Submitted by eecology t3_115yeqr in Washington
Just moved to Vancouver from Michigan, used to live on the Florida coast… and one of my favorite things since a child has been scouring the ocean/lakeshore and looking at all the cool invertebrates. Is there any specific areas along the coast that have a lot invert.’s at low tide I should check out?
Cheers
Cool! Thank you.. it does seem very Sandy nearest where I’m at, so it looks like I’ll have to make a longer day trip or overnight stay somewhere 😃
Salt Creek recreational area!
+1 for this, only at low tide though. Pay attention to that tide.
Highly recommend Dash point state park during low tide. We have found an octopus and so many sand dollars. Though this isn’t really a “rocky” place.
One of our favorite rocky places to explore tide pools is deception pass state park -bowman Bay Area.
As well as what someone mentioned above Salt creek recreation at low tide.
Edit to add- Teddy bear cove in Bellingham as well, absolutely love that peaceful place. Though small, it’s so much fun to explore and have a picnic.
Sunset Beach, out of Coos Bay, OR
Kalaloch’s Beach 4 has some nice tide pools if you want to go all the way out to the coast
Find a low tide! The lower the better. And a rocky beach.
Yeah I’m on the Google and got the tide chart up - but all the beaches I’ve seen closer to the south are Sandy so I didn’t know if anyone knew of any little spots to check out
There's a decent artificial reef there if you're scuba diving but the near shore tide pools are unremarkable.
I do have my wetsuit fins and snorkel with me so thanks for the tip! 👀
It's something you would only want to explore approaching the slack before low water to get free diving depths. Plankton blooms, heavy rains, or days ending with "y" may spoil visibility which can range from 2ft to 25ft with 10-ish being pretty typical.
Lots of Portland based folks five Hood Canal and there's some rocky headlands you can explore. There's a few waterfront rentals around Hoodsport plus Mike's Beach Resort that cater to divers.
I really like cold water diving in the PNW but it's definitely an acquired taste that requires a really good understanding of local conditions to mitigate risk. The really cool stuff is in British Columbia.
Shi Shi is a bit more work to get to, but at low tide the rock stacks have cylindrical holes in the top and each one is it's own little aquarium.
Ahh that’s perfect! Thank you! We had a few like that in Michigan along Lake Superior where it’s super rocky.. I get so lost in those little Microsystems… I swear that’s when I feel most like a kid again lol
You can also camp directly on the beach at Shi Shi. The trail into the beach from the road is very well maintained. People who own the houses along the road will let you park your vehicle for a small nightly charge.
Not super convenient from Vancouver but if you go out to the Olympic Peninsula, the beach at Fort Worden has good tidepools (the Port Townsend Marine Science Center does great guided low tide walks) and if you keep walking west from there, North Beach County Park has some decent sea glass if you're into that.
The jetty
Rialto Beach/Hole-in-the-Wall tide pools: Starfish, sea anemones, hermit crabs, seaweed/kelp, sea rocks/stacks, sea otters, bald eagles, etc.: https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/tidepool-activities.htm
For octopuses, you'll need to snorkel-dive in Puget Sound or visit the Seattle Aquarium.
It's definitely possible to find octopuses in tidepools, though they're uncommon and/or tough to spot. People occasionally find them at low tide on rocky beaches in Seattle and other areas of Puget Sound. (e.g. Constellation Park in West Seattle). My family and I saw one in a shallow channel at Salt Creek last fall.
Yeah I’ve seen a few videos floating around on Facebook now that my algorithm is slowly becoming more local to the area haha it’s actually why I thought to ask! Thanks for the tips 🤙🏼 when I lived in Florida as a kid we’d see all types of cool ocean life that I’ve forgotten about since my time in Michigan- I don’t think we ever saw any Octopi though, so I’m supppper hoping to come across one some day :)
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I know reading can be tough for some people but I think I made it clear enough that I’m just scoping spots for cool things to look at that I hadn’t seen in Michigan. I’m a biologist and avid outdoorsman - but please go off
In Washington, unfortunately we have a lot people like this guy. Don't worry though there are lots of cool people too.
SpecialistHippo4551 t1_j94ygx2 wrote
Washington wise you're in a desert of nearshore sand in Vancouver. The nearest rocky ish tide pools will be over by Ilwaco but the jetties can have extremely dangerous surf. A more natural alternative would be a long drive to La Push or even Salt Creek. You might have more opportunities in OR.