The Bay Foundation

06/04/2026

💙 We’re spotlighting Esteban Caprio, a passionate volunteer helping us restore Southern California’s kelp forests! The Bay Foundation is a world leader in kelp forest restoration, advancing innovative restoration techniques and partnerships to regenerate underwater forests. 🌿 Esteban recently dove with us, stemming from scientific dive trainings with our collaborator Aquatic Futures Foundation.

🤿 A special shoutout to for empowering and training the next generation of ocean stewards through scientific dive trainings, community events, and more! This work and collaboration is supported by the California State Coastal Conservancy - we teamed up with to recruit, educate, and train certified scientific divers. Stay tuned for more updates!

🌊 Interested in helping safeguard the ocean and have a background in scientific diving? We’re looking for volunteer divers to support the scouting, establishment, and maintenance of restoration sites under our Ocean Resilience initiative.

Dive into the link https://www.santamonicabay.org/what-we-do/projects/volunteer-divers/ to learn more about our diving volunteer opportunities!✨

06/02/2026

Make a difference with us this June 🌊🌱 From restoring coastal habitats, birding with collaborators, and partaking in an environmental education training - we’ve got several opportunities happening this month to get involved in!

🌊 Upcoming June Events 🌊
📅 Saturday, June 6, 2026
• Dockweiler Beach Dunes restoration and nature bird walk with and

📅 Saturday, June 6, 2026
• Dockwalker Training online co-hosted with California’s Boating Clean and Green Program *final training for 2026!*

📅 Saturday, June 27, 2026
• Santa Monica Beach Dunes restoration + meditation led by

Visit the link to learn more and RSVP!✨ https://www.santamonicabay.org/

05/29/2026

Honoring + Celebrating Nick Gabaldón Day on 6/6 🌊💙

Next Saturday, June 6th is the 14th annual Nick Gabaldón Day! Nick Gabaldón was the first documented Black and Mexican-American surfer in the Santa Monica Bay and California. He surfed in the 1940s-50s at a time when the beaches were racially segregated. He left a lasting legacy and continues to inspire generations of surfers! Join Black Surfers Collective next Saturday, June 6, 2026, in honoring the legacy of Nick Gabaldón and uplifting a more inclusive surf community 🌊 This event centers equity, history, and joy in the ocean. TBF is a proud co-supporter of this event, come celebrate Nick Gabaldón Day with , us, and all collaborators .with.the.ocean

📅 Saturday, June 6, 2026

🕘 9 am - 2 pm

📍 The Historic Inkwell, Tower 20, Santa Monica Beach - Santa Monica, California

🏄‍♂️ Surf lessons are full however you can still come out for the fun and/or volunteer!

💙 Interested in volunteering? Visit for registration.

Don’t miss this special day of community, history, and surfing that honors one of California’s pioneering Black surfers! https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/nick-galdabon-day--2026?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQPOTM2NjE5NzQzMzkyNDU5AAGnKFVbl5nGgnvRpr36iY_ctNjSGZZFqbSxR8uySPr-JLng9tegAM1Pv-V_ukk_aem_a-QC-xQWt2eYz7hRR26jOw

05/28/2026

Dockwalker trainings are wrapping up! 🌊 Don’t miss your chance to attend a free Dockwalker training on Saturday, June 6, 2026. RSVP here: https://ports-ca.zoom.us/meeting/register/cZ7g7CjtRVauHBDiBW6Mww

Anyone can be a Dockwalker and help inspire and educate boaters to practice safe, clean, and environmentally sound boating throughout California while distributing free California Boater Kits filled with pollution prevention resources! ⛵️

If you care about keeping our waterways pollution free, and you're between the ages of 15 and 100, consider becoming a Dockwalker! Dockwalker Program volunteers help educate boaters about clean boating practices. Since 2000, more than 130,000 boater kits, packed with pollution preventing materials, have been distributed to boaters. The next training (free and virtual!) for Southern California is on Saturday, March 21st. Learn more on their website: https://dbw.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=29199 Photo Credit: California State Parks

05/27/2026

Come out to L.A. Dance Project’s City of Dance at Tongva Park in Santa Monica on 6/7 🌊 Following the performance, TBF’s CEO Tom Ford will be on panel exploring ecology, public spaces, the coastline, and much more! Check out the link for more details and to RSVP: https://ladanceproject.org/events/ladp-performs-city-of-dance-tongva-park-santa-monica/ ✨

05/26/2026

Day in the life of caring for endangered white abalone 🐚
 
Come along with our Ocean Resilience Program Aquarist, Ashlyn, for a look at life inside our lab at the .marine.institute! From cleaning tanks to feeding and ensuring they stay healthy, every task supports the recovery of this endangered species and gets these juvenile white abalones one step closer to their future ocean home.🌊
 
Many of the white abalone at the lab are preparing for outplanting soon, meaning they’ll eventually be released into the ocean where they belong. Follow along as they go from lab to ocean!💙
 

  aquarist

05/21/2026

Did you know kelp forests cover more area than the Amazon rainforest and are one of the most productive ecosystems on the planet? They help protect coastlines from storms, support thousands of marine species, absorb carbon dioxide, and even produce oxygen. In the Los Angeles Times article, The Planet’s Other Forest Crisis, journalist David Helvarg details the historical and ongoing threats to kelp forests, but also emphasizes their remarkable resilience. 🌿🌊

The Bay Foundation witnesses this resilience routinely. By helping reduce overgrown sea urchin populations, our scientific divers have supported the regeneration of over 80 acres of giant kelp forest in Southern California!☀️

Kelp recovers when given the chance 💚 Check out the full article below and don’t miss ’s new book, Forest of the Sea: The Remarkable Life and Imperiled Future of Kelp - out now! 🌿

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2026-02-19/kelp-forests-recovery-global-warming

05/20/2026

The Bay Foundation is proud to share that the Manhattan Beach Dune Restoration Project has been recognized with the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association’s 2026 Best Restored Beach Award! 🌊

Thank you to the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association for this incredible recognition and for supporting coastal restoration!

Congratulations to the 2026 Best Restored Beach Award Winners! ⭐

🏖️ City of San Clemente & USACE Coastal Storm Damage Reduction Project, San Clemente, CA
🏖️ Hutchinson Island Shore Protection Project, Martin County, FL
🏖️ Manhattan Beach Dune Restoration Project, Manhattan Beach, CA
🏖️ Oak Island Renourishment Project, Oak Island, NC
🏖️ West Grand Terre Beach Nourishment and Shoreline Stabilization Project, West Grand Terre Island, Jefferson Parish, LA

🏆 Since 2002, ASBPA has recognized more than 100 restored beach projects nationwide, highlighting the vital role these efforts play in strengthening coastal resilience, reducing storm impacts, supporting ecosystems, and preserving beaches for future generations.

Learn more about the annual and other ASBPA awards at https://asbpa.org/about-us/awards-program/

City of San Clemente - City Hall Los Angeles District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
Martin County Board of County Commissioners U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Jacksonville District Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Company, LLC Taylor Engineering, Inc.
Beaches and Harbors Los Angeles County The Bay Foundation LA Conservation Corps
Town of Oak Island Weeks Marine, Inc. Moffatt & Nichol
Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority Coastal Engineering Consultants

05/19/2026

Calling all SoCal environmental stewards! Our final two Dockwalker trainings of 2026 are upon us: Thursday 5/28 and Saturday 6/6. This is your chance to embark on your environmental education journey and make a difference in your community!⛵️

What’s the Dockwalker Program? Dockwalkers are passionate individuals empowered to become impactful educators, with a specific focus on keeping boat-based pollution out of the waters. Once trained, individuals engage boating communities on stewardship - from marine debris prevention, oil recycling, marine protected areas, proper sewage disposal, & so much more. Dockwalkers are also armed with powerful pollution-prevention resources to share with local boaters, so they pair knowledge sharing with direct action. This statewide initiative is led with the California State Parks and the California Coastal Commission’s Boating Clean and Green Program in partnership with The Bay Foundation in SoCal. Register for an upcoming training here: https://www.santamonicabay.org/events/✨

🌊Soundbite via podcast recent episode featuring TBF’s Delores Chan and California State Parks and California Coastal Commission’s Vivian Matuk. 🌊

05/15/2026

We’re so excited to see you this Sunday, May 17 🌊

Join us at Patagonia Santa Monica for an evening of kelp, coastlines, and ocean conservation with Forest of the Sea author David Helvarg and The Bay Foundation CEO Tom Ford. 🌿

Enjoy drinks, good vibes, and a chance to win raffle prizes!

Doors open at 5:30 PM | Event starts at 6 PM 💙

Learn more and RSVP here: https://forestoftheseabooktalkwiththeb.splashthat.com/ See less