

The haenyeo coast and Korea’s living seaweed culture.

10 min read · East Asia

Northwest Pacific / Bering Sea fringe

Kamchatka: Kelp Forests on the Pacific's Wild Far Shore

Kelp forests on the Pacific’s wild far shore.

11 min read · East Asia

Sea of Okhotsk / Northwest Pacific

The Kuril Islands: Kelp Forests on the Pacific's Fiercest Arc

Kelp forests on the Pacific’s fiercest volcanic arc.

8 min read · East Asia

Sea of Japan

Sado Island: Kelp, Tub Boats and the Gold-Mining Coast

Kelp, tub boats and the gold-mining coast.

8 min read · East Asia

Seto Inland Sea / Northwest Pacific

The Seto Inland Sea: Japan's Sheltered Cradle of Seaweed Farming

Seaweed gardens inside Japan’s island sea.

12 min read · East Asia

East Sea (Sea of Japan)

Korea's East Sea: The Ecklonia cava Kelp Forests and the Haenyeo

Ecklonia cava forests and the haenyeo of the east coast.

8 min read · East Asia

East China Sea / Kuroshio

Taiwan's Northeast Coast: Kelp, Longdong and the Kuroshio Edge

Kelp, Longdong’s dive reefs and the Kuroshio edge.

11 min read · East Asia

Underwater view of a low, dense Ecklonia kurome kelp thicket on a dark basalt ridge in clear blue-green Pacific water off Shikoku, sunlight streaming down between golden-brown fronds while silver fish hover at the forest edge.

Northwest Pacific / Kuroshio Current

Shikoku's Pacific Coast: Kelp at the Edge of the Kuroshio

Kelp brooms and a warm current on Shikoku’s Pacific shore.

8 min read · East Asia

Sulu Sea / Celebes Sea

The Sulu Archipelago: Seaweed-Farming Villages on the Coral Triangle's Edge

Eucheumatoid seaweed farms staked across Coral Triangle shallows.

10 min read · East Asia

Sea of Okhotsk / North Pacific

Hokkaido's Kombu Coast: Where Japan's Kitchen Begins

Kombu grades, kelp roads and the Shiretoko wilds.

7 min read · East Asia

North Pacific

The Sanriku Coast: Kombu, Recovery and the Long Work of Resilience

Ria-coast kelp, recovery and resilience after the tsunami.

6 min read · East Asia

Sea of Japan

The Shakotan Peninsula: Hokkaido's Blue Kelp Coast

Hokkaido’s blue-water kelp coast.

11 min read · East Asia

Sea of Japan

The Noto Peninsula: Satoumi, the Japanese Art of Coastal Stewardship

Home of satoumi, Japan’s art of coastal stewardship.

9 min read · East Asia

Yellow Sea

The Yellow Sea: Where Kelp Farming Feeds a Nation

The farming heartland where kelp feeds a nation.

9 min read · East Asia

Northwest Pacific

Kelp Forests of Ise-Shima and the Ama Divers of Japan

Kelp gardens and the ama divers of Japan.

8 min read · East Asia

Europe

From Arctic Lofoten to Galicia’s rias — oarweed, tangle and sugar kelp on the continent’s wild western edges.

58 guides · View region →

Irish Sea

Anglesey: Kelp, Tides and Bird Islands off North Wales

Kelp, tidal races and bird islands off North Wales.

9 min read · Europe

Mid-Atlantic

Kelp and Seaweed Forests of the Azores: A Coastal Atlas Guide

Volcanic shores holding the Atlantic’s oceanic kelp frontier.

7 min read · Europe

Mid-Atlantic

The Azores: Volcanic Reefs and Kelp at the Atlantic's Midpoint

Volcanic reefs and kelp at the Atlantic’s midpoint.

11 min read · Europe

Northeast Atlantic / Celtic Sea

Bantry Bay: Kelp Forests of Ireland's Deep Southwestern Bite

Kelp forest in a drowned valley — and Ireland’s great harvest battle.

9 min read · Europe

Black Sea

The Black Sea: Cystoseira Forests at the Brackish Limit

No true kelp — but ancient Cystoseira forests on brackish reefs.

8 min read · Europe

Skagerrak

Sweden's Bohuslän Archipelago: Kelp Forests of the Skagerrak Coast

Granite skerries and kelp on Sweden’s west coast.

7 min read · Europe

Eastern Atlantic

Canary Islands: Kelp Forests on the Edge of the Desert

Kelp forests on the edge of the Sahara.

11 min read · Europe

English Channel

The Channel Islands (UK): Kelp at the Warm Edge of the English Range

Kelp at the warm edge of the English Channel range.

11 min read · Europe

Celtic Sea / English Channel

Cornwall: Kelp Forests at Britain's Celtic Edge

Britain’s Celtic edge — seals, spring blooms and golden kelp.

9 min read · Europe

Golden-brown Cystoseira canopy over granite reef and a green Posidonia seagrass meadow in clear turquoise Mediterranean water off Corsica

Mediterranean / Ligurian & Tyrrhenian seas

Corsica's Kelp and Posidonia Coasts: Where the Maquis Meets the Sea

Cystoseira canopy, Posidonia meadows and the Med’s deep-water kelp.

9 min read · Europe

Underwater sunbeams lighting a dense brown Cystoseira algal canopy over pale limestone rock in the clear blue Adriatic, with small fish weaving through.

Adriatic Sea

The Dalmatian Coast: Cystoseira Forests of the Karst Adriatic

Cystoseira forests on the drowned karst of Croatia.

9 min read · Europe

North Atlantic / Inner Sound

Dive Guide: Loch Carron — Scotland's Maerl and Kelp Maze

Maerl beds and kelp mazes in a sheltered Highland sea loch.

7 min read · Europe

North Atlantic

County Donegal: Storm Kelp at Ireland's Wild Northwest Corner

Storm kelp on Ireland’s wild northwest corner.

9 min read · Europe

Bass Rock rising from the Firth of Forth in golden morning light, its cliffs white with gannets, with kelp-fringed basalt reef shelves visible in the clear shallows below.

North Sea

East Lothian: Bass Rock Gannets over North Sea Kelp

Kelp, castles and fulmars on Scotland’s southeast shore.

11 min read · Europe

Dawn light on a sheltered Scottish sea loch in the Inner Hebrides, kelp fronds in a calm surface band and an otter gliding through the slick.

North Atlantic / Sea of the Hebrides

The Inner Hebrides: Sea Lochs, Otters and Kelp

Sea lochs, otters and kelp on Mull and Skye.

8 min read · Europe

Sunlight filtering through a golden-brown kelp canopy over a granite reef on the Atlantic coast of western Ireland

Northeast Atlantic

Ireland's Wild Atlantic Way: Kelp, Storms and Harvest Memory

Storm kelp and harvest memory on the Wild Atlantic Way.

13 min read · Europe

Irish Sea

The Isle of Man: A Kelp Forest Census in the Irish Sea

An island-scale kelp census in the Irish Sea.

12 min read · Europe

Irish Sea

The Isle of Man: Kelp Forests at the Centre of the Irish Sea

Species by species through the Manx tide races.

11 min read · Europe

Celtic Sea / Atlantic

The Isles of Scilly: Kelp, Seals and England's Atlantic Edge

Kelp, seals and clear Atlantic water off England’s far west.

7 min read · Europe

English Channel / Bay of Biscay

Kelp Forests of Brittany: Europe's Great Laminaria Beds

Europe’s great laminaria beds.

8 min read · Europe

English Channel

Kelp Forests of Devon: England's Rugged Southwest Reefs

Kelp along England’s southwest peninsula.

10 min read · Europe

Northeast Atlantic

Kelp Forests of Portugal: The Southern Edge of the Range

The southern edge of the European kelp range.

11 min read · Europe

Bristol Channel

Lundy Island: England's Original Marine Reserve and Its Kelp

England’s original marine reserve and its kelp walls.

10 min read · Europe

North Sea

Northumberland: Kelp, Castles and the Farne Islands

Castles on crags, eider ducks and kelp along England’s empty northeast.

9 min read · Europe

North Atlantic

Kelp Forests of the Outer Hebrides: Scotland's Atlantic Frontier

Tangle kelp on Scotland’s Atlantic frontier.

8 min read · Europe

Underwater view of a dense brown Cystoseira canopy forest growing over pale granite boulders in clear Sardinian water, with sunbeams, small silver fish and seagrass at the sandy edge

Mediterranean / Tyrrhenian Sea

Sardinia: Cystoseira Forests on the Granite and Karst of the Tyrrhenian

The Mediterranean’s Cystoseira canopy at its most beautiful.

7 min read · Europe

Norwegian Sea / Barents Sea margin

Senja and Arctic Norway's Mainland: Kelp Where the Fjords Meet the Barents Sea

Kelp forests where mountains dive into the Barents Sea.

9 min read · Europe

North Atlantic / North Sea

The Shetland Islands: Kelp, Otters and the North Atlantic Front

Otters, wrecks and clear Atlantic water at 60° North.

9 min read · Europe

Mediterranean / Tyrrhenian Sea

Sicily: The Mediterranean's Great Algal Forests Around Volcanic Isles

Where canopy Cystoseira still rules the rocks.

8 min read · Europe

North Sea

St Abbs to Eyemouth: Scotland's Voluntary Marine Reserve and Its Kelp Reefs

Britain’s celebrated marine reserve — kelp walls in East Coast swell.

7 min read · Europe

Norwegian Sea / Northeast Atlantic

Norway's Taretrawling Coast: How Industrial Harvest Shaped a Kelp Nation

How industrial kelp harvest shaped a nation’s coast.

8 min read · Europe

Bay of Biscay

The Basque Coast: Swell, Flysch and the Kelp Beneath the Lineup

Swell, flysch and the kelp beneath the surf breaks.

8 min read · Europe

English Channel / Bay of Biscay

Brittany: Europe's Largest Kelp Forests and the Goémon Coast

Europe’s largest kelp forests — and its seaweed harvest.

9 min read · Europe

Bay of Biscay / Cantabrian Sea

The Cantabrian Coast: Kelp at the Southern Edge of Europe's Range

Kelp at the southern edge of its European range.

10 min read · Europe

North Atlantic / Rías Baixas

Galicia's Rías: Where Kelp Meets the Harvest

Where kelp meets the harvest — and the mussel rafts.

9 min read · Europe

Norwegian Sea

Lofoten: Kelp Forests Under the Northern Lights

Kelp forests under the northern lights.

9 min read · Europe

North Atlantic / Hebrides

Scotland's West Coast: Kelp Forests of the Hebrides

Oarweed forests among the Hebrides.

9 min read · Europe

Bay of Biscay

Kelp Coasts of Asturias: Green Spain's Underwater Forests

Green Spain’s kelp cliffs and cider-coast reefs.

8 min read · Europe

English Channel

The Jurassic Coast: Kelp in the Rock Book of Dorset

Kelp ledges beneath England’s fossil cliffs.

11 min read · Europe

Celtic Sea / English Channel

The Iroise Sea: France's Great Kelp Reserve at Finistère

France’s great kelp reserve at the corner of Brittany.

10 min read · Europe

Adriatic Sea

Kelp Coasts of Montenegro: Cystoseira Forests in the Bay of Kotor's Shadow

Cystoseira forests beneath the drowned canyon of the Bay of Kotor.

9 min read · Europe

Mid-Atlantic

The Azores: Deep Kelp Gardens on Mid-Atlantic Volcanoes

Deep golden kelp gardens on mid-Atlantic volcanoes.

10 min read · Europe

Baltic Sea

Kelp Coasts of the Baltic Sea: Seaweeds at the Edge of Salinity

Bladderwrack meadow seas at the edge of salinity.

9 min read · Europe

Kattegat / Baltic gateway

The Kattegat: Kelp Forests on Brackish Water

Kelp forests holding on in brackish water.

9 min read · Europe

Celtic Sea / St George’s Channel

Pembrokeshire: Kelp, Islands and Tidal Races on the Welsh Frontier

Kelp, islands and tidal races on the Welsh frontier.

10 min read · Europe

Ionian Sea / Adriatic

The Albanian Riviera Underwater: Karst Reefs and Algal Forests of the Ionian Coast

Karst reefs and algal forests on the Mediterranean’s least-studied coast.

9 min read · Europe

North Sea

The Moray Firth: Dolphins, Salmon and Kelp on Scotland's Shoulder

Dolphins, salmon and kelp on Scotland’s northeast shoulder.

10 min read · Europe

Eastern Atlantic / Bay of Biscay

Rías Baixas: Kelp, Harvesters and the Galician Tide

Kelp, harvesters and the Galician tide.

9 min read · Europe

North Atlantic / North Sea

Shetland: Kelp at the Busiest Tidal Crossroads in Britain

Britain’s far-north kelp, otters and sea caves.

8 min read · Europe

North Atlantic / North Sea

Orkney and Shetland: Kelp at Britain's Northern Rim

Kelp at Britain’s northern rim.

9 min read · Europe

Norwegian Sea / Skjerstadfjord

Saltstraumen: Kelp Forests on the Rim of the World's Strongest Whirlpool

Kelp in the world’s strongest tidal current.

8 min read · Europe

Norwegian Sea

Norway's Mid-Coast: From Trondheim to the Tangle Kelp Frontier

Trondheim to the tangle kelp frontier.

9 min read · Europe

North Atlantic

Scotland's Sea Lochs: Kelp Where the Mountains Meet the Tide

Sheltered kelp down the long, still lochs.

8 min read · Europe

Baltic Sea

Bornholm and the Baltic Fringe: Where Kelp Meets Brackish Water

The Baltic’s last real kelp, clinging to a granite island.

8 min read · Europe

English Channel

The Cotentin Coast: Normandy's Tidal Kelp Races

Normandy’s tidal kelp races at the corner of the Channel.

11 min read · Europe

Bay of Biscay

The Basque Coast: Kelp, Cider-House Seas and the Bay of Biscay

Kelp ledges and fishing ports between Geopark cliffs.

9 min read · Europe

Northeast Atlantic

The Portuguese Kelp Edge: Cascais to the Atlantic's Warm Turn

Kelp on Lisbon’s rocky doorstep.

9 min read · Europe

Clyde Sea / Irish Sea

Kelp Forests of the Firth of Clyde: Scotland's Once-and-Future Sea

A grand sea on Scotland’s west coast, slowly recovering.

9 min read · Europe

The Northwest Atlantic

New England, the Maritimes and Newfoundland — one of the fastest-warming seas on Earth, where kelp’s fortunes are shifting in real time.

15 guides · View region →

Northwest Atlantic

The Bay of Fundy: Kelp Under the Highest Tides on Earth

Kelp and rockweed under the highest tides on Earth.

13 min read · The Northwest Atlantic

Northwest Atlantic / Scotian Shelf

Browns Bank: Nova Scotia's Kelp Bank on the Scotian Shelf

An offshore kelp bank science has watched for fifty years.

9 min read · The Northwest Atlantic

Gulf of Maine

Cape Ann: Kelp Ledges and Old Granite on Massachusetts' North Shore

Granite ledges and cold-water kelp on Boston’s doorstep.

7 min read · The Northwest Atlantic

Northwest Atlantic

The Gulf of Maine: Where Kelp Meets the Fastest-Warming Sea

Kelp meeting one of the fastest-warming seas on Earth.

9 min read · The Northwest Atlantic

Northwest Atlantic

The Gulf of St Lawrence: Green Kelp Under the Tides of the Magdalens

Green kelp under the Magdalen tides.

9 min read · The Northwest Atlantic

Gulf of St Lawrence

The Magdalen Islands: Kelp and Red Sandstone in the Gulf of St Lawrence

Red sandstone, seals and kelp in the island gulf.

9 min read · The Northwest Atlantic

Gulf of Maine

Maine's Acadia Coast: Kelp Where the Mountains Meet the Gulf

Rockweed shores and cold kelp ledges beneath Acadia’s granite.

7 min read · The Northwest Atlantic

Northwest Atlantic

Nova Scotia: Kelp Beds of the North Atlantic

Kelp beds of the North Atlantic lobster coast.

12 min read · The Northwest Atlantic

Northwest Atlantic

Rhode Island: Kelp on the Southern Edge of New England

Kelp on New England’s warm southern edge.

8 min read · The Northwest Atlantic

Northwest Atlantic / Labrador Current

Newfoundland's East Coast: Kelp in Iceberg Alley

Kelp and cold water in Iceberg Alley.

9 min read · The Northwest Atlantic

Gulf of St Lawrence

The Gaspé Peninsula: Kelp, Capelin and Cold Water in the Gulf of St Lawrence

Cold clear kelp water at the mouth of the St Lawrence.

9 min read · The Northwest Atlantic

Sunlit sugar kelp forest swaying over granite boulders in the clear green water of Boston Harbor, with green sea urchins on the rock and schooling fish in the canopy

Northwest Atlantic / Gulf of Maine

Boston Harbor Islands: Kelp's Comeback Beside a Cleaned-Up City

Rockweed shores and kelp minutes from downtown Boston.

9 min read · The Northwest Atlantic

Northwest Atlantic / Labrador Current

Kelp Forests of Newfoundland and Labrador: Cold-Water Kelp and Cod

Cold-water kelp and old cod grounds on Canada’s far east.

8 min read · The Northwest Atlantic

Labrador Sea

Kelp Forests of Labrador: The Subarctic Coast Few People See

The subarctic kelp coast almost nobody sees.

9 min read · The Northwest Atlantic

Gulf of St Lawrence / Atlantic

Kelp Forests of Cape Breton: Where the Gulf Meets the Atlantic

Kelp where the Gulf meets the open Atlantic.

9 min read · The Northwest Atlantic

The North Atlantic & Arctic

Faroes, Iceland, Greenland and Svalbard — the cold green border where kelp forests meet tide races, glaciers and the polar night.

9 guides · View region →
Aerial view of a boulder-strewn Arctic coastline with kelp beds visible in clear green shallows under low golden light

Barents Sea

The Murman Coast: Kelp Forests on Russia's Ice-Free Arctic Shore

Arctic kelp where the Gulf Stream finally runs out of heat.

11 min read · The North Atlantic & Arctic

North Atlantic

The Faroe Islands: Kelp in the Atlantic's Tidal Heart

Kelp in one of the world’s strongest tidal landscapes.

9 min read · The North Atlantic & Arctic

North Atlantic / Arctic

Greenland's Kelp Coast: Clear Water, Long Light and a Warming Frontier

The kelp frontier — forests expanding in a warming Arctic.

9 min read · The North Atlantic & Arctic

North Sea

Helgoland: Germany's Only Kelp Island

Germany’s only kelp island — and a century of marine records.

9 min read · The North Atlantic & Arctic

Hudson Bay / subarctic Atlantic

Hudson Bay's Kelp Fringe: Subarctic Forests on the Churchill Coast

Sugar kelp under half a year of sea ice, belugas in the estuary.

8 min read · The North Atlantic & Arctic

North Atlantic / Arctic

Iceland's Kelp Forests: Where Two Oceans Meet

Kelp forests where warm and Arctic currents collide.

9 min read · The North Atlantic & Arctic

Arctic Ocean / Barents Sea

Svalbard: Kelp Forests in the High Arctic

Kelp in polar light — the High Arctic’s underwater forests.

9 min read · The North Atlantic & Arctic

Arctic Ocean / White Sea

The White Sea: Kelp Forests Under the Ice

Kelp forests under ice in a sheltered Arctic sea.

9 min read · The North Atlantic & Arctic

North Atlantic / Denmark Strait

Iceland's Westfjords: Kelp Beneath the Bird Cliffs

Iceland’s kelp wilderness of seals and eider.

9 min read · The North Atlantic & Arctic

Southern Africa

Where two oceans meet — sea bamboo forests patrolled by sharks, otters and freedivers off the Cape.

10 guides · View region →
Sunlight filtering through a towering sea bamboo kelp forest on the Cape Peninsula, golden fronds swaying above a sponge-covered reef

Atlantic / Indian Ocean junction

Dive Guide: Cape Point — Diving the Two-Ocean Kelp Forest

Two-ocean kelp diving among sharks and granite cores.

7 min read · Southern Africa

Benguela Current / South Atlantic

Lüderitz, Namibia: Benguela Kelp on a Desert Coast

Benguela kelp growing against a desert shore.

11 min read · Southern Africa

Atlantic / Indian Ocean meeting

The Cape Peninsula: Kelp Forests at the Edge of Africa

Kelp at the edge of Africa, in two oceans at once.

9 min read · Southern Africa

Atlantic — False Bay

Snorkelling the Cape Kelp: Windmill Beach and Beyond

Snorkelling the Cape kelp beside a penguin colony.

9 min read · Southern Africa

Atlantic Ocean

Langebaan Lagoon and the West Coast: South Africa's Quiet Kelp

South Africa’s quiet west-coast kelp.

8 min read · Southern Africa

Indian Ocean

The Garden Route: South Africa's Sunny Kelp Coast

South Africa’s sunny kelp coast.

11 min read · Southern Africa

Atlantic / Benguela upwelling

St Helena Bay: The Upwelling Heart of South Africa's West Coast Kelp

The upwelling heart of the West Coast kelp fringe.

8 min read · Southern Africa

Atlantic Ocean / Benguela Current

Kelp at the Desert's Edge: Namibia's Skeleton Coast Forests

Kelp at the desert’s edge on the Skeleton Coast.

7 min read · Southern Africa

Sunlight filters through a towering sea bamboo kelp canopy onto surge channels between granite boulders off the Cape Peninsula, South Africa.

Atlantic / Indian Ocean

Kelp Forests of South Africa: Where Two Oceans Grow One Forest

Where two oceans grow one forest.

8 min read · Southern Africa

Southwest Indian Ocean

Algoa Bay: Where Kelp Meets Its Eastern Limit

Where the great Cape kelp forest reaches its eastern limit.

11 min read · Southern Africa

South America

The Humboldt frontier — upwelling so rich it grows kelp almost to the Atacama.

11 guides · View region →

Southwest Atlantic

Arraial do Cabo: Brazil's Cold-Water Oasis

a wind-driven upwelling that parks cold, nutrient-rich water on Brazil’s warm coast.

8 min read · South America

Split over-under photograph at a Brazilian granite headland: golden cliffs and a white-sand cove above the waterline, and below, deep blue water fading down to a dim seabed where low dark kelp spreads across pale pink rhodolith gravel.

Southwest Atlantic / Brazil Current

Arraial do Cabo: Brazil's Upwelling Kelp Outlier

Deep, upwelled kelp growing where kelp should not be.

8 min read · South America

Southeast Pacific / inner channels

The Patagonian Channels: Kelp Inside Chile's Drowned Mountains

Kelp inside Chile’s drowned Andes — fjords, corals and whales.

10 min read · South America

Southeast Pacific

Chiloé: Kelp, Salmon Country and the Working Coast of Southern Chile

Kelp, salmon country and the working coast of southern Chile.

8 min read · South America

Aerial view over a maze of forested islands and green-water channels in Chile's Chonos Archipelago, kelp beds tracing the shorelines and the Andes faint on the horizon.

Southeast Pacific / inner channels

The Chonos Archipelago: Chile's Inland Sea of Channels, Rain and Kelp

Chile’s drowned coastal range — kelp channels beside mussel farms and whales.

8 min read · South America

Southeast Pacific / Humboldt Current

The Bay of Concepción: Kelp, Huiro and Chile's Industrial Coast

Humboldt-fed kelp beds beside Chile’s industrial coast and artisanal dive fisheries.

8 min read · South America

East Pacific / Cromwell Current

The Galápagos Kelp: A Forest Rediscovered at the Equator

A kelp forest rediscovered at the equator.

8 min read · South America

Southwest Atlantic / Argentine Sea

Gulf of San Matías: Patagonia's Kelp-Fringed Sea Within a Sea

Patagonia’s sea within a sea — giant kelp, scallops and seven-metre tides.

8 min read · South America

Southeast Pacific / Humboldt Current

Chile's Humboldt Coast: The World's Richest Kelp Frontier

The world’s richest kelp frontier, run by fishers.

9 min read · South America

Southwest Atlantic

Península Valdés: Kelp, Whales and the Argentine Sea

Kelp, whales and orcas on Argentina’s Patagonian shore.

10 min read · South America

Southeast Pacific / Humboldt Current

Paracas: Kelp, Anchoveta and the Peruvian Upwelling

Kelp and anchoveta where desert meets upwelling.

11 min read · South America

Patagonia & the Southern Ocean

The roaring latitudes — subantarctic kelp that rafts life across entire ocean basins.

19 guides · View region →
Aerial view of a remote volcanic island at morning light, its rocky coast wrapped in a dark ring of giant kelp beds against deep indigo Southern Ocean water.

Southern Indian Ocean

Amsterdam Island: Kelp at the Bottom of the World

A narrow giant-kelp ring on one of Earth’s most isolated specks of land.

8 min read · Patagonia & the Southern Ocean

An Antarctic seaweed forest of Desmarestia fronds rising from dark volcanic rock under brash ice and pale polar light

Southern Ocean / Weddell margin

The Antarctic Peninsula: Seaweed Forests at the Frozen Edge of the Kelp World

Seaweed forests clinging to the frozen edge of the kelp world.

7 min read · Patagonia & the Southern Ocean

Subantarctic Pacific

New Zealand's Subantarctic Islands: The Kelp Kingdom Nobody Visits

The kelp kingdom nobody visits — New Zealand’s subantarctic wilds.

6 min read · Patagonia & the Southern Ocean

The Beagle Channel at dusk between glaciated Andean peaks, a band of golden-brown giant kelp fringing the calm steel-blue shoreline.

South Pacific–Atlantic gateway

The Beagle Channel: Kelp Where Darwin First Saw the Forest

Kelp where Darwin first saw the forest.

8 min read · Patagonia & the Southern Ocean

Subantarctic Pacific

The Chatham Islands: Bull Kelp in the Roaring Forties

Bull kelp forests alone in the roaring forties.

6 min read · Patagonia & the Southern Ocean

South Atlantic

The Falkland Islands: Kelp So Thick Boats Push Through It

Kelp so dense it damps the waves.

8 min read · Patagonia & the Southern Ocean

South Atlantic

Gough Island: Kelp at the Edge of the World Heritage Map

World Heritage kelp beds at the world’s loneliest weather station.

9 min read · Patagonia & the Southern Ocean

Southern Ocean / Indian sector

Heard & McDonald Islands: Kelp Beneath an Active Volcano

Kelp in the shadow of an active subantarctic volcano.

9 min read · Patagonia & the Southern Ocean

A wind-lashed giant kelp canopy streaming at the surface off a remote sub-Antarctic island coast, with dark volcanic cliffs and penguins on the gravel shore behind.

Southern Ocean / Indian sector

Kerguelen: Giant Kelp in the Sub-Antarctic

Giant kelp in one of Earth’s most remote archipelagos.

11 min read · Patagonia & the Southern Ocean

Southern Ocean / Indian sector

Marion Island: Kelp, Mice and Albatross in the Roaring Forties

Kelp, mice and albatross in the roaring forties.

9 min read · Patagonia & the Southern Ocean

Subantarctic Pacific

The Snares and Antipodes: New Zealand's Subantarctic Kelp Wilderness

New Zealand’s most remote kelp wilderness.

11 min read · Patagonia & the Southern Ocean

Subantarctic Pacific

The Snares: Bull Kelp in New Zealand's Subantarctic

Storm-built bull kelp and endemic penguins on granite you may not touch.

8 min read · Patagonia & the Southern Ocean

South Atlantic / Antarctic convergence

South Georgia: Giant Kelp at the Edge of the Ice

Giant kelp at the edge of the ice.

9 min read · Patagonia & the Southern Ocean

A volcanic island rising from grey South Atlantic swell, its rocky shore ringed with dark giant kelp beds under low cloud.

South Atlantic

Tristan da Cunha: Kelp Around the Loneliest Island

Kelp ringing the remotest inhabited island on Earth.

9 min read · Patagonia & the Southern Ocean

South Atlantic / Southern Ocean

Tristan da Cunha: The Kelp Coast at the End of the Map

Giant kelp ringing the most remote inhabited archipelago on Earth.

8 min read · Patagonia & the Southern Ocean

Giant kelp fronds streaming in cold green South Atlantic water off a rocky Falkland Islands shoreline, with schooling fish in the canopy lanes.

South Atlantic

Falkland Islands: The Engine of Southern Ocean Kelp

Mind-bending kelp beds that feed the Southern Ocean.

9 min read · Patagonia & the Southern Ocean

South Pacific / South Atlantic gateway

The Strait of Magellan: Kelp at the End of the World

Subantarctic kelp at the end of the world.

9 min read · Patagonia & the Southern Ocean

Southern Ocean / Indian sector

Prince Edward Islands: South Africa's Subantarctic Kelp Outpost

Kelp, albatross and seals in the roaring forties.

8 min read · Patagonia & the Southern Ocean

Giant kelp fronds streaming in cold current beneath the surface off a subantarctic volcanic island, with dark basalt boulders below and king penguins passing above the waterline.

Southern Ocean / Indian sector

Crozet Islands: Subantarctic Kelp Kingdoms of the Indian Ocean

Giant kelp wrapping the subantarctic’s loneliest archipelago.

8 min read · Patagonia & the Southern Ocean

Where Tidewright works

Eight of these coastlines host Tidewright restoration programs — see the global map and the work itself.

See the projects →

Who lives there

From giant kelp to weedy seadragons — the encyclopedia profiles the species behind every guide here.

Open the encyclopedia →

Get in the water

Practical guides to kelp-forest diving, snorkelling safely and photographing the canopy.

Read the explore guides →

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