Calendar of Events

Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council Meeting - January 7th, 2026

Time: 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (ET)

Location: Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary Ocean Discovery Center, 340 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Savannah, Georgia

The meeting is free and open to the public for in-person attendance or virtual attendance via an on-line GoToWebinar registration link. Learn more on our Council News and Actions page.

Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary Designation - January 16th, 2026

Celebrate another year of sanctuary conservation for Gray's Reef, originally designated in 1981. Learn about the history of the sanctuary here.

Opening Celebration of the Gray's Reef Ocean Discovery Center - February 28th, 2026

Time: 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. (ET)

Location: The Gray's Reef Ocean Discovery Center, 340 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Savannah, Georgia

We invite you to celebrate Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary's Ocean Discovery Center's new exhibits. Come view the newly reimagined, museum-quality exhibits and enjoy an exciting, family-friendly sustainability block part in the heart of downtown Savannah. Learn more about the event here.

Earth Day - April 22

MATE ROV Competition - May 2nd, 2026

Time: 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. (ET)

Location: Chatham County Aquatics Center, 7240 Sallie Moon Mood Dr., Savannah, Georgia

Organized by the Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary Foundation, middle and high school students build their own underwater robots and compete to win a chance at advancing to the national competition. Learn more about the competition here.

World Ocean Day - June 6

Sam Gray's Birthday - June 7 (b. 1895)

The sanctuary's namesake, Milton "Sam" Gray was born on this day in 1895.

Get Into Your Sanctuary

Make it a goal this month to support your sanctuary any way you can.

Skidaway Marine Science Day - Skidaway Institute of Oceanography - October 10th, 2026

Time: 10:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. (ET)

Location: UGA Marine Education Center and Aquarium, 30 Ocean Science Circle, Savannah, Georgia

Each year, marine scientists and educators put on a public event highlighting the ongoing work at the University of Georgia Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant, and Gray's Reef National Marine Sanctuary.

National Marine Sanctuaries creation - October 23, 1972

Georgia Whale Week

North Atlantic right whales return to calf and nurse their young in the coastal waters of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.