Tidepools

 
Where did we go?
In January, during one of the lowest tides of the year, we went to the tidepools at Pillar Point on the San Mateo County Coast. It was a spectacular trip. Many of us had never been to a tidepool before.
What did we do?
We explored the rocky crevices and pools left when the tide is out. The diversity of life here is amazing!
What did we observe?
Pillar Point is one of the best places in the Bay Area to see tidepool life. Just off the shore is a long flat bed of sandstone that reaches more than a half-mile out to sea. When the tide goes out, pools of water are left behind in depressions of the rocks. Pillar Point is an excellent place to find tidepool creatures like sea stars, sponges, and sea anemones.

 

Tidepools form where pools of water collect in rocky hollows at low tide. They are rich with fish and other marine life. Created where the land meets the sea, tidepools are some of the most beautiful places along the coasts of California.

 

Sunflower star

Sea stars move and capture their prey with tiny suction cups called tube feet. If you flip over a sea star you will see hundreds of tube feet wiggling about. Although the sea star’s tube feet are tiny, they are powerful enough to cling to the rocks while waves pound them.



Dorris shares her knowledge of tidepools and marine life

Tidepools present many challenges for the animals living there. Only hardy animals with specialized adaptations can survive in the constantly changing water levels, salinities, temperatures and waves. This is the realm of the marine invertebrates (animals without backbones). While some of these creatures are fairly simple compared to humans or whales, they are well-adapted for life in the intertidal zone. A crab, for example, can grow back a lost claw. A mussel has strong threads to help it cling tight to wave-battered rocks.

Three basic laws of survival rule life in the tidepool:

• Don’t get washed away by waves at high tide.
• Don’t get dried out by the sun at low tide.
• Don’t get eaten!

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Let's Go!
Tidepools are great fun and the Bay Area has a number of excellent intertidal areas to explore.
John Fitzgerald State Marine Reserve is located in Moss Beach about an hour south of San Francisco. For more information click on the link below.
http://www.sfgate.com/getoutside/1996/jun/fitz.html

Other good sites include:
Pigeon Point on the San Mateo County coast:
http://cal-parks.ca.gov/allpages/default.asp?page_id=533

Natural Bridges State Park, Santa Cruz:
http://cal-parks.ca.gov/allpages/default.asp?page_id=541

Point Lobos State Reserve, Carmel:
http://cal-parks.ca.gov/allpages/default.asp?page_id=571

Asilomar State Beach, Monterey:
http://cal-parks.ca.gov/allpages/default.asp?page_id=566

Point Pinos, Monterey:

If you decide to go tidepooling, here’s a list of safety rules:
1. Wear long pants and old tennis shoes or rubber boots that have good treads and cover your entire foot. Spiny sea urchins and sharp barnacles can easily cut exposed skin.
2. Walk with extreme care on the slippery, algae covered rocks.
3. Don't turn your back on the ocean. Occasional large waves can easily sweep the unwary into the water.
4. When exploring the tide pools at low tide, never let the incoming tide cut off your route back to shore.
5. Remember to treat the creatures you find with respect. Put animals and plants back where you find them and turn rocks back over to their original position.

The link below provides useful information about tidepooling:
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/watchable/tide.pools.html