The Farallon Islands, located in the Pacific Ocean near San Francisco, are a refuge for diverse avian and marine fauna, including seals and great white sharks. The islands were once used for exploiting wildlife and dumping nuclear waste but are now a National Wildlife Refuge. Whale watching and shark cage diving tours are available.
The Farallon Islands are a group of islands officially belonging to the city and county of San Francisco, California. They are found in the Pacific Ocean, in what is called the Gulf of Farallones, and are known as a fantastic refuge for particularly avian and marine fauna. It’s just under 30 miles (48.28 km) from San Francisco, or the Golden Gate, the area between San Francisco Bay and the gateway to the Pacific Ocean, spanned by the Golden Gate Bridge. Clear days in San Francisco can be judged by their clarity by the visibility of the Farallon Islands. On foggy days, the islands are hidden from view.
There are more than 10 islands in the group and a number of small reefs dotting the Farallons. Only one island is inhabited by people. Southeast Farallon Island is home to a lighthouse and also researchers from the Marine Mammal Center located in Marin. Until recent history, the islands’ primary use was to exploit native wildlife and to dump nuclear waste. It wasn’t until 1969 that the United States finally declared the Farallon Islands a National Wildlife Refuge, helping in this act to save many of the species that live in or migrate there on an annual basis.
The bird species existing on the Farallon Islands are diverse. Several cormorants, puffins, storm petrels, auklets and muirs make up a bird population of over 250,000. The islands are also home to several species of seals, including elephant seals, harbor seals, sea lions and the rare northern fur seal. The expanding seal population attracts a significant population of great white sharks. The largest white shark farm is located in nearby Tomales Bay off the coast of Marin County. Ample feeding opportunities provided by seals using the Farallon Islands as a breeding ground means there are approximately 80 shark attacks on witness seals per year.
Despite the inherent danger of great white strikes, the Farallon Islands are also a known migration point for humpback whales and a variety of other whale species such as the blue whale. Some dolphins, and especially killer whales, visit the Farallons during their annual migrations. Some orcas may be area residents rather than migratory.
Whale watching tours of the Farallon Islands are available during the whale watching season from October to March. Another tourist attraction for the brave is shark cage diving observation. If you’d rather not get inside a cage, many of these same tours offer top-top accommodations only, meaning you can watch the action of great white sharks and their smaller Pacific blue shark cousins from the ship instead of going inside. waterfall .
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