MONTEREY, Calif. (KRON) – As the Bay Area continues to shelter in place, staying at home, especially as summer approaches isn’t easy. But thanks to modern technology, you can have a fun time exploring without leaving home. Travel enthusiast Dana Rebmann joins us.

Thanks to videos, live streams and webcams we can travel just about anywhere in these days without leaving our living rooms but some locations really standout when it comes to delivering their backyard into our homes. Nearby, Monterey is one of them.

If you’re craving the ocean? The Monterey Bay Aquarium has you covered with its Monterey Bay Cam. Turn up the volume on your device of choice for the full effect. Along with a scenic surf shot, chances are in your favor of seeing a variety of wildlife like seabirds, harbor seals, and otters. The natural sound that comes across on this webcam makes it a nice one to have up in the background even when you are working from home.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium boasts ten live cams, so you can pick or choose depending on your mood. If you’re in the mood for some antics, the Sea Otter Cam is worth checking out.

Every weekday at 1:30pm you can tune in and watch the otters enjoy their lunch. A live educator narrates the feeding, explaining the sea otters’ behavior.

Monterey Bay Aquarium If you need something more mellow, the Jelly Cam tends to have a mesmerizing effect on folks. These sea nettles are part of the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Open Sea exhibit.

Even though the Aquarium’s doors are closed, the care of its residents continues, so donations are always welcome.

How about some virtual whale watching? Monterey Bay Whale Watch isn’t carrying passengers, but they are still out on the water conducting research surveys, and they’re sharing the amazing things they’re seeing on their Facebook page including these feasting humpback whales.

They’ve also had some smile-inducing dolphin encounters. And a reminder, don’t forget turn up the volume. They were able to record the sounds of the Pacific White-sided Dolphins in this clip using a hydrophone.

Webcams help the Ventana Wildlife Society monitor endangered California condors. And these days you can peek inside an active nest, with a chick that hatched on April 25th.

Along with the live cam, great recorded clips that provide progress updates of sorts, are getting posted on YouTube. In this footage, the chick is just six days old.

So they next time you’re craving a getaway, you don’t have to leave home to feel like you’ve escaped somewhere new.

For more about Dana’s adventures and writing, follow her on Instagram @danarebmann and Twitter @drebmann. You can also visit her website.

Latest Stories: