Over the bridge…
Over the roads on moving land…
Over the perilous boulders…
To Point Vicente we go!
If it seems like we’ve been hitting the tide-pools a lot – we have. Low tide seems to be prevalent in the fall/winter here and in the spring/summer we go months without. I’m sure there’s a reason related to astronomy which I look forward to discovering another day.
Some of the finds today:
a starfish with a sea urchin ‘test’ or shell.
bottom of a tiny purple urchin – you can see it’s little tube feet surrounding the mouth
purple urchin
Jen told me the name of this today and I’ve forgotten already! It has some sort of drill apparatus that the animal uses to drill through the shells of its prey.
brittle star
tidepool sculpin
California Black Sea Hare (Aplysia vaccaria) – the largest known species of sea slug! Unlike the California Sea Hare, it is apparently incapable of producing ink.
Sea Hare Eggs
Pelicans resting on the rocks – these are amazing to watch when they glide over the water in sequence – they are inches above the water and glide in perfect sync.
I believe these are some type of tube worms
A late afternoon sundog – it only looks like a blotch of light here but you can see it’s rainbow reflection on the water.
Catalina Island, a barge in the distance and that trail coming from the left of the screen in the middle of the picture is a massive pod or school of dolphins – there must have been at least a hundred of them! A bystander said it was a feeding frenzy. Whatever it was, we were thrilled to have seen it!
And no matter how many times I see that sun setting over the sea, it still takes my breath away.
This Saturday, December 4th is the lowest tide of the year in Southern California at -1’2″ at 2:18pm so grab your kids and head to your favorite tidepools!
Thanks for posting this! I love seeing the whole adventure, from the approach to the end. Great capturing!
Thanks, Naomi! Love your view on the day. We may have to go back on Saturday with another low tide. Thanks for the tip.
BTW, that's a Kellet's Whelk.
Nolan said the fish was a sculpin, but I wasn't sure until I looked it up. So tiny. Sculpins give some powerful stings and the staghorn sculpins have sharp teeth. Glad these little ones didn't inflict any pain.
That black sea hare is awesome. Nolan explained to me the difference in shape with the California Hare too. The black hare is flatter on top and has no wavy shape like on the California hare.
Nice pictures of a fabulous tidepool.
Thanks, Naomi! Love your view on the day. We may have to go back on Saturday with another low tide. Thanks for the tip.
BTW, that's a Kellet's Whelk.
Nolan said the fish was a sculpin, but I wasn't sure until I looked it up. So tiny. Sculpins give some powerful stings and the staghorn sculpins have sharp teeth. Glad these little ones didn't inflict any pain.
That black sea hare is awesome. Nolan explained to me the difference in shape with the California Hare too. The black hare is flatter on top and has no wavy shape like on the California hare.
Nice pictures of a fabulous tidepool.