 Historical sites include 1,276 reported shipwrecks and 718 prehistoric sites.The MBNMS has major programs for research and monitoring, and another for education and outreach

A Coastal Discovery Center is located across the Pacific Coast Highway from the Hearst Castle visitor’s center in San Simeon, California near the William Randolph Hearst Memorial State Beach.The Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary Exploration Center opened on July 23, 2012 at 35 Pacific Ave. in Santa Cruz, CA.