Point Lobos State Reserve commonly referred to as Point Lobos is a sea side state reserve south of Monterey, California and north of Big Sur. The very precipitous drop in the ocean floor off Point Lobos (reaching levels characteristic of the mid Pacific within a few kilometres of shore) gives rise to strange tidal effects, with unusual levels of oxygen being injected into the ocean water. This in turn has attracted an unusual collection of plant and animal life, ranging from high plankton concentrations, moving up the food chain to large mammals.