Tag: Beach Combing
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The “Sand Ploughman” That Travels the World
In the winter and shoulder seasons around the world, observant beachgoers might notice a mostly white, speedy little bird foraging in the wet sand or sleeping in groups nestled higher on the shore. The less observant beachgoer might only be startled when a small flock of birds with sandy-gray backs that were camouflaged in the…
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5 Dangerous Animals to Look Out For In The Tide Pools
“How can I stay safe on the coast?” is a common tide pooling question. While you are far more likely to be injured by a wave or a rock in the tide pools, some animals can potentially harm you. We’ll discuss only a few of them here. Depending on where you are in the world,…
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Book Review: “The New Beachcomber’s Guide to Seashore Life of California: Completely Revised and Expanded” By J. Duane Sept
Author note: Book reviews on this site are designed to give the reader a general idea of a book, its perceived purpose, and its success in accomplishing those purposes. The New Beachcomber’s Guide to Seashore Life of California: Completely Revised and Expanded by J. Duane Sept is a field guide published in 2023 by Harbour…
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Tide Pooling Log: Orange County Eelgrass beds Before Dawn
Most of my tide pooling as a kid was on rocky shores where it’s easy to spot animals and there is an abundance of life. But recently, I’ve been educating myself about sandy and muddy shores and finally got a chance to visit a sandy beach with sevearl eelgrass beds during an excellent low tide…
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Feeling Crabby? Tuna Crab Swarms and Mass Stranding Events
In the last several months, an unusual creature has been showing up in California’s coastal waters. Although they haven’t yet made their way into the intertidal, huge swarms of tuna crabs (Grimothea planipes), a pelagic member of the squat lobster family, have been seen off the SoCal’s coasts and may end up stranded on beaches. …
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What are the Blue Sea Jelly-Things Washing up On California’s Beaches?
If you’ve visited SoCal beaches in the last few days, you will have probably seen thousands— if not tens of thousands— blue sea jelly-looking creatures with stiff, transparent sails stranded at the high water line. These are by-the-wind sailors (Velella velella), not sea jellies, but small hydroids that occasionally wash up on our beaches. They…
About the blog
The Tidepooler is a blog focused on education and information about the tide pools and rocky shore environments along the coasts of the world’s oceans. With more understanding and enthusiasm, these important ecosystems can be sustainably explored for science, curiosity, and appreciation of their beauty.
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The Tide Is Out 