With each wave, bull kelp blades sway beneath the surface of the ocean, picking up carbon dioxide, water and other nutrients from the sea. These are the unseen forests of Olympic's coastline. As with any forest , it's canopy is a protective shelter for many types of life. Many species of fish live beneath the blades along with plankton, tiny arthropods, sea urchins, sea stars, sponges, and many other organisms. The kelp, which lives offshore up to 30 meters in depth, also protects life living closer to shore.
Kelp forest help defend intertidal communities from the pounding surf.
In doing so, some kelp is lost. Great tangled wads of kelp can be found on the beach that were torn from their beds and washed to shore. Examine these piles and you will find the kelp's holdfast still gripping a rock which was loosened by the force of the ocean. Sea otters depend on kelp forests day and night. They spend almost their entire lifecycle in the kelp forests, feeding on sea urchins and other crustaceans, and sleeping tied to kelp ropes for safety.