Various Native American peoples occupied the lands in and around the Southern California Bight for tens of thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans.

[6] In 1542, at present day San Diego Bay, Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo of Spain, along with his crew, were the first European explorers to land in the region.

The coastal topology of the Southern California Bight is varied, featuring alluvial plains and marine terraces broken up by mountains of the Transverse and Peninsular Ranges.

Other major cities located along the bight include Santa Barbara, Ventura, Oxnard, Playas de Rosarito, and Ensenada.

The central and southern portions of the bight feature a predominantly semi-arid climate (Köppen Bsk) with hot, dry summers and cool, wet winters.

A marine layer typically forms just off the coast during late spring and early summer, blanketing coastal communities in cooler air which, if saturated, also contains fog.

A study conducted near San Luis Obispo, California showed that when kelp was removed from a nearby reef, fish biomass declined by 63%.

Other species of birds, such as grebes and loons migrate from Baja California over the nearshore waters, and will stop to fish and feed.

Common birds of the rocky seashore include black oystercatchers (Haemotopus bachmani), wandering tattlers (Heteroscelus incanus), and Surfbirds (Aphorize virgata).

Other birds, such as sandpipers, egrets, and herons utilize tidal patterns, venturing out to rocks during low tide in hopes of catching prey.

[7][8] Due to its central location of warm and cool ocean currents, the Southern California Bight sees a wide variety of marine mammals.

Common dolphins typically appear in the Southern California Bight during years with warmer water, and are more abundant in the summer and winter.

For the past century, the offshore areas of coastal cities such as Goleta, Santa Monica, and Huntington Beach have been home to oil extraction sites.

The thriving marine life and accessible seafood source has led to the development of harbors and marinas all across the Southern California coast.