San Diego’s Tidepools

Did you know San Diego’s Tidepools are a mecca for fascinating wildlife and sea creatures? Take your time exploring the tide pools. Here are a few places you and your family will enjoy:

Point Loma: sea hares, crabs, sculpin, octopi, shrimp, starfish, brittle stars, sea urchins, mussels, limpets, hermit crabs, sea anemones.

Shell Beach, La Jolla: The big attractions are the seals and sea lions that come to sunbathe

Tourmaline Surfing Park: Hermit crabs and sea snails are very common here. During low tide, you may see an octopus if you are lucky.

San Onofre State Park: Hermit crabs are common, and in the mid-intertidal zone there is a dense mussel bed. With some luck, you may observe an Ochre Starfish.

Birch Aquarium: At Scripps Birch Aquarium they have a hands-on tidepool with sea sarts, hermit crabs, lobsters and other sea life that call our rocky coast home.

Please keep in mind that the tide-pools are alive. Be respectful of the beaches and pools and do not touch or remove any of their inhabitants.  Enjoy one of our favorite San Diego treasures!