Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary off the coast of Georgia is one of the largest near-shore "live-bottom" reefs of the southeastern United States. It is just one of 14 marine protected areas that make up the National Marine Sanctuary System and is governed by the National Marine Sanctuaries Act. Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary is currently the only protected natural reef area on the continental shelf off the Georgia coast and one of only a few natural marine protected areas in the ocean between Cape Hatteras, NC and Cape Canaveral, FL. The approximately 22 square mile sanctuary (about 14,000 acres) of Gray's Reef is just a small part of the U.S. territorial Atlantic Ocean, yet its value as a natural marine habitat is recognized nationally and internationally. Research drives the management of this incredible underwater treasure and education and outreach help students and the general public know about their connection to it and impact on it. The ultimate goal is to help everyone practice good land and therefore ocean stewardship so that all ocean habitats and especially Gray's Reef are protected beginning now and that will last well into the future. Learn more about Gray's Reef.