Volunteer

large group of advisory council members standing outside posing for photo
Northern right whale dolphins, lacking a dorsal fin, are often mistaken for herds of sea lions. Photo: Douglas Croft/Get Into Your Sanctuary Photo Contest

Become a sanctuary volunteer! Join our incredible volunteer team and support Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary's mission in education, research, and resource protection. Volunteers provide assistance for sanctuary visitor center education, citizen science, water quality monitoring, and shoreline interpretive naturalist programs.

volunteers engaging with sanctuary visitor on the shoreline

Bay Net

Bay Net interpretive naturalists educate thousands of sanctuary shoreline visitors each year.

four kayakers on the water near one another

Team OCEAN

Team OCEAN naturalists promote responsible wildlife viewing by educating on-the-water paddlers.

a volunteer engages with visitors through an exhibit

Visitor Center Docent

Join a team of dedicated docents who serve as public ambassadors at sanctuary visitor centers.

volunteers testing water quality samples with equipment at a water source

Water Quality Monitoring

Become a citizen scientist for several water quality monitoring programs that collect and test samples of the water entering the sanctuary.

volunteer taking a dead bird sample at a beach

BeachCOMBERS

Learn how to contribute to a beach monitoring study and gather information on the presence of beachcast marine life in the sanctuary.

volunteer engaging with sanctuary visitors at an outreach table

Volunteer Awards

The sanctuary acknowledges the efforts of exceptional individuals who donate time and energy to support the NOAA Office of National Marine Sanctuaries mission.