Beautiful sandstone erosion creates gullies in the cliff face. The tidepool area is quite high and accessible even when the tide isn’t all that low. This makes it a great place for summer Tidepooling.
Often one of the less popular beaches in half moon bay, it offers stunning cliff views and exciting wildlife in the tidepools.
Good times to visit in the next 30 days
To get the most out of tidepooling, you'll want to go when the tide
is low so that the rocks of the beaches are visible and as the ocean
tide gets lower it leaves behind little pools of water in which you can
see lots of fun critters!
Try to arrive before the lowest tide time, so that you can have some
fun on the tidepools before the tide rises again. Below are the four
best low tides for Quiet Tidepooling spot with lots of little pools on a rocky ledge with some stretching out further in the next 30 days during
daylight hours.
Tuesday 29th April 2025
at 6:42am for a low tide of -1.77ft.
sunrise is 6:16am and sunset is 7:57pm
Wednesday 30th April 2025
at 7:36am for a low tide of -1.66ft.
sunrise is 6:15am and sunset is 7:57pm
Thursday 1st May 2025
at 8:36am for a low tide of -1.34ft.
sunrise is 6:14am and sunset is 7:58pm
Wednesday 28th May 2025
at 6:36am for a low tide of -2.05ft.
sunrise is 5:52am and sunset is 8:21pm
If you don't see anything, sit very still, wait and watch!
How to get there
Parking
There is a larger paid parking spot at the Poplar State beach parking on Poplar st but if you are lucky you will be able to get a spot in the small, free, unpaved (and rather bumpy) parking at the end of Redondo Beach Road. Careful how you drive if your car has a low chassis. People park on the side of the road leading up to the carpark also.
Directions to tidepools
The smoothest way down to the tidepools is to walk along the scenic bluff trail to Poplar beach (or park there) and take the steps down. It’s a bit of a scrabble but it’s also possible to get closer access from the Redondo parking down one of the many steep ravines that the rain has carved out of the cliff. Wear sturdy shoes and bring a walking stick if you have one.
As a general rule it is always a good idea to get to the tidepool site
before the lowest tide so that you can have a good time looking at critters
before the tide starts to come in.
Low tides in the next 30 days
Tuesday 29th April 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -1.77ft at 6:42am
lowest tide is-1.77ft
6:42am-1.77ft6:06pm2.32ft
Wednesday 30th April 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -1.66ft at 7:36am
lowest tide is-1.66ft
7:36am-1.66ft6:54pm2.65ft
Thursday 1st May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -1.34ft at 8:36am
lowest tide is-1.34ft
8:36am-1.34ft7:54pm2.90ft
Friday 2nd May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.92ft at 9:36am
lowest tide is-0.92ft
9:36am-0.92ft9:06pm3.06ft
Saturday 3rd May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.51ft at 10:42am
lowest tide is-0.51ft
10:42am-0.51ft10:48pm2.98ft
Sunday 4th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.16ft at 11:42am
lowest tide is-0.16ft
11:42am-0.16ft
Monday 5th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 0.17ft at 12:36pm
lowest tide is0.17ft
12:18am2.61ft12:36pm0.17ft
Tuesday 6th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 0.50ft at 1:24pm
lowest tide is0.50ft
1:30am2.08ft1:24pm0.50ft
Wednesday 7th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 0.83ft at 2:12pm
lowest tide is0.83ft
2:24am1.49ft2:12pm0.83ft
Thursday 8th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 1.17ft at 2:48pm
lowest tide is1.17ft
3:12am0.91ft2:48pm1.17ft
Friday 9th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 1.50ft at 3:24pm
lowest tide is1.50ft
3:48am0.38ft3:24pm1.50ft
Saturday 10th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 1.81ft at 3:54pm
lowest tide is1.81ft
4:24am-0.05ft3:54pm1.81ft
Sunday 11th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 2.11ft at 4:24pm
lowest tide is2.11ft
5:00am-0.38ft4:24pm2.11ft
Monday 12th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 2.39ft at 4:48pm
lowest tide is2.39ft
5:36am-0.59ft4:48pm2.39ft
Tuesday 13th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.69ft at 6:12am
lowest tide is-0.69ft
6:12am-0.69ft5:18pm2.63ft
Wednesday 14th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.70ft at 6:48am
lowest tide is-0.70ft
6:48am-0.70ft5:48pm2.85ft
Thursday 15th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.65ft at 7:24am
lowest tide is-0.65ft
7:24am-0.65ft6:24pm3.04ft
Friday 16th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.55ft at 8:06am
lowest tide is-0.55ft
8:06am-0.55ft7:06pm3.19ft
Saturday 17th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.43ft at 8:54am
lowest tide is-0.43ft
8:54am-0.43ft8:00pm3.28ft
Sunday 18th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.28ft at 9:42am
lowest tide is-0.28ft
9:42am-0.28ft9:18pm3.24ft
Monday 19th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -0.10ft at 10:36am
lowest tide is-0.10ft
10:36am-0.10ft11:00pm2.92ft
Tuesday 20th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 0.12ft at 11:24am
lowest tide is0.12ft
11:24am0.12ft
Wednesday 21st May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 0.41ft at 12:12pm
lowest tide is0.41ft
12:18am2.26ft12:12pm0.41ft
Thursday 22nd May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 0.77ft at 1:00pm
lowest tide is0.77ft
1:24am1.41ft1:00pm0.77ft
Friday 23rd May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 1.18ft at 1:48pm
lowest tide is1.18ft
2:24am0.45ft1:48pm1.18ft
Saturday 24th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 1.58ft at 2:36pm
lowest tide is1.58ft
3:12am-0.49ft2:36pm1.58ft
Sunday 25th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 1.94ft at 3:24pm
lowest tide is1.94ft
4:06am-1.27ft3:24pm1.94ft
Monday 26th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 2.24ft at 4:12pm
lowest tide is2.24ft
4:54am-1.81ft4:12pm2.24ft
Tuesday 27th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is 2.49ft at 4:54pm
lowest tide is2.49ft
5:42am-2.06ft4:54pm2.49ft
Wednesday 28th May 2025
The lowest tide in daylight today is -2.05ft at 6:36am
Please be respectful of the reef, don’t pry any shellfish or creatures off their homes. You’ll need a Fishing license if you want to fish and bear in mind that depending on the time of year shellfish may be poisonous and you could get Paralytic Shellfish poisoning.
Watch where you step and don’t step on living things if you can possibly avoid it.
Depending on the route you take down to the beach it can be quite treacherous. Be careful especially if you are going down or back when it is dark. Always watch your step and never turn your back on the tide.
Pet Policy
Dogs must be on leash
Food options
Close to Cameron’s Inn but also only about a 10 min drive from lots of dining options in Half Moon Bay.
Picnics
Definitely take a picnic here! Sit on the cliff and soak up the incredible views or navigate down to the beach and eat there. No fires allowed.