Photo Guide: Tide Pooling
Have you ever been curious about tide pooling but didn’t know where to start? Check out this helpful introductory guide!
Photo guide by Emily Davis
Not everyone is lucky enough to grow up surrounded by a huge amount of biodiversity and geodiversity. Growing up in Mississippi, my everyday landscapes were flat planes, acres of trees with deer and birds living among them, and ponds and lakes filled with crawfish, bass and catfish. It wasn’t until I came to school at Western Washington University that I realized the quantity of unique animals and organisms I could find and interact with just minutes from campus.
My first year at Western, I was persuaded to take a Fairhaven class called Salish Sea Marine Biology. I was fascinated by the subject matter but nervous about the field trips. We had to go to Marine Park on three different nights in February to explore, discover, and identify tide pool creatures – a concept I had never even heard of before this class.
“Tide pooling?” I thought. “What is that? At night?! In February?!”
Despite my reservations, after the first night, I was hooked.
“In a lot of ways, [tide pooling] is our connection to the ocean, like a readily accessible connection,” said Derek Smith, laboratory manager at Shannon Point Marine Life Center and Research Assistant Professor of Marine and Coastal Science at WWU. “And not just the ocean, but the organisms that are in the ocean.”
According to Smith, one of the greatest things about tide pooling is getting to interact with the “transition zone” between land and sea. “I kind of feel like one of the most important places in our entire world of all ecosystems is that transition zone,” Smith said. “That very narrow pathway in between the land and the sea is a really magical place of both animals and ecology and interaction for people.”
This guide is for anyone feeling a little curious about ocean organisms and a little unsure of where to start. It will cover how to get started with tide pooling, some of the organisms you may encounter, how to care for and interact with these organisms if you do find any, and how and where to keep exploring in and around Bellingham.
Stepping onto the sand in rain boots ready to go tide pooling at Marine Park. // Photo by Emily Davis on March 15, 2023
First off, you’ll need some gear. A flashlight and a good pair of shoes are the most important items for going tide pooling. A headlamp, whether it’s dark out or not, is great for keeping your hands free so that you can crouch down, flip over rocks and pick up creatures. During the winter, you’ll want a good pair of rain boots that you can wear a few layers of socks with. Even with the tide out, you’ll be stepping in some pretty muddy areas. During the summer, a pair of sandals work great.
In Smith’s experience, tennis shoes hold up better than anything. “I would say try different footwear, like something you might not expect to work well in the intertidal might work better than you think,” he said. “So if you've got … like a pair of hiking boots, a pair of tennis shoes, a pair of, like, neoprene booties or something maybe you use for some other watersports in the house, you could certainly try that.”
Next, you’ll want to find yourself a good guide. There are digital guides such as the iNaturalist app and the Puget Sound Tide Pooling Guide, as well as physical guides that you can buy online such as Tide Pools of the Pacific Coast: A Quick Field Guide. There are guides just for identifying the creatures you see, but others have lots of information on specific organisms and room for you to take your own notes.
So you’ve got your gear and guides and are ready to head out. Before you go, be sure to check the Local Tide Chart! It’s best to go when the tide is at its lowest. Negative numbers are ideal, and anything higher than 1.5 feet and you shouldn’t go out at all. The time of day that the tides are low depends on the time of year. According to the National Parks Service, early summer mornings and late fall and winter afternoons tend to be the best times to go. Other times, the tide might be lowest at one or two in the morning, which can still be just as fun if you’re into late-night tide pooling (and staying safe!).
Now that you’re geared up and you’ve got the timing down, what spots should you check out first? Marine Park is a personal favorite of mine due to how easily accessible it is, but depending on how far you want to drive and what kind of scenery you’re looking for, some other great tide pooling locations around Bellingham include Larrabee State Park, Boulevard Park, and Locust Beach.
You’ve got your gear, you know what time to go, and now you know where to go… it’s finally time to start exploring!
Photo captions
Sand Dollar (Echinarachnius parma)— Sand dollars can be found on top of the sand or under rocks. While they may appear inanimate, sand dollars are actually living creatures that feed on microscopic algae and fragments of other animals!
Pacific Geoduck (Panopea generosa)— Geoducks can be found under rocks and sand. The part of the geoduck you’ll most likely see is called the siphon, which allows water to circulate in and out for feeding, breathing, and reproduction. Watch out for these guys. They squirt!
Grainy Hermit Crab (Pagers granosimanus)— These little guys live in abandoned shells, molting and changing homes every 12 to 18 months. They can be found under rocks and in the sand, and you can pick them up gently by their shells. They might even come out, if you have water in your hand and you’re being extra still!
Shag-rug Nudibranch (Aeolidia papillosa)— These furry looking organisms are covered in cerata, respiratory projections that usually contain outpocketings of the digestive gland. They’re carnivores, mostly feeding on anemones, and can be found under rocks.
Moon Glow Sea Anemone (Anthopleura artemisia)— If you poke a sea anemone, you will be able to see its defense mechanism in action as it compresses its tentacles and shield its oral disk. Sea anemones can be found under rocks and on the sand.
Crescent Gunnel (Pholis laeta)— This creature might look like an eel, but it’s actually a fish! Unlike most fish, these guys can breathe air, but it’s still not good for them to be kept out of water for too long. You can often find crescent gunnels under rocks.
Hairy Shore Crab (Hemigrapsus oregonensis)— These crabs get their name from the hair-resembling setae on their legs. You can pick them up carefully, but be sure to place them back under their rock and cover them up when you’re finished!
Dog Whelk (Nucella)— It may not look like it, but this is an animal! Try looking inside to see if anyone’s home — you may find a sea snail. Dog whelks feed on mussels and barnacles, and it takes days for them to digest their prey. You can find them under rocks and on the sand.
Sea Star (Allostichaster polyplax)—
If you find a sea star on a rock, don’t peel it off! That hurts the star. If you find a sea star on the sand, it’s safe to pick up.
Fun fact: Sea stars can see! If you flip them over, you’ll sometimes see their appendages curl to detect light.
Mussel shells, Hermit Crabs, Little Brown Barnacle and Snail Shells!— Remember to flip over rocks to see the many organisms living on and under them! You can sometimes see an entire tiny community living on one rock. Never peel creatures off of rocks, and always remember to put rocks back where they belong when you’re done looking.
Now that you’ve explored and you’ve gotten an amazing experience from these creatures, make sure you don’t repay them poorly. Remember to always put creatures, rocks and plants back where you found them.
“Organisms generally are spatially arranged in a way that's advantageous for them either because of what they're eating or potentially [because they’re trying] not [to get] eaten by somebody else,” Smith said. “For all you know, you may have just deposited them in a place where they're all about to get eaten by something that's there… or they're unable to handle being out of the water.”
Hopefully, the information in this guide has given you some newfound confidence and inspiration to get out there and explore! Tide pooling can seem intimidating at first, but at the end of the day, you’re just flipping rocks. Invite friends to experience the ocean with you, or just venture out solo. Either way, you won’t regret it.
If you’re interested in learning even more about tide pooling, check out this Klipsun video on tide pooling from March 2022!