Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary
Address:10 Ocean Science Circle
Savannah, GA 31411
Phone:912-598-2345
Fax:912-598-2367
Web: graysreef.noaa.gov
Location:23 miles off Sapelo Island, Georgia.
Activities:Recreational fishing, sport fishing, boating, underwater photography, and scuba diving.
Special Features:Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary is part of the only known winter calving ground for the endangered North Atlantic right whale. Description:Description: Gray's Reef is one of the largest nearshore live-bottom reefs in the southeastern United States and is unique because it exists in waters where both temperate and subtropical elements are combined. The sanctuary is composed of a submerged hard bottom (limestone) area with sandstone outcroppings and ledges six to ten feet high. The rocky areas are separated by a series of sandy, flat-bottomed troughs. Seventy feet below the ocean's surface, the rocky platform is covered with attached organisms which gives the reef its live-bottom designation. Seventeen square miles of open ocean are protected by sanctuary boundaries. Facilities:The sanctuary office and an interpretive center are located in the Georgia Marine Science Center on Skidway Island, just outside of Savannah, Georgia. Common Species: Black sea bass, snapper, grouper, barracuda, nurse shark, loggerhead sea turtle, and northern right whale. Environmental Issues: Protecting the North Atlantic right whale. Habitats: Flat bottom troughs, flat top ridge, ledges and crevices, slopes and sandy areas, waters above the reef, and scarps. Access: The reef is easily accessible by boat. Marinas and boat landing facilities are located along the coast between Savannah and Brunswick, Georgia.
Year Designated: 1981.
See other parks in
Georgia.