Kelp Forest, Monterey Bay Aquarium Live Cam

The Kelp Forest exhibit at Monterey Bay Aquarium on Cannery Row shows tall stalks of giant kelp swaying in a deep tank of seawater. Schools of silvery fish circle near the surface while larger fish drift between the fronds.

The aquarium stands on Monterey Bay in California, in the buildings of a former sardine cannery. Its Kelp Forest tank is about 8.5 m deep and recreates the forests growing just offshore. Seawater is pumped in from the bay, and the kelp grows so fast that divers trim it every week.

The broadcast switches between views of the same tank: a wide shot through the dark frames of the large window, a closer view beside one frame, and a camera inside the tank among red algae. Leopard sharks, rockfish and sardines often cross the picture.