{"id":8,"date":"2012-07-25T15:16:46","date_gmt":"2012-07-25T22:16:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.kqed.org\/guides\/?p=8"},"modified":"2012-07-25T15:16:46","modified_gmt":"2012-07-25T22:16:46","slug":"guide-to-bay-area-tidepools-where-to-explore-amazing-marine-life-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ww2.kqed.org\/guides\/2012\/07\/25\/guide-to-bay-area-tidepools-where-to-explore-amazing-marine-life-in\/","title":{"rendered":"Tidepools: Guide to Explore Amazing Marine Life"},"content":{"rendered":"

Updated:<\/strong> June 2, 2014<\/em><\/p>\n

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Flickr: Ingridtaylar<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

When it comes to the Bay Area\u2019s hidden outdoor treasures, our local tide pools are comparable to some of the best around the world. With a little advance planning, you can pay a visit an ecosystem teeming with marine life and get up close and personal with beautiful sea creatures that only low tides reveal.<\/p>\n

You want to hit your destination at a zero or negative low tide. (\u201cZero\u201d is the average low point, and a negative or \u201cminus\u201d tide is an unusually low tide that occurs around the full and new moons.) You\u2019ll get plenty of tide-pool action during a regular, zero tide, but extra-low negative tide reveals more of the rocks that are normally covered with water, and more creatures that are usually submerged. To get the timing right, be sure to check a tide table before you go, either the NOAA<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0or Saltwatertides<\/a>.<\/p>\n

AGATE BEACH AND THE DUXBURY REEF STATE MARINE SANCTUARY<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Flickr:Benketaro<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Accessible via a short trail off of Elm Road in Bolinas in West Marin, Agate Beach<\/a>, located about 30 miles or an hour\u2019s drive northwest from San Francisco, has a huge stretch of tide pools as well as great bird watching. Duxbury Reef is a soft shale reef \u2013 the largest in California \u2013 and is part of the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. <\/em>Together the reef and the beach are among the most biologically diverse coastal areas in the Bay Area. Go during a very low tide and you might see a bat sea star, an unusual kind of sea star that has webbing between its arms, or a giant green anemone (rumor has it that at this location, specimens of the latter can measure six inches across!) Bonus<\/strong>: On a clear day you can get a great view of the Farallon Islands.<\/p>\n

PIGEON POINT LIGHTHOUSE STATION STATE HISTORIC PARK<\/strong><\/p>\n

You\u2019ll find Pigeon Point\u2019s tide pools<\/a> about 100 yards or so north of the hostel building at Pigeon Point, located about 50 miles or an hour\u2019s drive south of San Francisco. And they\u2019re chock full of anemones, crabs, abalone and mussels. If you\u2019re there between March and May, you might see migrating whales as well, and A\u00f1o Nuevo State Reserve, where you can catch elephant seals and their pups in the winter, is right nearby. Bonus<\/strong>: The inside of the Pigeon Point lighthouse is closed to the public, but it\u2019s still worth seeing from the outside \u2013 at 115 feet, it\u2019s one of the tallest lighthouses in America. The lighthouse keeper\u2019s lodging has been renovated and operates as a hostel, making an overnight stay an option!<\/p>\n

FITZGERALD MARINE RESERVE<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Flickr: Panegyrics of Granovetter<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

If you\u2019d like a guided tour of tide pool beauties, check out Fitzgerald Marine Reserve<\/a> in Moss Beach, where volunteer docents can introduce you to some of the 200 species of animals and 150 species of plants that make their home in the reserve\u2019s tide pools. While you\u2019ll never be guaranteed a sighting of an elusive red octopus, chances of seeing one at the reserve are better than elsewhere. Each ecosystem is different and therefore is home to a different array of creatures, but in general, here\u2019s what you can keep an eye out for in the Bay Area\u2019s tide pools: barnacles, sea anemones, sea stars, sea urchins, mossy chitons (a type of mollusk), skates, coralline algae, pebble crabs, turquoise sculpins (a bottom dwelling fish), mussels, broken-back shrimp, sea cucumbers, iridescent algae, sea grapes (a type of seaweed), iridescent algae, and if you\u2019re super lucky, red octopi. Bonus<\/strong>: 126 species of gastropods (snails) live in the reserve\u2019s tide pools. How many can you find?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

Check out this in-depth video<\/a> about the wonders of Fitzgerald Marin Reserve, by Quest’s Joshua Cassidy.<\/p>\n

GENERAL TIPS FOR TIDEPOOL ADVENTURES<\/strong><\/p>\n