February 2026: Northern Elephant Seals Never Forget (Año Nuevo State Park)

Año Nuevo State Park is a marine safe haven for elephant seals. The males and females return to this beach around January/February each year.

Right now, it is the season of love for the elephant seals, just in time for Valentine's Day. They breed, they mate, and the females give birth and nurse their young.

Nestled in between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz off of the Highway 1, this beach is a San Francisco Bay treasure. While the beach can be hard to reach from Silicon Valley, it is well worth the effort.

At the start of the 20th century when the Northern Elephant Seals faced extinction, as we humans hunted them for their blubber. Great White Sharks are the apex predator to the Northern Elephant Seal. But, humans are still their greatest threat. In areas where fishing is allowed, they can become entangled in fishing nets or crash into sea vessels.

For the last 10 years, Año Nuevo has proven to be a conservation success story. The park is a marine protected area, meaning that no fishing or human activity is allowed here. At the time of this writing, it is home to 1,000 weaned pups, and 100 were recently weaned. About 1/2 million elephant seals in total are part of this colony.

Although Northern Elephant Seals are smaller than their Southern neighbors, they still boast an incredible size. A male elephant seal can weigh up to 5,000 pounds, or the weight of a large SUV. The males are usually about twice the size of the females, and they can grow up to 15 feet on average. Males and females will only cross paths on the shores of Ano Nuevo beach for the mating & breeding season.