One of the largest tidal marshes in California and the easiest place in the world to watch sea otters do nothing in particular…One of the largest tidal marshes in California and the easiest place in the world to watch sea otters do nothing in particular, dozens of them rafted in the channel, harbour seals on the mudbanks, and the head of the Monterey submarine canyon a mile offshore, which is why whales feed so close in here. Diked and farmed for a century, then reconnected to the sea; the slough became a National Estuarine Research Reserve in 1979. The otters returned to Monterey Bay from a single surviving colony near Big Sur, and this is where they are now easiest to see. Anchorage: Berth in Moss Landing harbour and explore the slough by tender or kayak. The bar at the entrance is the thing to time. Hazards: The harbour entrance breaks in a swell and the tide runs hard through it. Keep clear of hauled-out seals and rafting otters, which is required by law as well as good manners. More