Really varied tidepools with great Nudibranch potential!
Pillar Point is awesome! there is a lot of variety in the types of pool left by the tide. The left hand side (looking out to sea) has some small pocket pools and a wide flat seagrass bed. there are lots of accessible little pools near the beach and there's a small cut parallel to the beach which is a good place to spot fish.
The pools along the deeper ravine at a 90% angle to the beach have giant green anemones, acorn barnacles and is where you'll want to head to find nudibranchs. There are some sea palms and varied fauna on the rocks next to this ravine also.
This area is a popular surfing spot, also known as Mavericks when the tide is high and the waves can come in fast and strong so you'll need to watch your back and don't underestimate the tide. The smaller cut parallel to the beach fills in first so do wear water shoes!
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 Really varied tidepools with great Nudibranch potential! in the next 30 days during daylight hours.
Friday 14th April 2023 at 1:06pm for a low tide of -0.38ft.
Saturday 22nd April 2023 at 7:12am for a low tide of -0.85ft.
Sunday 23rd April 2023 at 8:00am for a low tide of -0.66ft.
Monday 24th April 2023 at 8:48am for a low tide of -0.37ft.
Low tides today
The lowest tide in daylight today is 0.39ft at 1:42pm
What you could see
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Ochre Sea Star
Pisaster ochraceus
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Spotted Dorid
Triopha maculata
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Opalescent Nudibranch
Hermissenda opalescens
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Sunburst Anemone
Anthopleura sola
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Monterey Dorid
Doris montereyensis
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Hilton's Aeolid
Phidiana hiltoni
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Leather Star
Dermasterias imbricata
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Giant Green Anemone
Anthopleura xanthogrammica
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Stubby Dendronotid
Dendronotus subramosus
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Moonglow Anemone
Anthopleura artemisia
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Clown Dorid
Triopha catalinae
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Noble Dorid
Peltodoris nobilis
Tidepooling tips
Stay safe
- Never turn your back on the ocean.
- Wear water shoes and watch your step.
- Pack water and sunscreen.
Respect the reef
- Don't take anything from the reef, leave it for others to enjoy.
- Leave the reef as you found it, careful where you step and try not to break the reef or step on living things'
- Take all your litter back home with you.
Have fun!
- Take lots of photos, upload to iNaturalist for help identifying.
- If you don't see anything, sit very still, wait and watch!