Dive into the wonders of the Santa Barbara Channel Whale Heritage Area with our Free Membership.

Experience These Magnificent Creatures as They Are Meant to be Seen, Respectfully and In The Wild!

The Santa Barbara Channel is One of Earth's Premier Whale Watching Destinations. Come Experience These Amazing Creatures in the Wild.

New Short Film!

Channel of Giants : Celebrating Two Years as a Whale Heritage Area

 

Checkout our NEW Short Film highlighting what it means to be a whale heritage area. Join SBCWHA Co-Director Holly Lohuis on an expedition through the Santa Barbara Channel, where we encounter dozens of humpback whales, a species once near extinction off the California coast, now on the rise.

 

CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO WATCH!

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The Importance of Whale Heritage Areas

We are excited to announce the Santa Barbara Channel has become the 9th Whale Heritage Area in the world. This designation highlights the region’s commitment to promoting responsible ecotourism, providing more ocean educational opportunities, supporting on-going research and conservation efforts, and honoring the timeless cultural connection we have to whales, dolphins and porpoises.

You Can Make a Difference

Help create a world where cetaceans are only found in the wild, are respected and fully protected, and live in sustainable habitats and in harmony with people everywhere.

New Short Film!

 

Channel of Giants : Celebrating Two Years as a Whale Heritage Area

Our Valued Partners

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“Whale Heritage Areas are becoming the gold standard for responsible whale watching destinations worldwide. But they also have so much more to offer. By interweaving natural and cultural elements and placing communities at their very heart, these sites will become places where people respect, celebrate and protect cetaceans and their habitats long into the future.”

Jean-Michel Cousteau Honorary President,

World Cetacean Alliance

Founder, Ocean Futures Society