Latest 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!
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.
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Stay up to date with the latest whale news, sightings, and science in the SBCWHA!
How Whale Watching Companies Support Marine Science in the Santa Barbara Channel Whale Heritage Area
February 2026 When a whale surfaces in the Santa Barbara Channel, it’s not just an awe-inspiring moment forpassengers—it’s also a valuable data point for science. Thanks to the collaboration betweenWhale watching operators and researchers, every splash, breach, and fluke photo helpsscientists better understand the incredible marine life that makes this region one of the mostbiodiverse…
Why the Santa Barbara Channel Whale Heritage Area Opposes New Oil Drilling
The Santa Barbara Channel Whale Heritage Area exists to protect, celebrate, and educate thepublic about one of the most biologically rich marine ecosystems on our planet. This channel isnot just water between the mainland and the Channel Islands—it is a living corridor for whales,dolphins, seabirds, fisheries, and coastal communities that have depended on a healthy…
Celebrating Three Newly Named Whales
The Santa Barbara Channel Whale Heritage Area (SBCWHA) is proud to announce a heartfelt contribution to marine science and conservation: the naming of three individually recognized whales—a blue whale, a gray whale, and a humpback whale—each honoring remarkable community leaders whose lives have been intertwined with our ocean. These gifts support the research and cataloging…
“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