Santa Monica Bay is part of the Pacific Ocean which includes the area between Point Dume and Palos Verdes Peninsula. Streams that flow into Santa Monica Bay include Ballona Creek, Malibu Creek, and Topanga Creek. Up until 1825 the Los Angeles River flowed into Santa Monica Bay.

State Beaches on Santa Monica Bay include Malibu Lagoon State Beach (Surfrider), Will Rogers State Beach, Santa Monica State Beach, Topanga State Beach, and Dockweiler State Beach. Piers that extend into Santa Monica Bay include Santa Monica Pier, Malibu Pier, Venice Pier, Hermosa Beach Pier, Manhattan Beach Pier, and Redondo Beach Pier.

Santa Monica, Malibu, EI Segundo, and the Marina del Rey marina are on Santa Monica Bay. The Santa Monica Bay is to the west of the South Bay region of Los Angeles County.

Santa Monica State Beach

Santa Monica State Beach is three miles long, covering 245 acres of sand along the Santa Monica Bay. There are walking paths, bikes paths, excellent restaurants, shopping, and hotels.

Heal the Bay - Santa Monica

Heal the Bay is a non-profit environmental advocacy organization based in Santa Monica that is dedicated to protecting the Sarita Monica Bay which extends from Point Dume to the Palos Verdes Peninsula. Heal the Bay operates the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium which was previously known as the Ocean Discovery Center.