Welcome to Seasons in the Sea—

A month-by-month guide to Central California marine life

• Have you ever watched a flock of seabirds flying
  and wondered where they were going?
• Have you ever gone ocean fishing
  and wondered why some fish only bite at certain times of year?
• Have you ever wanted to see whales, dolphins, or sea lions
  but didn't know the best time and place to look for them?

If so, then you have come to the right place.

This web site is for ocean lovers, beach-walkers, bird-watchers, fishers, SCUBA divers, and anyone else who loves to spend time around the ocean.

A typical field guide might tell you WHAT – what an animal looks like, what it eats, and what its typical habitat is.

This web site will help you understand WHEN – when animals mate, give birth, or migrate from one place to another. It will also explain WHY these events take place at certain times of year, and HOW they are related to one another.

As you explore this site, you'll find that it contains a wealth of information on hundreds of plants and animals that inhabit the coastal waters of California between Big Sur and Point Reyes.

In addition to familiar animals such as pelicans and sea otters, this site describes many creatures you might not have heard of, such as four-foot-long worms that live in coastal estuaries or jellyfish that sail thousands of miles across surface of the Pacific Ocean, only to be cast up on our shores by a change in the winds and currents.

To get started, just pick a month from the menu at the top of this page, then pick a habitat to find out what's happening in that environment at that time of year. That's all there is to it. For more information, see "How to use this site."