There's nothing like visiting the coast in person—salt spray on your face, the sound of the wind and crashing waves in your ears, the warm sand between your toes. But if you're inland for the time-being and want to take a virtual trip, here are some live webcams that can transport you (at least within your mind) to our beautiful coast.

Coastal webcams are a great jumping off point for a class getting ready to study a coastal habitat, for students preparing to create artwork or poetry for our Coastal Art & Poetry Contest, or just for when anyone needs a break from the here and now. Students, consider these activities:

• Pick one webcam that you are interested in. Visit the video in the morning, afternoon, and/or mid-evening for a week, making sure to observe animals, weather, and tides (if applicable). Take notes, draw a picture, and/or take a screenshot each time you visit the webcam. Compare your observations. Do you notice any differences?
• Repeat the above for different webcams and/or during different seasons.

Webcams may be periodically down, or their subjects may only be active during certain times of the day or year. Check back later if you don't see what you're looking for. These webcams are managed by various organizations (shown in parentheses below), some public, some private. The California Coastal Commission does not necessarily endorse or monitor the content of these websites, which may contain advertisements.

Animals and habitats:

• Farallones Cam (California Academy of Sciences)
• Sea Lions, San Francisco Bay (Pier 39)
• Elephant Seals, Año Nuevo State Park (California State Parks)
• Elkhorn Slough Otter Cam (Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Elkhorn Slough Foundation and Friends of the Sea Otter)
• Sea Otter and Sea Lion Live Cam, Moss Landing Harbor (SeaOtters.com)
• California Condor Cam, Big Sur (Ventana Wildlife Society)
• Elephant Seals, Piedras Blancas (California State Parks and Friends of the Elephant Seal) Includes sound.
• Eagle Nest Cams at several California locations (Institute for Wildlife Studies) Include sound.
• Bald eagle nest (Channel Islands National Park)
• Kelp Forest (Channel Islands National Park) Includes sound.
• Huntington Beach Wetlands Underwater (Montrose Settlements Restoration Program, NOAA)
• Harbor Seal Colony in La Jolla (Western Alliance for Nature and EarthCam)
• Selection of webcams within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary

Land/surfscapes (wide views):

• Caspar Beach (Caspar Beach RV Park)
• Point Reyes Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore (National Park Service)
• Smith River, Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park (Save the Redwoods) Includes sound.
• Capitola
  (Surfline maintains many surf webcams, with limited free viewing. You will have to wait for an ad to complete before the video begins.)
• Monterey Bay (Monterey Bay Aquarium)
• Big Sur (Nepenthe Restaurant)
• Morro Bay Harbor (805 Webcams)
• Pismo Beach (Pismo Beach Conference and Visitor Bureau)
• Leadbetter Beach and Santa Barbara Harbor (Santa Barbara Yacht Club)
• Anacapa Island (Channel Islands National Park) Includes sound.
• Venice Beach (Westland)
• Santa Monica Beach (Explore) Includes sound.
• Huntington Beach Pier
  (Surfline maintains many surf webcams, with limited free viewing. You will have to wait for an ad to complete before the video begins.)
• Aliso Beach, Laguna Beach (EarthCam)
• Scripps Pier, La Jolla (Scripps Institution of Oceanography)
• Del Mar (Solspot)
• Mission Beach, San Diego (Surfer Shot)
• Ocean Beach (Ocean Beach Mainstreet Association)