SAN DIEGO — The King Tide is over until next month, but the tide will still be very high and low this weekend. That means it’s a great time to check out tide pools along the coast during low tide.
Exploring tide pools is best during King Tides because the low tide is extremely low. People can see sea life that they might not see otherwise. At the La Jolla Tide Pools on Friday, people found starfish, lobsters, crabs, bat stars and even an octopus.
Kat was visiting La Jolla from Washington State.
“It’s a fantastic way for people to connect to the ocean by seeing these animals they might not otherwise see," she said.
It's like a treasure hunt. CBS 8 asked some children what they hoped to see.
“A crab,” one said.
“I want to find a fish,” said another.
“An octopus,” chimed in a third.
Closer to shore, people can find mussels and smaller sea anemones because they can handle being out of water for longer periods of time. Closer to the ocean, people can see larger animals that have basically gotten stuck in the larger pools when the water receded. They’re waiting for the tide to come back and water to hide them.
Be careful though. Matthew Arrollado with Birch Aquarium said, “It's important to watch your step as much as you can. The tide pools are teeming with life.”
Arrollado also said to touch marine life as gently as you would your own eyeball. You don’t want to crush a mussel shell or sea anemone. Arrollado said his favorite tide pools are False Point and Dike Rock in La Jolla.
Popular tide pools in San Diego
- Cabrillo National Monument Tide Pools
- Sunset Cliffs Natural Park
- Dike Rock Tide Pools in La Jolla (North of the Scripps Pier and La Jolla Shores Beach)
- False Point South of La Jolla
- Cardiff State Beach/Seaside Beach Tide Pools (just South of Lifeguard Tower #10)
- Swami’s State Beach Tide Pools (North of the stairs)
Go one hour before and one hour after the listed low tide. Take a flashlight so you can find sea life hiding in the deeper pools.
Next King Tide
- Friday, Feb. 9
- High Tide: 8:14 a.m.
- Low Tide: 3:18 p.m.
- Saturday, Feb. 10
- High Tide: 8:58 a.m.
- Low Tide: 3:53 p.m.
WATCH RELATED: King tides, high surf hit San Diego County again this week (Jan. 11, 2024)