Since moving to the PNW, we've developed a few new interests. The latest is keeping an eye on the tide tables in anticipation of a negative tide--also known as a minus tide or an extreme low tide--when, you guessed it, the tide is lower than usual for a particular area. We were lucky to have a recent afternoon open that coincided with a -3.4 tide, which means the tide was more than 3 feet lower than usual.
Why does this matter? If you're hoping to catch sight of sea stars, anemones, chitons, limpets, crabs, moon snails, sand dollars, or even an octopus, you'll have the best luck when their normally hidden habitat is revealed due to an extreme low tide. We have a long list of tide pooling spots in the area we're looking forward to exploring: Rialto Beach, Constellation Park, Penrose, Rosario Head at Deception Pass, Tongue Point at Salt Creek.
The two we've visited so far are very different from one another: Saltwater in Des Moines affords the chance to see a wide variety of sea creatures while Kopachuck in Gig Harbor is a treasure trove of sand dollars.
Saltwater
On a recent trip to Saltwater, we were fortunate to run into docents from the Seattle Aquarium who showed us moon snails (that's a moon snail shell in Bella's hand on the bottom right), moon snail collars (the little crab on the bottom left is sitting on a collar), and chitons, and were able to point us in the right direction of other sea creatures. We also had the good luck to run into a couple with a wealth of tide pooling knowledge, who happily shared all that they discovered with us, including aggregating anemones (second row right, under a sea star you can see the purple edge of; and bottom row middle, buried in sand).
Moon snails at Saltwater
We know you're just dying to learn more about these species, so here are some fun facts: the moon snail is a large predatory snail with a giant "foot" that extends well beyond its shell (middle image). Have you ever found a clam shell with a perfectly drilled hole in the center, almost like it's waiting to be put on a necklace? That's the work of the moon snail, which feeds on clams in that particular manner.
The moon snail also lays "collars" that look almost like pieces of tire, which are embedded with thousands of microscopic eggs. When we remarked that they look like pieces of tire, the docent told us that he once chased down a man who was walking the shore, collecting the collars and putting then in a large trash bag, thinking they were garbage! Just goes to show that it's wise to do your research before you "help" an ecosystem you may not be terribly familiar with.
Anemones at Saltwater
Like moon snails, sea anemones are predatory creatures, though the aggregating anemones above are harmless to humans. If you're plankton or a small fish, however, the poisonous cells on their tentacles are bad news. Anemones are related to jellyfish, though, from a human perspective they come in at the danger level of a baby moon jelly (essentially harmless).
Puget Sound Jellies
We have moon jellies (above left and center) and Lion's Mane jellies (above right) among other jellies in the waters of Puget Sound. We were lucky to see a bloom of baby moon jellyfish in Olalla in June .We've also seen Lion's Mane jellyfish while paddle boarding in the Salish Sea. Lion's Mane jellies are incredible creatures that grown up to 6.5 feet (!!), though the average is closer to 1.5 feet. Their stings aren't generally fatal but they are very painful sting so it's best to keep your distance. They have up to 1,200 tentacles divided into 8 clusters. Even if a tentacles is detached from the jellyfish, it can still sting you! The possibility of a Lion's Mane jelly sting is always my top motivation to avoid falling off of my paddle board when I'm out in the Sound or the Salish Sea.
Kopachuck State Park
Kopachuck is another favorite spot of ours. It's a lovely wooded walk down to the shore, where you're likely to see sand dollars and rainbow-hued crabs at low tide. Note that sand dollars are purplish gray when alive and have small, hairlike feet that are constantly moving. They can't survive out of the water for long, so if you pick one up from a wet stretch of sand and you feel it's little feet moving, please place it back in the water. If you happen upon a white sand dollar on dry sand, it's dead and has been bleached by the sun. Laws about removing dead or living organisms differ by area, so in general it's best to leave them where you find them and take photos as souvenirs rather than removing the organisms from their habitats.
Other Sound Favorites
Blue herons, seals, sea lions, and otters are a few other marvelous creatures you're likely to see when spending time in the Sound. The rule is to stay 50 yards (150 feet) away from creatures of this size, and 200 yards (a little more than 1.5 football fields) away from whales, which are also a common sighting in Puget Sound, though still on our bucket list!
Another word about tide tables: It's a good idea to familiarize yourself with tide tables if you're planning to camp on the beach or hike around a headland. There are also at least a few beaches in the Puget Sound that are only accessible at low tide, so if you're doing any Sound or Pacific coast exploring in Washington, it's good idea to check the tides before you head out.
Where are your favorite places to go tide pooling? What sort of creatures have you seen? Let us know in the comments or drop us a line.
Happy journeying!
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