NOAA's Flower Garden Banks Natl Marine Sanctuary

Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, in the Gulf, is home to thriving coral reefs off the coasts of Texas and Louisiana.

[NOAA's Flower Garden Banks Natl Marine Sanctuary @FGBNMS]

Go on an adventure.
Connect with the outdoors.
Spend time with loved ones.
Embrace the country’s natural beauty.
Take stunning photos and submit them in the Get Into Your Sanctuary Photo Contest.

Visit https://t.co/5YMUXWzgNy Follow @sanctuaries to learn more!

📷@ThunderBayNMS

[NOAA's Flower Garden Banks Natl Marine Sanctuary @FGBNMS]

Marbled grouper are considered rare throughout much of their range.
Marbled grouper at @FGBNMS: "That's news to us."
Researchers observe marbled grouper during #ROV surveys in the sanctuary, making this a reliable place to encounter this species.

[NOAA's Flower Garden Banks Natl Marine Sanctuary @FGBNMS]

Bouys at Bright and Geyer Banks are back!

Buoys at these locations were added in 2024 to expand access off the Louisiana coast but had gone missing. Sanctuary staff were able to replace them recently.

#MooringBuoy locations: https://t.co/3dJVfPLIgD

https://t.co/826Rig8O24.

[NOAA's Flower Garden Banks Natl Marine Sanctuary @FGBNMS]

For this year’s Get Into Your Sanctuary Photo Contest, we are excited to have all new submission categories: Life in Motion, Sanctuaries and You, The Water’s Edge, & Ripples from the Past.

Visit https://t.co/OC78wneqnK to learn more!

📷@MBNMS
📷@FloridaKeysNMS
📷@NOAA_CINMS

[NOAA's Flower Garden Banks Natl Marine Sanctuary @FGBNMS]

June is the perfect month to check out zoos and aquariums that feature @FGBNMS exhibits.

💙 Texas State Aquarium
🐟 Cameron Park Zoo
🐠 Moody Gardens
🪸 San Antonio Zoo Brewer Ocean Conservation Lab
🦈 Tennessee Aquarium

https://t.co/hyYuXued0f

#NationalZooAndAquariumMonth

[NOAA Coastal Ocean Science @noaacoastalsci]

Scientists are studying how and when fish use the banks and reefs of @FGBNMS, and have developed a video that describes how they are using acoustic technology to track fish movements and study fish behavior. Learn more: https://t.co/3aPjHIWG35

[NOAA's Flower Garden Banks Natl Marine Sanctuary @FGBNMS]

With special gas mixtures, closed-circuit rebreathers, extended decompression, and a hyperbaric chamber, researchers from FAU Harbor Branch, San Diego State University, and @FGBNMS, with the NOAA Dive Center, recently completed a technical diving mission to study deep reefs.

[NOAA's Flower Garden Banks Natl Marine Sanctuary @FGBNMS]

#GreatBarracuda are drawn to the shade and structure of moored vessels, schooling loosely in the water column to stay cool and keep an eye out for easy prey.
Despite their intimidating reputation, barracuda sightings in @FGBNMS are a highlight.

[NOAA's Flower Garden Banks Natl Marine Sanctuary @FGBNMS]

Sanctuary Saturday at the Moody Gardens Aquarium Pyramid this Saturday!
Join us to learn more about corals in the Gulf and the challenges they face throughout the world.

🐟 Sanctuary Saturday—Corals of the Gulf
📆 June 13, 2026, at 1 p.m.
📍 @MoodyGardens Aquarium Pyramid

[NOAA's Flower Garden Banks Natl Marine Sanctuary @FGBNMS]

You’re invited to Get Into Your Sanctuary! Join us this summer across the National Marine Sanctuary System and submit your photos to the annual Photo Contest!

Visit https://t.co/5YMUXWzgNy and follow @noaasanctuaries to learn more!

#ILoveMySanctuary

[NOAA's Flower Garden Banks Natl Marine Sanctuary @FGBNMS]

💙 Time to celebrate this #WorldOceanDay!

From the beauty of offshore reefs like those found in @FGBNMS to the coastal communities that see the waves daily, the ocean is our happy place.

How are you celebrating the ocean today?

[Sanctuaries (NOAA) @sanctuaries]

Today is #WorldOceanDay 🌎🌊 The National Marine Sanctuary System protects some of the most iconic underwater places throughout the U.S., but we can't do it without you. No matter where you are, the ocean and Great Lakes are in your hands.

Get into your Sanctuary this summer!🤿

[NOAA's Flower Garden Banks Natl Marine Sanctuary @FGBNMS]

Thanks for following this mission aboard the #NOAAShipNANCYFOSTER!

This mission was a partnership between @FGBNMS & #BOEM to recharacterize biological communities in areas of interest. The mission used #ROV operations to explore the seafloor and habitats of concern in @FGBNMS.

[NOAA's Flower Garden Banks Natl Marine Sanctuary @FGBNMS]

Topside Highlights on #NOAAShipNancyFoster

Although underwater #ROV exploration was the focus of our trip, we made fun observations above water, including a masked booby, a group of dolphins, a pelican on the back deck, a brown booby, and a meet-up with the #NOAAShipOREGONII.

[NOAA's Flower Garden Banks Natl Marine Sanctuary @FGBNMS]

Exploration Highlights

Day 5 #28FathomBank & #RankinBank
28 Fathom had 10 lionfish in one spot! Rankin had black corals, an anemone, and deepwater fish.

Day 6 #MacNeilBank
Several sharks appeared during #ROV dives. On the bottom, we saw crinoids and black corals.

[NOAA's Flower Garden Banks Natl Marine Sanctuary @FGBNMS]

Exploration Highlights

Day 3 #SonnierBank
Explored shallow areas that look like Stetson Bank. We encountered the only stingray of the trip.

Day 4 #BrightBank & #28FathomBank
Spotted a star coral and saucer corals at Bright. 28 Fathom treated us to black coral and a batfish.

[NOAA's Flower Garden Banks Natl Marine Sanctuary @FGBNMS]

Day 2 #ParkerBank
Better visibility and structure allowed us to see lots of fish. #AlgalNodules covered most of the habitat. We encountered a large #BasketStar, all curled up alongside a #sponge, a #MarbledGrouper, and lots of other fish. A #jawfish resting in its burrow.

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[NOAA's Flower Garden Banks Natl Marine Sanctuary @FGBNMS]

Exploration Highlights

Day 1 #AlderdiceBank

Unfortunately, visibility was very low for most of our #ROV transects (specific paths of exploration) over a soft mud bottom. A few shallower transects showed more detail. #ScampGrouper and #BlackCorals were everywhere.

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[NOAA's Flower Garden Banks Natl Marine Sanctuary @FGBNMS]

Bongos aren't just drums!

A bongo net consists of two side-by-side cone-shaped nets used to collect #plankton samples. Collection containers at the bottom of the nets capture what is funneled down to them.

Can you see why this is called a #BongoNet?

[NOAA's Flower Garden Banks Natl Marine Sanctuary @FGBNMS]

ROVing the Sanctuary

Launching a #ROV is a group effort. The robot goes into the water with a good length of umbilical line, and a heavy downweight goes in and stays 50 ft above the bottom to absorb ship movement. An operator drives the ROV to explore using HD video and cameras.