Tide Pooling: A Great Family Activity and a Priceless Experience for Kids

Scientists often say that we know more about our solar system than about our own oceans. Beneath the waves are worlds that few of us have ever seen. But for adults who want to experience the sea’s natural wonders, there are many ways to do so, including boating, fishing, surfing, swimming, snorkeling and scuba diving. Young children do not have as many choices.

If you are a parent and have kids who love the natural world, nothing beats tide pooling. It is a step into the deep blue, a chance to interact with sea creatures without swimming or snorkeling. At the ages when many children are fascinated by nature and animals, tide pooling is a great way to introduce them to the world of marine life. They can see it in aquariums behind glass, but the chance to discover it and touch sea life themselves is priceless.

If you live near a coastline or travel to one, do not overlook tide pooling. It is a great family activity that is much cheaper than a movie theater or amusement park. Tide pooling provides kids with an experience like none other.

Its educational benefits can last a lifetime.

What are Tide pools?

Tide pools (also known as rock pools) form in the transition zone where ocean meets land. Find a rocky shoreline on a coastline that is rich in marine life. When the tide recedes, pools of water will be left behind, and in them will be treasures. Mussels, various shellfish, urchins, sea stars, crabs, anemones, shrimp, small fish, even small octopi, and many varieties of seaweed are some examples of the sea life that one can find in these pools of water before the tide comes back.

Most tide pools are only a few inches to a few feet (perhaps up to one meter) deep. This means you can see clearly right down to the bottom. Often, kids can reach right in and touch some of the shellfish and small critters they see. If your coastline has hermit crabs, their antics are a delight to watch, good for hours of fun. Unless you are catching a meal, make sure the kids do not harm these creatures, move them away from the water, or take them home.

“Tide pooling” refers to the practice of observing tide pools and the ocean life within them. It is best done at low tide, when more of the coastline is exposed. Rocky shores generally have better tide pools than sandy beaches. Unless you want to get very wet and contend with waves, your tide pooling area should be well above the tide line.

Photo credit: Porto Covo in Portugal, Creative Commons via Wikimedia by Alvesgaspar

The Difficulties of Tide Pooling

Tide pooling is not for everyone and it comes with some downsides. Kids can slip and fall on the rocks or be surprised by a sudden wave, so you need to keep a watchful eye. Everyone should wear some good shoes. With younger children, you will need to hold their hands the entire time, because seaweed-covered rocks are slippery. Know whether the tide is coming in or going out. Be sure to account for larger-than-usual rogue waves, which can hit higher on the rocks than you might guess.

Whatever the kids are wearing is guaranteed to get wet and sandy. Some of the best tide pooling occurs on coasts that are perpetually shrouded in fog, so this may not be a warm, sunny day at the beach. Both the wind and the water can be bone-chillingly cold.

But all of these costs are worthwhile, given the tremendous benefits of bringing children closer to nature. If you have the opportunity, let them discover the ocean environment by tide pooling.

Photo credit: Channel Islands, U.S. National Parks Service, Public Domain

Some Great Tide Pooling Spots

Parts of New Zealand, South Africa, Southern Chile, Northern Europe, and North America’s Pacific Coast lay claim to many of the world’s best tide pooling spots, though you can find tide pools in plenty of other places also. These are largely temperate locations touched by currents that create a rich upwelling of nutrients to support marine life. The more rocks, the better, though sandy tide pool areas can be great also.

Sometimes, if you are driving along a coastline, you can just pull over at random and find the perfect place. But it is better to pick your spot first and plan your visit to coincide with low tide. To find tide tables, run an online search for “tide table cape cod” (substitute the location you want to check for “cape cod” in that example).

Photo credit: Kids enjoying tidal pools in India, Creative Commons via Wikimedia, all photos by Paresh Poriya

The Two Best Tide Pooling Beaches I Have Ever Visited

Since I was a young kid myself, I have enjoyed tide pooling. Those memories lasted long enough for me to drag my own kids out to the rocky shoals to squirt anemones and look for crabs. I have visited many beaches with tide pools, all of them totally unique. But two locations on the United States West Coast stand out above all others I have ever seen.

Number 1: Shi Shi Beach, Olympic Peninsula, Washington (state), U.S.

Shi Shi may be the world’s best tide pooling location. I have little doubt that it is the best in the continental United States. At low tide, the uneven rocky shoals leave tide pools of varying depths all over a huge area of the beach. And the tidal life here is brilliant in color and diversity.

If you ever visit Olympic National Park in Washington state, even if you do not have children, do yourself a favor and visit this incredible beach. From mountains to temperate rainforests to beaches that stretch for miles, Olympic National Park is one of the treasures of the park system. Shi Shi is almost at the far northwestern tip of the Olympic peninsula, nearly the last point in the United States before Canadian territorial waters begin.

Photo credit: Point of the Arches, Shi Shi Beach, Washington, Creative Commons via Flickr by John Fowler

Photo credit: Olympic National Park shore at low tide, U.S. National Park Service, Public Domain

Number 2: Fitzgerald Marine Reserve, Moss Beach, California, U.S.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Friends of Fitzgerald Marine Reserve

Site of the opening scene in Memoirs of a Geisha with a beautiful cypress forest atop foggy coastal bluffs, Fitzgerald Marine Reserve features equal beauty at the water’s edge. The rock formations along this coastline created long ripples of shoals. At low tide (or even an -0.0 tide), many of these spots are visible above the tideline.

Fitzgerald is a great place for kids partly because the rocky shoals are away from crashing waves. The waves break on a sandbar and the water flows in fairly gently, so it is easier to stay dry here than at most tide pooling locations.

An added bonus at Fitzgerald is that it hosts a colony of harbor seals. Some of them sit on the sandy shore at the south side of the main beach, while others lounge on the sandbars or rocks nearer the waves. Because the seals are protected, it is not possible to get very near them, but they still are fun for kids to see.

Even Without Kids, Try Some Tide Pooling!

Even if you don’t have children, try tide pooling. Connect with nature and let your sense of discovery and wonder run wild. It will make you feel like a kid again! If you do not live near a shoreline with tide pools and have no chance to visit one, please try one of the great aquariums of the world which feature a hands-on tide pooling activity...it's for all ages!

Photo credit: Cabrillo National Monument near San Diego, National Park Service, Public Domain

And please make sure to pick up your trash before leaving!

Photo credit: Marine debris on Hawaii beach, NOAA, Public Domain

Thumbnail image photo credit: Creative Commons via Wikimedia by Brocken Inaglory